Lead in Toys

The latest issue of the Journal Environmental Health Perspectives has an article on how even relatively small exposures to lead can affect kids' learning abilities: "The results show that blood-lead levels far lower than 10 µg/dL in early childhood correlate with lower educational achievement in elementary school as measured by performance on end-of-grade tests," they report. And today there are news reports about the recall of Fisher-Price toys due to lead paint used on some 967,0000 toys of Chinese import, this right on the heels of the June recall of a million and a half more Chinese toys--Thomas the Tank, a wooden train set--for lead in the paint.

How concerned should parents and grandparents be? Well, most environmental health experts agree that lead is quite dangerous, and at least some experts are advising parents whose children may have been exposed should arrange to have them blood tested for lead. In just one example from an article in Forbes, Dr. John Rosen, lead poisoning specialist at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (NY), is quoted as saying, 'it's better to be safe than sorry.'

Rosen points out, childhood exposures to lead from paint in old homes is more common than poisoning from consumer products, but in either case, we know lead is a toxin. It shouldn't be in kids toys.

Eating Organic Can Improve Mental Health

From ADHD, autism, and Alzheimer’s, to bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia, Americans are suffering with a serious and growing mental health and behavioral epidemic—and chemicals in the environment influence this epidemic. One in five kids under the age of 18 suffers from developmental disabilities and mental health problems, and the number is growing, according to the American Psychological Association. And, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, neuropsychiatric disorders in children will increase by over 50%, making them one of the five leading causes of childhood illness, disability and death, and that depression will be the second greatest contributor to the global burden of disease for all ages and both sexes.

According to National Academy of Sciences estimates, at least a quarter of developmental and neurological problems seen in children are directly related to the interplay between chemicals and genetic factors, and about 3% are strictly caused by exposure to environmental toxins, such as the organophosphate pesticides. The organophosphates account for half of the insecticides used in the US, with sixty million pounds applied to agricultural land and seventeen million pounds used in residential and commercial applications annually, and exposure to these pesticides are linked to hyperactivity, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays and motor dysfunction.

The Food and Drug Administration has found that half of the non-organic produce in grocery stores contains measurable residues of pesticides, and tests of eight industry-leading baby foods revealed the presence of 16 pesticides, including three carcinogens. In fact, 62% of all foods tested had residues of at least three different pesticides on them or in them. And, what's on our food is in our blood: organophosphate pesticides are now found in the blood of 95% of Americans tested by the CDC, and levels are twice as high in blood samples taken from children than adults, because relative to their body weight, kids eat more fruits and vegetables.

But there is some good news: eating organically produced fruits and vegetables clearly reduces the exposure to pesticides. In blood samples of children aged 2 to 4, concentrations of pesticide residues are six-times higher in children who eat conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables compared with those who eat organic fruits and vegetables.

For many people, particularly those with young kids, the all-organic diet may be cost prohibitive. Switching to organic produce for those fruits and vegetables that are typically highest in pesticide residues is an effective starting point. The dirty dozen of highest residue fruits and vegetables are:
1. Peaches (highest concentration of pesticides)
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes (especially imported grapes)
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bacteria

OK, another mission. Look around and see if you have any products labeled antibacterial. Probably you do: 45% of all soaps and detergents now contain Triclosan or Triclocarbon--antimicrobial agents that the advertising industry has convinced us we need. They are not the only things containing these chemicals, which are added to a range of products from baby carriers to socks, and deodorant to toothpaste. Over a million pounds of the stuff finds its way into consumer products each year.

These chemicals were developed in the 1970s for surgical scrubbing. Soon they were extended to broader uses in hospitals, to help control the spread of infections. These are probably good and appropriate uses for such chemicals, afterall if the doctor is going to be cutting into me, I want him to scrub with an antimicrobial compound. But we don’t need that same level of protection for day to day use. Washing with good old-fashioned soap works fine for controlling the germs that the average American encounters.

You might say, "well it can't hurt to play it safe, and use an antimicrobial," but you'd be wrong. Studies have shown that when these chemicals mix with chlorine (which is found in most municipal water supplies in this country) it creates chloroform, a known carcinogen. Other studies have shown that these chemicals increase the development of resistant strains of bacteria in the environment, so when the surgeon scrubs with them, they may no longer work. And, still other studies demonstrate that they alter a person’s normal microflora, those microorganisms that live on our skin, in our mouths, and in other body areas, and that are absolutely critical to good health. This negatively impacts our immune system and seems to lead to a greater chance of allergies, particularly in children. In other words, too much hygiene yields increased allergies, because the body's natural defense system hasn't been adequately trained to attack invaders. In the immune system's case, practice makes perfect, and over-cleanliness doesn't give it the practice it needs.

Once they get washed down the sink, the antimicrobials pass through wastewater treatment, discharged to streams where they interfere with the balance of organisms living in the stream, or they accumulate in sludge, which is often applied to farm land that grows crops. Out in nature, they don't break down readily, so they just continue accumulating and working their way up the food chain.

Oh, and one more thing about them: they, too, are endocrine disruptors. So, the next time you go to purchase soap or any other personal care or household cleaning products, just pass over the containers that say antibacterial.

Clean Up Cleaning

Here's a challenge: Go to the bathroom or kitchen and look under your sink. How many bottles, cans, and containers of stuff are under there? For most Americans, there are a bunch: dish detergent, general-purpose spray and powdered cleansers, specialty cleansers (such as brass polish, furniture polish, or oven cleaner), maybe even some bug spray. That small space epitomizes our infatuation with chemical concoctions.

This month the environmental group Women's Voices for the Earth released a report, Household Hazards: Potential Hazards of Home Cleaning Products, on some of the health concerns associated with these products. For example, monoethanolamine, a surfactant found in some laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners and floor cleaners, is a known contributor of occupational asthma, and glycol ethers, such as 2-butoxyethanol, are solvents commonly found in glass cleaners and all-purpose spray cleaners that have been linked to reduced fertility and low birth weight in exposed mice.

So, what can you do to keep your house clean, but protect yourself from these chemicals? First, begin winnowing out the stuff under the sink. If you haven't used it in a long time, just get rid of it. Next, when you go to the store, start looking for safer cleaning products: companies like Seventh Generation and Ecover have consciously reduced toxic chemicals in their products. Or learn some of the tricks your grandmother knew: use vinegar and baking powder (which are both also really cheap) instead of synthetic products.

Cheapy white vinegar (I buy it by the gallon) mixed one to one with water and a teaspoon of salt in a spray bottle makes a great general-purpose cleanser that readily cleans most surfaces, and is perfect for removing soap scum from around sinks and fixtures. A cup of pure vinegar poured in the toilet and allowed to soak for an hour or so is great for cleaning the toilet and makes brushing out alkaline deposits a cinch. Add half a cup to the rinse cycle in your washer, where it acts as a fabric softener.

Baking soda works in place of abrasive cleansers, but it won't scratch shiny surfaces. If something is spilled on the carpet, pour some baking soda on, work into the spill with a paper towel, let it dry, and then vacuum it up. Use it as a polish for aluminum, chrome, jewelry, plastic, porcelain, silver, stainless steel, and tin by moistening a little on a soft rag.