The State of Green Cleaning in Canadian Hospitals
Pollution prevention is a growing concern for hospitals. At its simplest, pollution prevention (P2) is good business. It reduces the amount of products purchased, and reduces the amount of waste sent out. However, P2 is truly important because it helps create healthy hospitals environments. One P2 strategy that is becoming more prevalent is the green cleaning movement, which is the reduced use of harsh, toxic cleaners. Many initiatives have already been taken by Canadian hospitals to ensure that their indoor environments are safe for patients, staff, and visitors. Recently, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care completed a survey of Canadian health care facilities in an effort to gain insight into what is currently being done to reduce the needlessly toxic method of infection control in Canadian hospitals. The following is a description of the current state of green cleaning within Canadian hospitals and how the movement can gain momentum.
