When a baby joins our family, we suddenly become more concerned about the
safety of our home, its contents, and the products we use in it. And so we
should. Toxic chemicals are everywhere in our environment, not just in our
food and water. And the negative impacts are greater for babies and small
children because of their smaller size, still developing brains and
metabolisms, and because they’re often on the floor and love to put things
in their mouths. In addition, the residues of household chemicals remain on
indoor and outdoor surfaces long after application and chemicals applied
outside can be tracked into the house on shoes. While not all chemicals are bad, and not all levels of exposure are
dangerous, there are real risks to your baby’s health. It can be
overwhelming trying to figure out which products are safe and which ones
aren’t, and there are many things you can’t avoid unless you’re building and
furnishing your home from scratch. However, there are many steps you can
take to protect your family and here are some places to begin
to create a green, healthy home.
Hand Sanitizers and Antibacterial Soaps
Experts agree that the use of antibacterial soap in the normal household is
unnecessary for preventing infections and causes far more harm than good,
but they acknowledge that these products are still very common, especially
in homes with babies. Yale University pediatrician and one-time chair of the
AMA Council on Scientific Affairs Dr. Myron Genel says, “There’s no evidence
that [antibacterial soaps] do any good and there’s reason to suspect that
they could contribute to a problem” by helping to create
antibiotic-resistant bacteria called “superbugs.”
Your use of antibacterial cleaners may also be hurting your baby’s immune
system. Microbiologist Dr. Stuart Levy of Tufts University, who has worked
with the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), explains that
exposure to bacteria is essential for development of an infant’s immune
system. A baby, he says, must be exposed to germs during its first year in
order to develop the antibodies needed to fight infection later in life. At
any rate, most childhood illnesses are caused by viruses, not bacteria.
One of the chemicals often found in antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers
is the pesticide triclosan. (It’s also used as an anti-fungal agent in
clothing, kitchenware, furniture, toys, laundry detergents, antiperspirants
and deodorants, toothpastes, and some cosmetics.) Although the FDA claims
it’s safe, recent animal studies have shown that it alters hormone
regulation. Other studies in bacteria have raised the possibility that
triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. It is a
skin and eye irritant and, in the environment, it is potentially toxic to
aquatic organisms, and is bioaccumulative and persistent.
A related chemical called triclocarban, is also used in antibacterial soaps.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have recently
discovered that a mother's prolonged use of antibacterial soaps containing
triclocarban may seriously harm nursing babies.
Pure, natural soap will get rid of most harmful bacteria without destroying
your family’s natural immunity.
Plastics
There are many different kinds of plastics and they’re ubiquitous in our
lives (and, due to their longevity, in the environment). Although some
people have managed to phase most plastics out of their lives, that’s just
not practical for most of us.
One substance of concern is Bisphenol-A (BPA), which is an endocrine
disruptor and has been linked to a wide range of other serious health
problems. PVC, which bears the recycling number 03 (blister packs and clam
shell packaging, shower curtains, shrink wrap, piping, lunch boxes, outdoor
furniture) and those stamped with the number 07 (hard plastic
food containers, clear plastic baby
bottles, toys, sippy cups, etc.) have been found to leach BPA. The chemical
is also found in eyeglass lenses, nail polish, dental sealants, and – importantly but not commonly known – in the lining of
food cans.
A few years ago, researchers at the University of Cincinnati
announced in the journal Toxicology Letters that when polycarbonate bottles
were exposed to boiling water, BPA was released fifty-five times more
rapidly than when exposed to cold water. That finding had huge implications,
given the widespread use of this plastic for baby bottles and cups, which
are routinely boiled for sterilization purposes.
In many places, BPA is being banned or phased out of some
products like baby bottles. However, it is being replaced with another
equally toxic analog in the same chemical class, known as bisphenol S (BPS).
One way to avoid the problem is to replace plastic packaging and baby
bottles (if you use them) with glass.
Plasticizers, which are commonly added to PVC as softeners
to make the plastic flexible and durable, pose another concern. Phthalates
are a common class of plasticizers, and used in everything from electrical
cables, hoses, gaskets, and vinyl sheet flooring to toys, teething rings,
and medical equipment. They have also been found in infant shampoos,
powders, and such. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and their use is
being restricted or phased out of some products – such as children’s toys –
in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.
About ten years ago, scientists at the Consumers Union found
that some plastic deli wraps use a plasticizer known as DEHA, which has been
shown to be an endocrine disruptor in rats, and that it could leach from the
plastic into fatty foods such as cheese and meat.
To avoid plasticizers in toys, avoid secondhand plastics,
and shop for cloth, wool, felt, and wooden toys. Be mindful of the paint
used on wooden toys, which could include lead if the toys are old or from
countries like China, and avoid pressed wood products which may be treated
with formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human
carcinogen by the U.S. EPA. It is a common indoor air pollutant emitted by
building materials and furniture made of plywood, particleboard, and other
pressed-wood products; carpet and carpet glue; paint and floor finishes;
foam insulation; fiberglass; permanent press clothing and draperies; air
fresheners; and most brands of nail polish.
Short-term exposures can cause allergic skin and mucous
membrane reactions, flu-like symptoms, and asthma and other respiratory
problems. Formaldehyde has also been linked to nose and throat cancers, and
leukemia.
Keeping formaldehyde out of your home and your children’s
environment is largely a matter of avoiding products that emit it. That is,
of course, easier when you’re building new, renovating, or redecorating. On
the other hand, formaldehyde emissions from products diminish over time, and
so are most problematic when the products are new. You can also seal new
pressed wood items with formaldehyde-free paint or varnish. Ensure that new
rugs and carpets are formaldehyde-free and insist that they are installed
using tacks rather than glue. Good ventilation will reduce formaldehyde
concentrations.
Scented Products
Many fragrances contain dozens of toxic chemicals, including
the earlier mentioned phthalates. And they don’t just occur in personal care
products and perfumes; chemical-based fragrances are found in most household
products. The Environmental Working Group’s research shows that
approximately half of all products on the market contain added fragrance –
complex mixtures of chemicals, some persistent, some neurotoxic, and some
newly found to harm wildlife, and most derived from petroleum.
Fragrance is increasingly cited as a trigger in health
conditions such as asthma, allergies, and migraine headaches. In fact, an
Institute of Medicine study sponsored by the EPA put fragrances in the same
category as secondhand smoke as a trigger for asthma in school-age children.
Up to seventy-two percent of asthmatics report their asthma attacks are
triggered by fragrance.
Severity and triggers as well as symptoms can vary from
person to person. But when used in a confined area like a house, the intense
amount of toxins in a small area can be especially problematic. Children are
particularly susceptible to harm from chemicals in indoor air. In addition, some fragrance materials have been found
to accumulate in adipose tissue and are present in breast milk. Other
materials are suspected of being hormone disruptors. At least one study has demonstrated links between heavy perfume exposure
during pregnancy and learning disabilities and behavior disorders in
children.
To clear the air, you might be tempted to use air
fresheners. But that is a case of the cure being worse than the problem.
Known toxic chemicals that can be found in air fresheners include
formaldehyde, camphor, ethanol, phenol, artificial fragrances (which, as we
have seen, contain their own mix of toxins) and benzyl alcohol. These
chemicals can cause symptoms like headaches, rashes, dizziness, migraines,
asthma attacks, mental confusion, coughing, and more. Some of the substances
in air fresheners are also known carcinogens and others are hormone
disruptors.
So to protect your children’s health, skip the scented
cleaning products, laundry detergent, and fabric softener, avoid using air
fresheners, and avoid wearing fragrances.
Household Cleaners
Aside from the fragrances, most household cleaning products
contain other harmful chemicals, many used in untested combinations. Babies,
children, older people, and those who are already sick are especially at
risk from these chemicals.
One product category culprit is fabric softeners and dryer
sheets, which will, along with making your clothes soft, static-free and
smelling “fresh,” make them toxic. Health problems can range from headache,
lightheadedness, and fatigue to serious organ and central nervous system
damage, and even cancer. The effects are more acute when heated in clothes
dryers, making dryer sheets worse than liquid softeners. And, of course,
dryers exhaust the toxic fumes into neighborhood air.
Because fabric softeners are made to stay in your laundry,
the chemicals are slowly released, either into the air for you and your baby
to inhale or onto your skin for you to absorb. You may have noticed that
using fabric softener sheets results in less-absorbent towels; that’s
because of the residue that is left in the towels.
Babies often react with rashes, frequent crying and/or diarrhea. Some
researchers have even suggested the need for research into a possible
connection between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and the use of these
products for washing baby clothes and bedding. They say that in at least
some cases of SIDS, an anaphylactic reaction is responsible, so fabric
softener, with its many chemical components, shouldn’t be ruled out as a
possible cause.
To make problem worse, most fabric softeners have fragrance
added to them in order to cover up the chemical smells. For many reasons,
this is one type of product to avoid.
Some companies sell safer, less toxic cleaning products. And
you can find recipes online for making your own cleaners and laundry soaps.
But oftentimes, the easiest and safest way to clean your house is using
vinegar, baking soda, and a little elbow grease.
Flame Retardants
Exposure to flame retardant chemicals commonly found in both
products and the dust in our homes is extremely hazardous to the health of
both children and adults. And exposure during pregnancy has been linked to
lower birth weight babies.
The earliest flame retardants were PCBs, which were found to
be highly toxic and banned in many countries in the 1970s. The chemical
compounds that replaced them, such as brominated flame retardants like
PBDEs, are now under increasing scrutiny as well. They are commonly found in
foam furniture; baby products like crib bumpers and car seats; computers,
televisions and other electronics; and carpet padding. They are increasingly
being banned in certain products, but persist in older items produced prior
to the bans, and they migrate into the dust found in our homes, cars, and
businesses.
Another common flame retardant is chlorinated Tris. It is a
carcinogen that was removed from children’s sleepwear in the 1970s. But it
is still found in polyurethane foam used in other children’s products (and
children’s sleepwear is still doused with other flame retardants – for
instance, synthetics like polyester have them built into the fibers.) The
Center for Environmental Health recently found high levels of chlorinated
Tris in nap mats that are sold to daycares in the U.S. and in other
children’s products sold at chain stores.
One of the issues with flame retardant chemicals is that
they accumulate in human fat cells after they’ve migrated into the
environment. Studies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia have found PBDEs in fish,
meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and infant formula. Biomonitoring studies
estimate that detectable levels of PBDEs can be found in up to ninety-seven
percent of Americans and they have been found at high levels in human breast
milk and umbilical cord blood.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) claims PBDEs currently
in our indoor and outdoor environments could expose children to
concentrations exceeding the U.S. EPA’s recommended safe level. These
cumulative exposures are a ticking time bomb, since children ingest more
PBDEs than adults because they stick to their hands, toys, or other objects
that kids put in their mouths. Laboratory tests in peer-reviewed studies
have found that a dose of PBDEs administered to mice on a single day when
the brain is growing rapidly can cause permanent changes to behavior,
including hyperactivity.
Other chemical flame retardants are replacing the old PBDEs,
but more information is needed about exposure to the newer chemicals. More
attention should also be given to finding non-chemical approaches to
achieving fire safety.”
Because PBDEs are so prevalent in household dust, experts
recommend that we take precautionary measures such as wet mopping when
dusting and frequent hand washing, particularly before eating, to reduce
exposure, especially in homes with babies and young children. Do not allow
babies to put electronics products in their mouths. If you’re buying new
electronics or bedding, check with the manufacturers to see which ones have
stopped using PBDEs.
If you own furniture that you think contains retardants,
cover and seal any rips in upholstery, and replace old items where foam is
exposed and crumbling. Cover mattresses with allergen-barrier casings to
reduce the amount of PBDE-laden dust released.
You should also try to avoid
plastic toys made in China. In 2009, researchers at the Chinese Academy of
Sciences published a study in the journal Environmental Science and
Technology indicating that both hard plastic and foam toys manufactured
in southern China were a major source of PBDEs. EWG says that between
seventy and eighty percent of all plastic toys sold in the U. S. are
manufactured in China.
In spite of all this alarming information, it’s wise not to
try and purge all toxic chemicals from your home in a few weeks. Implement
some of these tips slowly and phase in safer products. Begin now and take
baby steps to a greener, healthier home!
Learn More
Natural Life Magazine’s Green and Healthy Homes by
Wendy Priesnitz (The Alternate Press, 2011)
“Living
Without Plastic” by Wendy Priesnitz in Natural Life
Magazine
“Air Fresheners or Air Pollutants?” by Wendy Priesnitz in
Natural Life Magazine
“What’s the Dirt on Household Cleaners?” by Wendy
Priesnitz in Natural Life Magazine
Wendy Priesnitz is the editor of Natural Child Magazine, the author of
13 books, and the mother of two adult daughters.
