Get Toxic Chemicals Out of Your Child’s Life
Actually, getting toxic chemicals out of your child’s life entirely is going to take some doing. You’ve got car emissions, non-organic foods, plastic toys and more to contend with. You shouldn’t also have to worry about your home cleaning and bath and body care products. However, a smart green parent should worry – A LOT.
Although most parents in the U.S. consider home cleaners pretty safe, most are anything but safe. In fact more the American Association of Poison Control Centers notes that 1.25 million kids younger than six years of age are unintentionally poisoned in the home each year by things you’d expect (pain relievers and cough and cold medicines) but also lots of stuff you’d not suspect such as cosmetics, personal bath care products, and basic home cleaners. Furthermore, Studies by the Environmental Working Group conducted research that shows that nearly 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants can be found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. That is insane.
Million Baby Crawl, a new campaign launched and sponsored by Seventh Generation hopes to get some of these toxic chemicals out of your child’s life for good though. It’s about time too. Congress passed that nation’s chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA) 33 YEARS AGO and as of right now, the EPA has managed to test only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed for products used in the home. Way to go congress.
Additionally, the EPA has zero authority to gather information to evaluate a chemical’s risk because product manufacturers are not required by law to give that info to the EPA or to even prove a chemical’s safety as a condition of use. We aren’t doing very well at all when it comes to protecting our children – at least not from a whole country standpoint.
Join the campaign!
Seventh Generation and supporters of the Million Baby Crawl think that chemical manufacturers should be required by law to conduct safety testing before a chemical is used in products. As a parent, I’m sure you agree. You can help support the effort by doing the following…
- Visit Million Baby Crawl and create a crawler that represents why you want chemical reform. The Million Baby Crawl will help to present the Kids Safe Chemical Act to Washington by collecting signatures from Americans who support toxic chemical reform.
- Post about the Million Baby Crawl at your own blog.
- Follow the Million Baby Crawl discussion on Twitter #mbcrawl.
Until chemical laws are passed you still have a choice though. DON’T clean with conventional toxic cleaners. Make homemade green cleaners or buy safe green cleaners.
When my 4 children were younger, I assumed that everything made for babies was ok for them. The more I learn, the more I know that their little bodies are exposed to lots of potentially hazardous chemicals and that I can do something to reduce their exposure. They’re not babies anymore, but I try everyday to reduce the number of toxins in their environments (it’s tough with teenagers). Hopefully, they’re learning to pay attention on their own, too. I’m glad that it’s becoming easier to find products that make my job easier. This has become so important to me that I’m developing my own line of diaper cream, baby lotion and personal care products for adults that is completely free of harsh chemicals and that is designed extra gentle for those especially sensitive areas (on both baby and mom). Thank you for this article – - it helps all of us know that we’re not fighting an uphill battle. I’ll be happy to share samples of the diaper cream and baby lotion with you when they’re ready! M’lou Arnett, Scerene Healthcare