We Are Putting Our Children At Risk. 1 out of 4 children now have learning disabilities. 1 out of 5 children have food allergies. 1 out of every 7 children suffer from asthma.
85,000 chemicals and chemical compounds are allowed to be used in this country with 1000 more added every year. Are we putting our children at risk? You be the judge. Thousands of chemicals are used to manufacture virtually all of the products used for and by our children, from plastic toys to personal care products. Few of these chemicals have been properly tested for the potential adverse effects on humans, and almost none have been evaluated for their potential risks to children.
The rising incidence of childhood diseases and developmental disorders reflects the unique vulnerability of children to toxic exposures. Since the 1960's this country has seen a steady rise in the incidence of all childhood cancers (including a 25 percent increase in childhood leukemia alone) along with unprecedented rises in rates of asthma, developmental and learning disabilities and reproductive dysfunction. Children are uniquely vulnerable to a wide range of health effects from environmental exposures due to physiological and behavioral differences.
Why is this? It's very simple. Pound for pound, they eat more, drink more and breathe more than adults, so they receive proportionally more of any toxins found in food, water and air. Their immune systems are still developing so they lack adult defenses against toxins.
Finally, children play close to the ground on lawns and floors where residues of chemicals, especially pesticides, are often found. Play habits and typical hand to mouth behavior increases their risk for accidental ingestion of toxins. Doesn't it make sense to be aware of this as we see our children, grandchildren, relatives and friends raise families.
What can you do about it? Read up on some of these publications for starters. Eat organic foods instead of chemically laden ones. Clean with 'green cleaners' that are safe for the environment. Help everyone become more aware. THE ADELPHI STATEMENT The Adelphi Statement, originally known as the Joint Statement on Children's Health was created as part of a public health symposium co-sponsored by Grassroots Environmental Education and Adelphi University in the Fall of 2002, The statement has been endorsed by leading scientists, government officials and educators. Click here to view statement.
LINKS & RESOURCES Products Veruni - Natural cleaners and personal products that protect your family and your home http:www.moreinfo247.com/9169289/VCL Publications To view the 2003 U.S. EPA report on America's Children and the Environment, go to www.epa.
gov/envirohealth/children The 2003 Centers for Disease Control report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals can be found at www.cdc.gov/exposurereport The Pollution in People - a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group and Mount Sinai School of Medicine can be found at www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/index.
php In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development is a report by Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility. It examines the environmental contributors to learning, behavioral and developmental disabilities. www.
igc.org/psr The State of Children's Health and the Environment, 2002: Solutions for Parents and Policy Makers is a report from CHEC. Available online at www.checnet.org/report/report.
shtml Useful Web-sites Center for Children's Health and the Environment - Mount Sinai School of Medicine www.childenvironment.org Children's Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) www.
checnet.org Children's Environmental Health Network www.cehn.
org Environment and Human Health www.ehhi.org Institute for Children's Environmental Health www.
iceh.org The Green Guide Institute They publish the Green Guide- a fact-filled newsletter with practical, hands-on solutions to many common environmental problems www.thegreenguide.com US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Children's Health Protection www.epa.
gov/children Reading List Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World by Philip Landrigan, Herbert Needleman and Mary Landrigan (Rodale, 2001) Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber (Perseus Books, 2001)Our Children's Toxic Legacy (second edition) by John Wargo (Yale University Press, 1998) ©Kathy Wozniak.
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