Word from: APP Advocate Precautionary Principle and LDA - Healthy Children Project

Reducing the effects of environmental contaminants on brain development, especially in children.

June 2, 2011 by appprecautionary

The LDA’s Healthy Children Project is dedicated to reducing the effects of environmental contaminants on brain development, especially in children. A growing body of research indicates that many learning and behavior problems are linked to toxic chemicals which are widespread in the environment and products, and to which we are exposed on a daily basis. Children More At Risk From Toxic Chemicals- Children are not “little adults” – their developing brains and bodies, their metabolism and behaviors make them uniquely vulnerable to harm from toxic chemicals. http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/

The Learning Disabilities Association created the Healthy Children Project to: Raise awareness of environmental factors, particularly toxic chemicals, that can harm brain development, contributing to learning disabilities and behavior disorders, Prevent toxic chemical exposures ,especially among pregnant women and children,Build a nationwide network of LDA members working to protect children’s health and reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations.

•Exposure begins in the womb through the mother’s exposures to toxic chemicals. Infants ingest chemicals through breast milk, formula and contact with their environment.

•Rapid brain development in the fetus, infants and young children make them more susceptible to harm from chemicals that may impair brain function and development.

•For their weight, children eat, drink and breathe more than adults – so pound for pound they take in a greater quantity of toxic contaminants. A small exposure translates into a big dose.

•Children put things in their mouths and spend a lot of time on the floor and ground, so they may ingest chemicals from toys, containers, dirt and dust on a regular basis.

:The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), , has issued a policy consensus statement detailing initiatives to be taken to protect children from environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. The policy statement is based on the scientific consensus statement that LDDI published early in 2008, which outlines the toxic chemicals with confirmed links to learning and developmental disabilities.

Use non toxic Cleaning Products in your home. Buy or make non-toxic cleaning products.

Use no chemical toxic pesticides. Do not use or minimize use of pesticides in your home and garden or on your lawn. See www.beyondpesticides.org

• Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products- It’s easy and inexpensive to keep your family healthy and your house clean using products such as Baking Soda, Club Soda, Lemon Juice, Baby Oil and Water.
• Clean sinks, countertops, pots and pans with: Baking soda and a moist cloth.
• Clean windows and mirrors with: One-fourth cup vinegar mixed with one quart water. Or use club soda. Wipe with newspaper.
• Clean drains with: Half cup baking soda and half cup vinegar. Pour baking soda followed by vinegar down drain, flush with hot water.
• Remove spots from carpet with: Club soda and salt, or a 3 to 1 mix of vinegar and water. Pour onto stains. Allow to bubble, dab dry.
• Clean wooden, tile and linoleum floors and wood furniture with: A few drops of vinegar and a capful of baby oil in a bucket of water.
• Dust and vacuum regularly; remove shoes when entering your home; minimize use of carpets.
• Do not use anti-bacterial soap; it contains a pesticide (triclosan) that promotes antibiotic-resistant bacteria and disrupt the endocrine system.
• Look for non-toxic personal care products, such as shampoos, soaps, lotions and cosmetics. Avoid products containing lead, mercury and phthalates (often listed as “fragrance”). See www.safecosmetics.org

Plastics

• Never use plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave. Minimize use of plastics with food and drink. Do NOT use polycarbonate (7), polyvinyl chloride (3) or polystyrene(6) with food or drink; they can leach toxic chemicals. Safer plastics are PETE (1), HDPE (2), LDPE (4) and polypropylene (5).
• Avoid polyvinyl chloride (3) in toys,teethers, building materials, shower curtains and other items.
• Avoid use of polycarbonate plastic (7),especially with food and drink. Use glass or non-polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and stainless steel or non-polycarbonate sippy cups.

Food

• Buy organic and/or locally grown food when possible. Farmers markets can be a good source of inexpensive, local and organic produce.
• Eat a diet low in animal fats, with lots of fruits and vegetables. Some toxic chemicals accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and then in people.
• Some fish contain high levels of mercury, PCBs and other toxic chemicals. Choose fish low in mercury and salmon that is wild or canned rather than farm-raised. For guidance seewww.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
• Avoid using non-stick (Teflon) pots and pans. Dispose of Teflon pans that are peeling, cracked or flaking.

Toxic Chemicals Linked to Learning Disabilities

There are 3000 chemicals produced at more than one million pounds per year. The U.S. does not require chemical manufacturers to test any chemicals for neurological effects. Of these 3000 chemicals, we now know that 10 are definite neurotoxins – meaning they impair brain development and function. There is good evidence that another 200 of these chemicals are also neurotoxins.

Chemicals Known to Harm Brain Development

• Lead: Found in old paint in older houses and buildings, also found in toys, jewelry, lead pipes and lead sinkers. There is no safe level of lead exposure for children.

• Mercury: Released into air from coal-fired power plants, also found in medical equipment, switches and fluorescent bulbs. Mercury falls into the water, where it accumulates in fish. The main source of exposure for people is through eating fish.
• PAHS: Air pollutants from fuel combustion in vehicles, coal-fired power plants, heating and cooking. These air pollutants are also found in tobacco smoke.
• PCBs: Used to make electrical transformers. Banned in the late 1970s, but persistent in the environment and still widely found in lakes, rivers, soil, fish and people.
• PBDEs: Certain flame retardants added to furniture, electronics, clothing and other products. PBDEs accumulate in household dust and have been found in breastmilk. THe state of Washington and Maine have banned all PBDE flame retardants.
• Manganese: A trace element that at high levels, either in drinking water or through exposure to welding fumes, can damage brain development.
• Arsenic: Found in drinking water around the world, arsenic affects neurodevelopment in children.
• Pesticides: Used to kill insects,plants, fungi or animals on crops, lawns, homes, schools and office buildings. U.S. pesticide use in agriculture and homes totals more than one billion pounds per year.
• Solvents: An array of compounds,including toluene, benzene, alcohol, turpentine, acetone and TCE, found in products such as gasoline, lighter fluid, lubricating oils, paint strippers and thinners, glues, polishes, cleaners, stains and shellacs.
• Endocrine Disruptors: Chemicals that disrupt the hormonal system, including Phthalates and Bisphenol A (both of which are widely used in plastics), PCBs, PBDEs, dioxins and organochlorine pesticides.

Chemicals Under Investigation for Effects on Brain Development

• Endocrine Disruptors: Chemicals that disrupt the hormonal system, including Phthalates and Bisphenol A (both of which are widely used in plastics), PCBs, PBDEs, dioxins and organochlorine pesticides.
• Food Additives (Dyes and Preservatives): Used throughout the food supply and long suspected of causing conduct disorders and hyperactivity. Under study for effects on neurodevelopment, cognition and behavior.
• Fluoride: Commonly added to municipal drinking water and in toothpaste and mouthwashes. Excessive fluoride lowers thyroid hormone levels. Primary concerns are cumulative exposures and determining levels that may affect neurodevelopment.

For more information on chemicals that harm brain development and function, see

"Scientific Consensus Statement"; at www.iceh.org

The Healthy Children Project

Learning Disabilities Association of America

http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/

Preventing Toxic Exposures to Pregnant Women, the Fetus and Newborns

The womb is a child's first habitat, where healthy brain development starts. It is especially important for pregnant women and women considering pregnancy to take precautions to minimize toxic exposures.

When Pregnant, DO NOT:

• Do Not Smoke: Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy or who are exposed to smoke from others are at greater risk for behavior disorders and learning disabilities.
• Do Not Drink Alcohol: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is the most preventable form of learning and behavioral disabilities.
• Do Not Use Pesticides in your home, garden or yard. New studies show links between maternal pesticide exposure and developmental problems including learning disabilities and autism. Insecticides can be especially toxic to developing brains.
• Do Not Use Plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave. Avoid use of plastic with food and drink.

When Pregnant, DO:

• Take a prenatal vitamin that contains folic acid.
• Eat a diet low in animal fats and high in fruits and vegetables. Some of the most toxic chemicals collect and are stored in fatty tissues in animals and in people. A diet low in animal fats can mean fewer toxic chemicals in breast milk.
• Eat organic as much as possible.
• Eat fish that are low in mercury, and choose wild or canned salmon rather than farm-raised salmon.
• Ask your doctor for a thyroid test.
• Ask your doctor for a blood lead level test.

Protecting Your Baby

• Breastfeed your baby if at all possible.Although toxic chemicals are found in breast milk, breast feeding still provides the best health benefits for babies, boosts immune system, benefits brain development and reduces risks for asthma, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
• Use glass bottles or bottles not made of polycarbonate plastic (#7 but often not marked on bottles). Polycarbonate bottles contain Bisphenol A, a toxic chemical that can leach out of baby bottles or sippy cups and into the liquid. Ask retailers for baby bottles that do not contain Bisphenol A (BPA).
• Provide non-toxic toys. Do not give babies or children toys or teethers made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic,(#3). See healthytoys.org
• Minimize use of lotions, oils, powders and other baby care products.

Take steps to minimize your family's risks of toxic chemical exposures

Take steps to minimize your family's risks of toxic chemical exposures

Cleaning your home and family

• Buy or make non-toxic cleaning products.
• Dust and vacuum regularly; remove shoes when entering your home; minimize use of carpets.
• Do not use anti-bacterial soap; it contains a pesticide (triclosan) that may promote antibiotic-resistant bacteria and disrupt the endocrine system. Regular soap works fine.
• Look for non-toxic personal care products, such as shampoos, soaps, lotions and cosmetics. Avoid products containing lead, mercury and phthalates (often listed as "fragrance"). See www.safecosmetics.org

Make Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

It’s easy and inexpensive to keep your family healthy and your house clean using products such as Baking Soda, Club Soda, Lemon Juice, Baby Oil and Water.

• Clean sinks, countertops, pots and pans with: Baking soda and a moist cloth.
• Clean windows and mirrors with: One-fourth cup vinegar mixed with one quart water. Or use club soda. Wipe with newspaper.
• Clean drains with: Half cup baking soda and half cup vinegar. Pour baking soda followed by vinegar down drain, flush with hot water.
• Remove spots from carpet with: Club soda and salt, or a 3 to 1 mix of vinegar and water. Pour onto stains. Allow to bubble, dab dry.
• Clean wooden, tile and linoleum floors and wood furniture with: A few drops of vinegar and a capful of baby oil in a bucket of water.

Plastics

• Never use plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave. Minimize use of plastics with food and drink. Do NOT use polycarbonate (7), polyvinyl chloride (3) or polystyrene(6) with food or drink; they can leach toxic chemicals. Safer plastics are PETE (1), HDPE (2), LDPE (4) and polypropylene (5).
• Avoid polyvinyl chloride (3) in toys,teethers, building materials, shower curtains and other items.
• Avoid use of polycarbonate plastic (7),especially with food and drink. Use glass or non-polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and stainless steel or non-polycarbonate sippy cups.

Food


• Buy organic and/or locally grown food when possible. Farmers markets can be a good source of inexpensive, local and organic produce.
• Eat a diet low in animal fats, with lots of fruits and vegetables. Some toxic chemicals accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and then in people.
• Some fish contain high levels of mercury, PCBs and other toxic chemicals. Choose fish low in mercury and salmon that is wild or canned rather than farm-raised. For guidance see www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
• Avoid using non-stick (Teflon) pots and pans. Dispose of Teflon pans that are peeling, cracked or flaking.

Pesticides

• Do not use or minimize use of pesticides in your home and garden or on your lawn.
• See www.beyondpesticides.org

Testing

• Get children tested for lead levels at ages one and two.
• Test water supplies for lead. Test private wells for arsenic and other contaminants on a regular basis.

For further information on minimizing toxic chemical risks at home, see:

1. LDA state affiliates' healthy home and family guides:
• www.ldame.org/chp.html
• www.ldaofmichigan.org/healthychild.htm
2. Green Product and Consumer Guides
• www.thegreenguide.org
• www.greenseal.org
3. Institute for Children's Environmental Health
• For fact sheets on preventing toxic exposures, go to www.iceh.org

• The following websites provide further information on environmental health, toxic chemicals and initiatives to reform chemical policies:

  

  LDA State Affiliates' Healthy Home and Family Guides

  • www.ldame.org/hcp.html
  • www.ldaofmichigan.org/healthychild.htm

  Green Product and Consumer Guides

  • www.thegreenguide.com
  • www.greenseal.org
  • www.safecosmetics.org
  • www.healthytoys.org

  Organizations With a Focus on Environmental Health

  • Institute for Children's Environmental Health: ICEH's mission is to foster collaborative initiatives to reduce and ultimately eliminate environmental exposures that can undermine the health of current and future generations. See "Resources" for fact sheets on preventing toxic exposures, at www.iceh.org
  • Beyond Pesticides: A national network committed to pesticide safety and the adoption of alternative pest management strategies which reduce or eliminate a dependency on toxic chemicals www.beyondpesticides.org
  • The Collaborative on Health and the Environment: A nonpartisan partnership working to further knowledge, action and cooperation regarding environmental contributors to disease and other health problems. www.healthandenvironment.org
  • Center for Health, Environment and Justice: CHEJ believes in environmental justice, the principle that people have the right to a clean and healthy environment regardless of their race or economic standing. www.chej.org
  • Environmental Working Group: The EWG's mission is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. www.ewg.org
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