Tilex, windex while we're swimming

encouraging the use of more "green" friendly products. I believe it was "green" friendly spinach and tomatoes that caused a lot of health scares over the last two years.

Geek, while it pains me to disagree with you, Tilex is actually a pretty nasty chemical (or at least it was when it was first introduced). I remember I worked with some chemical engineers at the time and they were horrified when they read the ingredients because they said the fumes could be quite bad in a small, closed room (like many bathrooms). Renie, before you go to your health department, you need to have some factual information to take with you. You'll get a better response from them if you can provide them with product names and information. Here's how you can gather that information. Every business is required by OSHA to keep a book of MSDS sheets for every chemical that is used in the facility. MSDS stands for "Material Safety Data Sheet". The MSDS provides information for workers and emergency personnel about a product’s physical data such as flash point, appearance, and health effects. Spill clean-up procedures, first aid procedures, transportation requirements and other precautionary information are also addressed. So, the first thing I would do is go to the health club management and ask to see their book of MSDS sheets. (If they say they do not have MSDS sheets, they are violating OSHA regulations.) If they have the MSDS sheets, ask if you can make copies of the pertinent ones. If they won't let you make copies, write down the exact product names, the product manufacturer's contact information and web address. You can then probably find most of the MSDS sheets on the web. You need the exact product name, though, because there could be a lot of product variations. For example, you can view all of the Tilex MSDS sheets here: www.thecloroxcompany.com/.../index.html As you can see, there are a bunch of them: Fresh Scent Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Shower Cleaner (Issued: 7/01) Lemon Fresh Tilex Mildew Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 9/2002) Professional Strength Tilex Instant Mildew Stain Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 4/2001) Tilex Bathroom Cleaner (Issued: 1/2008) Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Shower Cleaner (Issued: 4-2008) Tilex Instant Mildew Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 10/2000) Tilex Mildew Root Penetrator & Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex Mold Killer Mold & Mildew Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex ProResults Mold & Mildew Stain Remover (Issued: 6/2007) Tilex Soap Scum Remover (Issued: 10/02) Tilex Soap Scum Remover & Disinfectant (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 10/2004) Once you have the MSDS sheets, then go to the health department if you feel you need to. Anna Lea

Here's a good resource for MSDS. It's got a good search engine and I can usually find most any MSDS. If it's not there, and you can get the product details, contact the manufacturer. They will provide an MSDS. If the fumes are causing you physical problems, I say hound them about it. However, I know that I am more sensitive to smells during and after a high intensity workout without those same smells causing me any problems.

I'm not disputing that these fumes can be bothersome but you are immersing yourself in chlorinated water which probably has a lot of pee in it as well. This all strikes me as a bit hysterical and the feather duster and second hand smoke seemed to reinforce the hysteria. Caution is good but hysteria isn't.

I'm not disputing that these fumes can be bothersome but you are immersing yourself in chlorinated water which probably has a lot of pee in it as well. This all strikes me as a bit hysterical and the feather duster and second hand smoke seemed to reinforce the hysteria. Caution is good but hysteria isn't. Ok, well it's not "bothersome' it is hazardous. I downloaded the info as to the dangers of Tilex. It's not only me who has problems. Many of the physical therapists and class instructors have complained, but carry no clout because they are "employees." Women have had to get out of the pool because of the fumes. Laugh all you want, but what is the point of exercising in an environment that is dangerous for your respiratory system? They don't just wipe down, they are in there for at least a half hour saturating the area with chemicals.

Here's a good resource for MSDS. It's got a good search engine and I can usually find most any MSDS. If it's not there, and you can get the product details, contact the manufacturer. They will provide an MSDS. If the fumes are causing you physical problems, I say hound them about it. However, I know that I am more sensitive to smells during and after a high intensity workout without those same smells causing me any problems. Thanks, I really appreciate your help! I really cannot breathe, and as I said to Aquageek below, I'm not alone - many of the phys. therapists and instructors constantly complain, and I believe one of them did actually contact OSHA. It is a problem that does not need to exist.

Some people are more sensitive to cleaning chemicals than others. I remember the first and last time I used one called "Fantastic" when it first came out. My eyes swelled shut within about 2 minutes and I could open them just enough to make a phone call to a local walk-in clinic to ask for advice. It was out with the garbage within an hour. People actually cannot breathe - one of the swimmers was pregnant and had to get out immediately. They don't just spray and leave, they stay and saturate until it's intolerable.

Personally, I do have to side with Geek(oh crap...did I say that) I think ya'll are being somewhat of a pain in the butt about it. If we lived at a health club for 24/7/365 or worked there, then I would say you have a some grounds to complain. But, most of us are there for less than 2 hours a day...probably not everyday of the week. If the club is doing cleaning at the sametime everyday, if your schedule permits, change the time you go. Or, if you know they clean certain areas at certains times, avoid those areas til after or get there before cleaning. I also bet you would get a lot more from the management of the club if you had a different tone when talking to them...cause it sounds like you whine constantly, in the same tone, about the same thing. I am jsut a little offended--you don't know me to make that determination about me or my tone. I swim about 2 hours a day. The times that they clean should be at their slowest times or off hours - not at NOON during lunch hour times when it's busiest. I do have a job and don't have the luxury to swim at their convenience. I am a paying member, and should not have to do that because they don't want to pay their staff to do this type of heavy duty cleaning after hours? Sorry, but that's not good customer relations. As I've said in other posts, the therapists, insturctors, and members do complain and one did contact OSHA. I was Mr. nice guy about it for about a year, now I am ready to do something about it because being nice didn't get my anywhere. I don't need a toxic environment when I am trying to improve my physical well being.

Geek, while it pains me to disagree with you, Tilex is actually a pretty nasty chemical (or at least it was when it was first introduced). I remember I worked with some chemical engineers at the time and they were horrified when they read the ingredients because they said the fumes could be quite bad in a small, closed room (like many bathrooms). Renie, before you go to your health department, you need to have some factual information to take with you. You'll get a better response from them if you can provide them with product names and information. Here's how you can gather that information. Every business is required by OSHA to keep a book of MSDS sheets for every chemical that is used in the facility. MSDS stands for "Material Safety Data Sheet". The MSDS provides information for workers and emergency personnel about a product’s physical data such as flash point, appearance, and health effects. Spill clean-up procedures, first aid procedures, transportation requirements and other precautionary information are also addressed. So, the first thing I would do is go to the health club management and ask to see their book of MSDS sheets. (If they say they do not have MSDS sheets, they are violating OSHA regulations.) If they have the MSDS sheets, ask if you can make copies of the pertinent ones. If they won't let you make copies, write down the exact product names, the product manufacturer's contact information and web address. You can then probably find most of the MSDS sheets on the web. You need the exact product name, though, because there could be a lot of product variations. For example, you can view all of the Tilex MSDS sheets here: www.thecloroxcompany.com/.../index.html As you can see, there are a bunch of them: Fresh Scent Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Shower Cleaner (Issued: 7/01) Lemon Fresh Tilex Mildew Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 9/2002) Professional Strength Tilex Instant Mildew Stain Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 4/2001) Tilex Bathroom Cleaner (Issued: 1/2008) Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Shower Cleaner (Issued: 4-2008) Tilex Instant Mildew Remover (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 10/2000) Tilex Mildew Root Penetrator & Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex Mold Killer Mold & Mildew Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover (Issued: 05/2007) Tilex ProResults Mold & Mildew Stain Remover (Issued: 6/2007) Tilex Soap Scum Remover (Issued: 10/02) Tilex Soap Scum Remover & Disinfectant (DISCONTINUED) (Issued: 10/2004) Once you have the MSDS sheets, then go to the health department if you feel you need to. Anna Lea Thanks so much for the very informative post! I downloaded product info on Tilex Bathroom Cleaner and took it to managment last week and they said they would use greener products and I asked for a list of those and of course, rec'd no response. I hate to take it to this level, and if there was another place to go, I would. But with the trend towards a greener environment, I am willing to bet in the near future, clubs, etc. will be prohibited from using these toxic chemicals during operational hours.

Where I swim the "cleaning" (and I use that term loosely) is done by the mostly teenaged lifeguard staff. We get out of the pool at 8:45pm; the place closes at 9:00pm. The staff wants to get out of there as soon as possible, so they start "cleaning" before or while we're trying to shower and dress. Their floor cleaning regime consists of dumping some sort of smelly chemical all over the floor, adding water from a hose, and then using a giant squeegee to move the liquid across the floor to the drains. They have done this while people were in the showers, which meant that they had to walk through the chemical to get to their clothes. (I always wear flip-flops for this reason but some people don't.) I can't imagine that anyone should be getting that stuff on their feet. They are indiscriminate with the hose, by the way. The benches and lockers are plastic so they don't care whether they get wet. We've gone in there at the end of practice to find all of the benches covered in water, which means there's no place to set our bags. Another time I had a dark blue towel that I set on the counter in between the sinks. The counter was kind of wet but I was already dried off so I didn't care. I could tell that they had just cleaned that area because I could smell it. Silly me, I assumed that they would have RINSED the counters after pouring chemicals everywhere. When I got home I pulled the towel out of my bag to find that it now had purplish-red splotches all over it. Apparently the chemical had "bleached" the towel.