November 30, 2006
Robert A. Iger
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Dear Mr. Iger:

In our investigation of over sixty cleaning products used at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice found that over 20% of the products Disney workers are using to maintain the buildings contain ingredients that are considered extremely hazardous, and over 75% pose some health risks. Many chemicals in traditional cleaning products are known neurotoxins, cause asthma, reproductive system problems, respiratory problems, and cancer.

We are writing to ask you to replace the institutional cleaning products used in your hotels and parks with green cleaning products to protect the health of the children who visit your parks and hotels.

Children, pregnant women and workers are disproportionately harmed by exposures to traditional cleaning products. Fetal development and children’s growing bodies are sensitive to chemicals because their reproductive, respiratory, endocrine, and other systems are still developing. Exposures to industrial chemicals in the environment at an early age or in the womb can damage the developing brain and lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and mental retardation. Childhood neurotoxicant exposure may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases later in life.

Worker health is compromised by repeated exposure to concentrated chemicals. Of the chemicals used by the average janitor each year, 25% are known hazardous chemicals that cause cancer, reproductive disorders, and respiratory and neurological damage. Some companies have noted increases in worker productivity by as much as 30% after switching to green cleaners, due in part to a reduction in sick days and on-the-job injuries.

The most recent study(1) on the health impacts of regular, low-dose exposures to common chemicals identified 201 neurotoxic chemicals found in household products such as cleaners, paint and pesticides as threats to human health.

Researchers Philippe Grandjean, M.D., of Harvard, and Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., of Mount Sinai in New York, also found fewer than half of the most common chemicals in commercial use have been subjected to even minimal laboratory testing. Because of this lack of information the health impacts from chemical exposures, and the fact that one out of every six children has a developmental disability, the researchers call for reduction in toxic chemical use in the home and public areas that children frequent.

Recognizing the role traditional cleaning products play in the growing rates of asthma, learning disabilities and cancers, New York State passed a 2006 law directing government buildings and public schools to switch to green cleaners. School districts in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland and elsewhere have switched to green cleaners and enjoyed greater performance, lower costs, and improved indoor air quality. There is strong movement in Massachusetts to pass the second green cleaning statewide law for schools in 2007.

The national Kimpton Hotel group and Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, as well as select Marriott Green Hotels are among those already using green cleaning products in their facilities. We would like to add your company to this growing list of environmentally friendly tourist destinations.

We trust that the Walt Disney Company will explore using safer and healthier cleaning products in their hotels to protect the health of both your guests and staff. Green cleaning products clean as or more effectively than their toxic counterparts, and are generally more cost effective. Identifying green cleaners and vendors can be easily accomplished by relying on the national certification system, Green Seal. The Green Seal Environmental Standards for Lodging Properties is a comprehensive system to help hotels evaluate and purchase green cleaners as alternatives to their traditional and toxic counterparts.

As the majority of your guests are families with children, these issues are quite pertinent to your resort establishments. We would like to promote your company as one that recognizes its responsibility to public health and environmental concerns, and would like to work with Disney to establish a strategy to pursue green cleaning alternatives.

Please provide a response by December 31, 2006 to Lois Gibbs, Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice via phone, fax or e-mail.

Sincerely,

Lois Gibbs
Executive Director
Center for Health, Environment and Justice
lgibbs@chej.org
(703) 237 – 2249