FAQ Green Products - Wood Wyant

Frequently Asked Questions regarding
Green Chemical Cleaning Products
| What is a Green Cleaning Chemical?
There are many definitions of a Green Cleaning
Chemical. Some may classify green cleaning chemicals
as
1) Cleaners formulated with enzymes and/or microbes
2) Cleaners that are formulated to be biodegradable
3) Cleaners with low VOC’s
4) Cleaners formulated to have a lesser impact on the
environment when compared to traditional
formulations
5) Cleaners that reduce water and energy
consumption
A standard definition accepted by the industry is a
chemical cleaning product that is formulated to reduce
the health and environmental impacts compared to
similar products used for the same purpose.
| What is a Bio Green Cleaning Chemical?
Biological Based Cleaners are formulated using microbes
and/or enzymes as part of their active ingredients to
remove soil and odours.
| What are microbes (bacteria)?
Microbes are microscopic organisms derived of
chlorophyll and are the smallest known living organism.
Microbes are widely diffused in nature and multiply
with marvelous rapidity, by fission or sporulation.
Certain species are active agents in fermentation while
some others are non-pathogenic and are beneficial to
humankind. Microbes are found everywhere in our
environment, as well as in and on our bodies. All life on
earth depends on microbes. Microbes are not known to
be allergenic or an irritant
• The microbes used by Wood Wyant are
established as safe for human health and the
environment by the Canada Environment
Protection Act (Environment Canada and Health
Canada) and the US NIH guidelines (National
Institutes of Health). There are numerous groups
of microbes that are well
studied and characterized by
industry and academia.
• Products containing selected
microbes have been used in
cleaning products for more than 40
years and have an excellent history of
safe use
• Products with class 1 microbes are regulated by
WHMIS (workplace hazard material information
system) in Canada and by EPA and OSHA in the
U.S.
| What is an enzyme?
An enzyme is a protein molecule that catalyzes a
chemical reaction. Many groups of enzymes are used to
operate the breakdown of proteins into smaller
molecules called peptides, and eventually into their
smallest components, amino acids. Enzymes are
present in bacteria, plants and are most abundant in
animals. Enzymes are found everywhere in nature, even
in our own bodies. Without enzymes, there would be no
life on earth.
• Floor cleaning products (that contain enzymes)
used in industrial and institutional settings are
safe when used in accordance with industry
guidelines.
• Since the early 1970s, there have been no
published reports on consumer allergies caused by
industrial enzymes in any cleaning products, as
well as in any other consumer products containing
industrial enzymes.
| What are the differences between microbe-
based products and enzyme based products?
Microbe based products and enzyme based products do
not provide the same cleaning results. Enzyme based
products break down the organic matter into smaller
pieces and simply displace it without completely
eliminated it. However, microbe based formulations
“eats” the organic matter up and digest it to produce
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carbon dioxide and water. In summary, microbes help
to completely get rid of organic dirt while enzymes
help to take it off surfaces. The kind of surfaces,
environment and the nature of the organic dirt will
determine which type of cleaning product (enzymebased
or bacteria-based) will be used.
| Are cleaning chemicals formulated with
microbes and enzymes safe to use?
All Wood Wyant Bio based formulations are safe for the
users, the environment and surfaces. The Vert-2-Go Bio
products are formulated using strains that are classified
by Health Canada and the CDC (centre for Disease
Control – Atlanta) as Class one – Non-Pathogens, which
are naturally occurring, non-pathogenic bacteria.
In addition Vert-2-Go Bio products are formulated to
have a neutral pH, have no added dye, no petroleum
distillates, no nonyl phenol ethoxylates (NPEs) or other
harsh chemicals. Vert-2-Go products are Ecologo
certified by Terra Choice.
These products are regulated by Health Canada and the
Material Safety Data Sheets outline the precautions
necessary to use these products safely in a commercial
environment.
| What is Subtilisin?
Subtilisin (serine endopeptidase) is a protease (a
protein-digesting enzyme) initially obtained from
Bacillus subtilis.
Subtilisins belong to subtilases, a group of serine
proteases which initiate the nucleophilic attack on the
peptide (amide) bond through a serine residue at the
active site. They are physically and chemically well
characterized enzymes. Subtilisins are widely used in
commercial products, for example in drain cleaning and
maintenance products, laundry and dishwashing
detergents, cosmetics, food processing, skin care
ointments, contact lens cleaners, and for research
purposes in synthetic organic chemistry.
Subtilisin can be considered an allergen and a
respiratory irritant at specifically high concentrations
when it is inhaled by individuals that demonstrate
sensitivity to the protease. Like plenty of conventional
chemical-based cleaning solutions, a subtilisin-based
cleaner may cause some respiratory discomforts
aerosolized, vaporized or atomized. Unlike most
chemical-based cleaning products, the enzymes
solutions contain no volatiles active ingredient. This
fact makes the enzymes-based product less allergenic
and less irritant than most of other chemical-based
products. Very few commercial cleaning products
contain this enzyme. In commercial cleaning
applications, this enzyme could be found in some drain
cleaning and drain maintenance products and in some
heavy degreasing floor cleaning formulations.
Wood Wyant does not sell ANY products that contain
Subtilisin where it would be recommended to use with
a trigger sprayer or any other device that may
aerosolize, vaporize or atomize the product.
| Are Green Chemical Regulated?
All commercial products must have a Material Safety
Data Sheet which details the preventative measures
necessary to use and handle the product safely. Users
of these products must have read the MSDS and the
MSDS must be readily available. As part of the
regulation, all users must be trained on how to use the
products effectively with the proper personal
protective equipment if indicated.
| What are Green Certified Products?
Products can be submitted to third party organizations
for certification to ensure that both consumer safety
and rigorous standards are met.
Wood Wyant products are certified by
EcoLogo TM , North America’s largest, most
respected environmental standard and
certification mark. EcoLogo TM provides
customers – public, corporate and consumer –
with assurance that the products and services
bearing the logo meet stringent standards of
environmental leadership.
EcoLogo TM standards are especially stringent because
they address multiple environmental attributes
throughout the entire life cycle of the product or
service. Perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that
all EcoLogo TM certified products must also meet
performance requirements to ensure they perform as
well as their conventional alternative.
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