Toxin_Information

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Arkansas Moms

Protecting Their Children, Keeping Their Homes Safe

Your Child's Vulnerability to Toxic Substances in the Home

We teach our kids to look both ways before crossing the street; to never talk to strangers and how to dial 911. We even mix their formula with Evian water to assure purity. Tyson Chicken has an advertisement that says, "Wouldn't you rather give your children chicken that is hormone and steroid free? Because you care!" In short, we all want the best for our kids.

But folks, let me assure that there are companies out there that will sell you dangerous stuff, if they can make a profit. Our message is simple. "We will give you some information...it will be the truth. That is all we can do. You will have to make the decision yourself and you will be lied to by others".

This is about the lies, misrepresentations and cover-ups from the companies that manufacture and market personal care and home hygiene products. You will have to make the decision as to which products you will use in YOUR home. But, when I see a child's hair being washed with formaldehyde, his clothes being softened with chemicals which are carcinogens and neurotoxins, and the floors where he crawls being washed with phenolic compounds, petrochemicals and ammonia, I feel it necessary to let you know what I have found because there must be other parents out there who are loving, caring and conscientious but who have also bought into the Madison Avenue lies.

- by Kristiana Anderson

How a Child can be Exposed to Dangerous Chemicals

Poisoning occurs when any substance interferes with normal body functions after it is swallowed, inhaled, absorbed or injected.

INGESTION - brings to mind the image of a young child opening the cabinet, and drinking something deadly. 1.5 million accidental ingestions of poisons are reported annually to the US Poison Control Centers; most of the victims are under the age of 12, and have swallowed a cleaning or personal care product.
INHALATION - is more common, and can be much more harmful than ingestion. When swallowed, the stomach begins breaking down and neutralizing the poison before it is absorbed into the bloodstream. However, inhaled toxic fumes go directly into the bloodstream and quickly travel to organs like the brain, heart, liver and kidneys.

Most products give off toxic vapors, which can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs, giving you headaches, muscle aches and sinus pain. This process of releasing vapors into the air is called OUT GASSING. This occurs, EVEN WHEN A CHEMICAL IS TIGHTLY SEALED IN A CONTAINER! If you doubt the ability of a dangerous chemical to permeate through a plastic container into the air you breathe in your home 24 hours a day, simply walk down the cleaning aisle at any grocery store and notice how strongly it smells of toxic vapors, even though all the containers are sealed tight.

The chemicals we breathe (such as formaldehyde, pesticides, etc.) all go straight to our brains and can cause low-level to severe damage - similar to how someone can snort cocaine to get a "high".

Start reading labels -check for petro-chemicals, formaldehyde, and fragrance, and avoid them as much as possible. A clue that an ingredient may be a petro-chemical is the "prop" prefix. A clue that an ingredient releases formaldehyde is "Quaternium.
ABSORPTION- it is important to realize the potential threat absorption poses. One square centimeter of skin (an area less than the size of a dime) contains 3 million cells, 4 yards of nerves, 1 yard of blood vessels and 100 sweat glands. Nicotine patches and analgesic creams work by being absorbed through the skin and chemicals that touch your skin are quickly absorbed and spread throughout the body. This can happen even when you come in contact with a surface that was treated with a chemical - days, even weeks, earlier. Think of a child crawling across the kitchen floor and absorbing through the knees and hands or even putting a hand in their mouth. Don't put anything on your skin you'd be afraid to eat, because the end result is the same!

Toxic Exposures Deserve Special Scrutiny Because They are Preventable Causes of Harm!

The historical record clearly reveals that our scientific understanding of the effects of toxic exposures is not sufficiently developed to accurately predict the impact of toxicants, and that our regulatory regime has failed to protect children.

As testing procedures advance, we learn that lower and lower doses are harmful. The historical record shows that "safe thresholds" for known neurotoxins have been continuously revised downward as scientific knowledge advances.

Most chemicals are not tested for their general toxicity in animals or humans, not to mention toxicity to a child's developing brain specifically. Nearly 75% of the top high production and volume chemicals have undergone little or no toxicity testing. However, the EPA estimates that up to 28% of all chemicals in the current inventory of about 80,000 have neurotoxic potential.

Complete tests for developmental neurotoxicity have been submitted to EPA for only 12 chemicals - nine pesticides and three solvents as of December 1998. Testing for developmental neurotoxicity is not required even in the registration or re-registration of pesticides, one of the strictest areas of chemical regulation.

Even when regulated, the risks from chemical exposure are estimated for one chemical at a time, while children are exposed to many toxicants in complex mixtures throughout development. Multiple chemical exposures often interact to magnify damaging effects or cause new types of harm.

Animal studies generally underestimate human vulnerability to neurotoxicants.

An epidemic of developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities has become evident among children. It is estimated that nearly 12 million children (17%) in the United States under age 18 suffer from one or more learning, developmental, or behavioral disabilities. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to conservative estimates, affects 3 to 6% of all school children, though recent evidence suggests the prevalence may be as high as 17%. The number of children taking the drug Ritalin for this disorder has roughly doubled every 4-7 years since 1971 to reach its current estimate of about 1.5 million.

Learning disabilities alone may affect approximately 5-10% of children in public schools. The number of children in special education programs classified with learning disabilities increased 191% from 1977-1994.

Approximately 1% of all children are mentally retarded.

The incidence of autism may be as high as 2 per 1000 children. Within the state of California, the number of children entered into the autism registry increased by 210% between 1987 and 1998. Whether new or newly recognized, these statistics suggest a problem of epidemic proportion.

Animal and human studies demonstrate that a variety of chemicals commonly encountered in the home can contribute to developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities.

What's Wrong with Baby Shampoo??

For years I assumed that "No Tears" shampoo was a chemical free product, which was safe for children. Then, we learned that the chemicals were not absent and that a desensitizing agent was added to prevent stinging and tearing. Now, we find that many baby shampoos, baby washes and baby lotions contain FORMALDEHYDE. Look for "Quaternium-15" on the label - that's formaldehyde in disguise. Formaldehyde is very toxic. It also weakens the immune system, making you more vulnerable to other toxic chemicals. Ask your friends to check the label on the products they are using for QUATERNIUM.

What's Wrong with Fabric Softeners?

People are discovering that fabric softeners are some of the most toxic products made for daily household use. They contain chemicals (like camphor, chloroform, benzyl acetate, limonene and pentane) that are known to cause cancer and/or damage to lungs, brain, and nerves. These chemicals are even more dangerous when heated in clothes dryers. The toxic fumes then go into neighborhood air and everyone for blocks around is forced to breathe them in.

Fabric softener chemicals are made to stay in clothes' fibers and slowly release for a very long time. That slow release of chemicals into the air affects the health of those wearing the clothes and of people around them.

Some symptoms caused by fabric softener fumes are: tiredness that is not cured by resting, difficulty breathing, nervousness for no known reason, difficulty concentrating and remembering, dizziness, headaches, sick stomach, feeling faint, rashes and/or difficulty controlling body movements.

Babies, children, older people, and people who are already sick are especially hurt by these chemicals. Damage can be permanent, causing lifelong illness. Babies often react with rashes, frequent crying and/or diarrhea. Disinfectants can have the same effects. Experts suggest a possible connection between Sudden Infant Death ("crib death") and the use of these products for washing baby clothes, crib sheets and blankets. Most fabric softeners have fragrance added to them, which makes them even more toxic.

Folks, the products we are talking about here are used in a majority of North American homes but you will not find the chemicals listed on the label because they are considered trade secrets. Some of the more popular ones are Proctor & Gamble's Downy and Bounce and Lever Brothers' Snuggle.

What's Wrong with Scented Detergent?

Almost all detergents contain fragrance - even many that are labeled "no perfume" or "unscented"! 95% of the chemicals used in fragrances are made from petroleum products. Many are known to cause cancer, birth defects, and damage to lungs, brain, and nerves. Some chemicals commonly used in fragrances, such as toluene, are listed worldwide as hazardous waste.

Fragrances are not regulated by any government or health agency. There is no law that requires fragrance ingredients to be put on product labels. For example, para-dichlorobenzene is a cancer-causing chemical used in many "air fresheners", as well as in some pesticides. U.S. law requires that it be listed as an active ingredient in pesticides, but it does not have to be listed at all on "air freshener" labels.

The more often you breathe in these chemicals (24 hours a day if they are in clothes and bedding!), the more likely you are to permanently damage your body. They also add to the damage done by chemicals present at work and in public places. You may feel tired, breathless or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or get a headache, and not realize these are early signs of chemical poisoning.

What IS Known

The United States has seen a worrisome increase in certain childhood diseases linked to environmental chemical exposures. Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980, affecting more than 4.2 million children under the age of 18 nationwide. The incidence of two types of childhood cancers has risen significantly over the past 15 years: acute lymphocytic leukemia is up 10% and brain tumors are up more than 30%. Although there are no registries for learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders among children, there has been growing attention in recent years to an apparent increase in both.

Some progressive researchers are calling for recognition of children's risks from exposure to environmental contaminants. However, not many researchers and toxicologists want to admit that they still predicate their research on 14th century dogma: "The dose alone makes the poison." To these researchers, children are merely small adults; however, a child's system is very different from that of an adult.

There are several interconnected factors that may contribute to increased vulnerability for children, depending on the toxic substance under consideration and the age of the child. A child's system is continually developing. The ratio of child intake rate to child body size is greater than that for adults for some routes, including the skin. Children's tissues, organs, and biological systems are still developing, with several stages of rapid growth and development occurring from infancy to adolescence. This rapid development and immaturity of body organs and systems predisposes children to potentially more severe consequences within certain age ranges and windows of vulnerability. Another factor that can influence a child's vulnerability is that circulatory flow rates are generally higher in children. Children have a greater surface area to body weight ratio than adults, which may lead to an increase in dermal, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract absorption. A child is not an adult, but most toxicological data are based on occupational exposures for adults.

These are the types of substances that are bought daily in stores across the land. They were not formulated with consideration to your health. You may rest assured that any product manufactured by our company will not harm you or your family. The only asset you truly have is your health. We think of ourselves as a simple buying decision that may help you to preserve that.

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