All children deserve the opportunity to learn and socialise in a safe school environment.
Unfortunately, for a small percentage of children, going to school or public places, the indoor air quality and residue of cleaning chemicals is enough to cause real health issues and this can be detrimental to their social skills and education.
To date in Australia there is no strategy to help children suffering with sensitivities in schools. I know adults may suffer in the same way, but in the case study below on Hughes Primary School in the ACT, the focus was on children in a learning environment and how Tersano’s lotus PRO chemical free cleaning system is helping to make their school days as normal as possible.
Hughes Primary School identified a need to change their cleaning methods for the benefit of children with sensitivities. They discovered Tersano after research into chemical free cleaning. What they learnt was that even though Green Chemicals were good for the environment, they were still a health concern for children with sensitivities as they contained dyes and fragrances.
In some countries there are rules and regulations regarding the cleaning chemicals that can be used around children in schools. So why are our children less important?
In Australia we are lagging behind because the school principals have their hands tied and the tender process does not take into account health and safety of the students. I would like to see this change as soon as possible.
Have a read of the Hughes Primary School case study at the link below and feel free to contact me or comment if you’d like to add to the discussion.
https://www.geca.org.au/news-and-events/news/case-study-safe-school-chemically-sensitive-students/
