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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, February 7, 2008

Shock jock's wife promotes 'green cleaning'

By Beth Furtwangler
USA Today

Deirdre Imus wants you to know that your child's classroom could be dangerous. No, it's not killer tests or deadly boring lectures. Think more along the lines of things that your child can't even see.

Many schools contain harmful toxins and other chemical contaminants that endanger children's health, said Imus, founder and director of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at New Jersey's Hackensack University Medical Center.

For six years, Imus, 43, wife of radio shock jock Don Imus, has worked to identify and prevent children's exposure to environmental factors that could cause or contribute to diseases such as autism, asthma, cancer and other health problems.

"The significant increases we see with (these diseases), most of that goes back to environment and pollutants," Imus said.

Replacing potentially dangerous cleaning supplies, lawn chemicals and pest controls with environmentally friendly and non-toxic alternatives is a major focus of Imus' "Greening Your School" program.

The focus on cleaning supplies is called "Greening Your Cleaning." Imus sells a line of environmentally friendly cleaning products developed at her center.

The Imus program also encourages schools to test water and replace older pipes to avoid exposing students to lead.

So far, 76 schools across the country have adopted the program.

Besides creating a more healthful environment, all of the 300 schools, hospitals and businesses that have adopted Imus' "Greening the Cleaning" program spend the same or less amount of money on cleaning supplies, Imus said. Some save up to as much as 75 percent, she said.