Toxic Exposure and Children — How Bad Is It?

These days there’s almost no way to keep ourselves away from environmental toxins and chemical additives that are harmful to our body. But when you have children, and especially when you’re thinking of conceiving, it’s important to stay informed. As I embark on more posts on the subject, I realized it was time for a little back to basics.

As time goes by and the dawn of the Age of Plastics tick, tick, ticks past us, the toll on our bodies is becoming more clear. Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz of the Chicago Tribune reports:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tests more than 2,000 people in an ongoing study, has found 148 synthetic substances flowing through our bodies, many of which didn’t exist half a century ago. Last year, a coalition of environmental groups measured chemicals in the blood and urine of 35 Americans from across the country and found that all participants contained flame retardants and 95 percent contained chemicals commonly found in plastics.

If that’s not scary enough, keep in mind that many of the substances of concern are reproductive and developmental toxins, which means that pregnant women and children are particularly at risk. The report Toxic Chemicals and Children’s Health, published by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, stated the following:

Children are not small adults. Because of their unique physiology and developmental and behavioral characteristics, they are often more vulnerable to toxic chemicals…. Compared to adults, children inhale more air, drink more fluids and eat more food per kilogram of body weight. Because of these differences, children often (but not always) have more intense exposure to chemical contaminants than adults (Miller et al. 2002)…. In addition, because children’s bodies are in dynamic states of growth and development, they can be more sensitive to chemicals than adults. A child’s ability to break down and eliminate pollutants is poorly developed at birth, because the liver and kidneys are still developing. This means that at various stages of development, children may be more or less capable of breaking down, excreting, activating endogenous enzymes or inactivating toxic substances (Ginsberg et al. 2004, Hattis et al. 2003).

Because children are rapidly growing and developing, there are time periods, or so called “windows of vulnerability,” from gestation through adolescence where systems are particularly sensitive to damage. Any harmful exposure during these critical developmental windows can lead to lifelong alterations in behavior, disease, growth and development. The periods surrounding conception and during pregnancy, just after birth and during infancy, have long been recognized as critical windows for exposure to many contaminants.

Childrens’ Vulnerability to Chemicals and Pollutants

In plain English that means:

• Many man-made and toxic chemicals stay in our bodies long after exposure.
• Kids receive more dangerous doses when they’re exposed, just because they’re smaller — the ratio of what they eat and breathe to their body size is bigger, so their concentrations are higher.
• Kids’ ability to break down and eliminate toxins in the body is weaker than that of adults, especially after birth.
• Kids, babies and pregnant women are particularly at risk because of “windows of vulnerability” where any exposure to toxins can have catastrophic effects.

Concern over widespread environmental exposures and their effect on human health is real. The federation of state Public Interest Research Groups and other health action organizations are urging Congress to support a bill to set up a nationwide network for tracking chronic diseases. Currently before the House and Senate are H.R.3643 and S.2082, sponsored by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Hillary Clinton, respectively.

Chronic Disease Growing Due to Toxins

This network would monitor human exposure to toxic chemicals and link that exposure to cancer and other chronic diseases such as asthma, birth defects and neurological conditions. According to the Federation of PIRG’s, environmental hazards contribute to chronic diseases, many of which are on the rise:

• Asthma in the U.S. is up 75% since 1980 and has more than doubled among children.
• Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality in the U.S.
• Learning disabilities have increased 50% during the last 10 years.
• The number of people suffering from neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis and metabolic diseases like diabetes has risen 20%.

What’s to be done? Unfortunately it’s likely impossible to completely avoid exposure in today’s society. But being aware of the major types of risks, staying informed (subscribing to this blog!), and avoiding synthetics in your children’s food, clothing, furnishings as well as areas where your child will spend a lot of time — in the garden, on flooring — is the most straightforward approach. Also consider writing your representatives to urge support for H.R.3643 and S.2082 and better information about the relationship between our environment and our health.

I’ll be following up on this post with information on the major types of environmental toxins as well as current areas of concern, such as Bisphenol-A, phenols, phthalates, PBDE flame retardants and other chemicals with a bad reputation. Thanks for reading!

Love,

Mama Hope

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