| Word | Description |
| Green Cleaning | From Wikipedia.org - Green cleaning' is a term that has been coined to describe a growing trend in favor of using environmentally-friendly ingredients and chemicals for household, manufacturing and industrial cleaning. Green cleaning techniques and products avoid the use of chemically-reactive and toxic cleaning products which contain various toxic chemicals, some of which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) causing respiratory and dermatological problems among other adverse effects. Green cleaning can also describe the way residential and industrial cleaning products are manufactured, packaged and distributed. If the manufacturing process is environmentally-friendly and the products are biodegradable, then the term 'green' or eco-friendly may apply. Standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit human and environmental exposure to toxic chemicals but do not entirely eliminate them in general. Reading the small print on labels is the only way to verify the components of a product but manufacturing, packaging and distribution may all contribute to environmental degradation. Green cleaning companies are held to higher standards in general than federal or state-mandated 'green' cleaning rules. The purpose of 'going green' is to address human illnesses that arise from exposure as well as damage to the environment (water, soil, air) from disposal of these products. The role chemical exposure has in creating allergic sensitivities, reducing immunity, and contributing to cancer and other diseases, is a long-respected field of research in medicine.[citation needed] For example, research on human and animal exposure to formaldehyde (formalin), benzene and other solvents has resulted in legislation to limit exposure but has not completely banned these products. |