Our world is different than it was 50 years ago. It has improved in many wonderful ways. But it has gotten dangerous in lots of ways too. Thousands of chemicals are used commonly today that didn’t even exist then. As of 1998 only 43% of the most commonly used chemicals had been tested in any way to discover their effect on humans and the rest of the environment. Some chemicals have made our lives better (“Better Living Through Chemistry”…). Others, we are finding, are very dangerous to our health. While on the one hand we have developed the ability to cure more cases of cancer, many more of us are getting cancer today than ever before. Especially our children. Studies are finding incontrovertible evidence that exposure to the great number of chemicals in our lives is making our kids sick. And the great majority of those chemical exposures happen at home!

“A 1985 EPA report concluded that…toxic chemicals and household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution.

Our children are exposed to these chemicals every day in their own homes. Daily exposure to these toxins, may lead to cancer, learning difficulties, allergies, lung problems, or damage to the immune system.”

In our zeal to keep our homes clean and germ free we are exposing our kids to toxins that their small bodies may not be able to process. Fast foods and junk foods and foods grown with thousands of tons of pesticides and fungicides (Florida leads the nation in this) add to our children’s chemical load. From birth they are exposed to toxins in everything from their teethers and soft plastic toys made of PVC to disposable diapers and anti-bacterial bottom wipes. We use a multitude of chemicals to clean and disinfect our homes. Add to these the indoor pesticides to rid us of cockroaches and ants and mice and all the paints and sprays and paraphernalia in the workshop and the products we use in our laundry room. They say the average American family has from 3-10 gallons of toxic chemicals in their home. That doesn’t count the stuff you use in your garden to keep it weed and bug free.

Are the toys your baby sucks on made of PVC? Did you clean your carpet with a chemical cleaner and now the baby is crawling across it, then putting its hands in its mouth? Did you put weed killer on your lawn and then walk indoors with your shoes on? You and your kids and pets probably tracked the stuff across the rug…the same rug the baby is crawling around on, right? It’s flea season so you put a flea collar on your cat or sprayed or bathed your dog with flea killer. Then the kids played with it, of course, and the baby patted it and…put its hands in its mouth.

Just exposing our kids to one of these things could cause serious long term problems, but the incredible array – the chemical “soup” – they are exposed to every day makes you wonder how any of them survive. Have you and your kids developed odd allergies and flus? What about asthma? Do you get colds all the time? The incidence of asthma and brain cancer and childhood leukemia has skyrocketed in the last 20 years. And they are now finding a link between ADD (attention deficit disorder) and exposure to toxins in the environment. ”Statistics from 1994 from the Center for Disease Control found that asthma affects nearly 14 million Americans. This is nearly double the rate from 1980. Almost five million of these asthmatics are children. Asthma is the most prevalent chronic condition among children.” Does your child complain of headaches or tiredness? These are often-ignored symptoms of exposure to chemicals that the body is not able to handle.

We spend 90% of our lives indoors. With the newer, tighter, more energy efficient homes and office and school buildings we are breathing in the same air all day long. Since the 50’s and 60’s more and more chemicals are incorporated into our building and decorating materials. Vinyl flooring and paint and wood cabinets and carpeting and furniture are among a few of the materials around us that release formaldehyde and benzene and other toxic fumes over a period of years after they are installed. If your child complains of headaches and feeling poorly after a day at home or in a brand new school, you might consider the possibility that the building is to blame. Or all those chemicals in your cabinets. Make sure they spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air each day.

If you are living in a new home or a newly remodeled one make sure you keep a few windows cracked to allow for a constant flow of fresh air. And you might try adding a few indoor plants. NASA studies found that many indoor plants are wonderful air cleaners. They take formaldehyde and benzene and other toxins out of the air and turn them into plant food. Try one plant for every 100 square feet. Draceana, English ivy, Peace lily, pothos, snake plant and Bamboo palm are some of the best. Suggest that your school introduce plants into each room and make sure fresh air is circulated in the school rooms all day.

And then look in your cabinets and closets and garage and shed and rethink the necessity of all those toxic chemicals. Ask yourself – is my child’s (or grandchild’s) health worth the risk of keeping these things around? Most of them can be replaced by non-chemical alternatives very easily. The internet is filled with web sites that will help you find alternatives for a healthier life for you and your children. Or check out the library or local bookstore for books on creating a healthier home environment.
Support legislation for the protection of our children, like the Children's Environmental Protection Act and the School Environmental Protection Act. Educate yourself and then stand up and speak out. Demand that more studies be done on the safety of the chemicals on our food and in our environment as they relate to children – not to adult males – as they are now. And protect your children in all the ways that you can in your own environment.

This column comes to you courtesy of the Environmental Concerns Group of the DeFuniak Springs Garden Club.