Dallas-Fort Worth, North
Central Texas
Children and Chemical Cleaners
Kids' Problems with Sustainable Cleansers
Did
you hear of that family in Fort Worth--you know, they all went to the emergency
room from sticky fingerprints on the wall? Or the family in Frisco--they all got
sick from dirty mirrors in the bathroom?
Actually,
none of us heard of these families because none of it happened. What was, and
is, more likely to happen is that families will get sick from the cleaning
supplies used to clean the mirrors or remove the sticky fingerprints. In 2009,
the National Poison Data Center reported 183, 250 national calls about cleaning
products.
Whatever
effect chemicals have on adults is multiplied in children. Children are affected
by cleaning products in a greater proportion than adults, whether it is in the
womb, at home, or at school.
Why?
Their immune, endocrine, and neurological systems are not fully developed.
Babies
and toddlers crawl on the floor.
Children
breathe more often than adults
Children
breathe more deeply than adults
Children
eat more food per pound of body weight.
Children
drink more water per pound of body weight.
Children
are more likely to put things in their mouth.
Children are more likely to ingest cleaning and other harmful/poisonous products
Because very few have ever been tested at all, even on animals (and remember that animals and humans are definitely different) and because those that are tested are tested singly, normally for short periods of time. The truth is we are exposed to multiple combinations of chemicals, even in a single product. And this exposure is compounded for each year of our contact over the span of our lifetimes.
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Note: Before using these green cleansers, try them in an unobtrusive place to make certain they do no damage.
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