ALBANY - Gov. George Pataki signed legislation requiring the use of "green" cleaning products in schools statewide, fulfilling a pledge he made during this year's State of the State address.

The legislation builds on an executive order Pataki signed in January that required state agencies to use environmentally sensitive cleaning products. Pataki said that order combined with the legislation will improve air quality in public buildings across the state.

Schools will be required to purchase on their own - or through central state purchasing contracts - the green cleaning products. The law takes effect on Sept. 1, 2006.

David Boese, the state director of Healthy Schools Network, said most cleaning products contain various toxins that contribute to poor air quality.

He said the chemicals can trigger asthma attacks and that they have been implicated in other health problems like headaches and dizziness.

The measure signed by Pataki is the first statewide initiative requiring the use of green cleaning products, though a number of local governments and agencies around the country have put similar policies in place.

The governor also signed into law Tuesday night the Geriatric Mental Health Act, which aims to get the state ready to handle the growing mental health needs of an expanding elderly population.

The bills sets up a grant program and an interagency geriatric mental health planning council.

"Existing services, work force and state planning activities are inadequate to meet the special mental health needs of older adults. It's just common sense to set a process of preparation in motion," state Sen. Nicholas Spano, the bill's primary sponsor in the Senate, said in a statement.

The grant program will be used to find ways to improve access to mental health services for the elderly and raise the quality of those services.

Grants also will go toward integrating mental health and aging services and expanding the system's ability to serve minorities.