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>TOXIC DANGERS IN THE HOME > >Vinyl: A Greenpeace report published in June of 2001 >examined the hazardous effects of exposure to >chemicals found in vinyl plastic childcare products >and home furnishings. When Greenpeace analyzed vinyl >mattress pads, vinyl flooring and other items, they >found a range of additives such as phthalates, >organotins, lead, cadmium and bisphenol A. These >chemicals are known to be responsible for adverse >heath effects such as liver cancer, kidney damage, and >various nervous and respiratory problems. Some of the >name brands that were tested include Gerber, Carter’s, >Graco, Armstrong and Mannington. > >Lead (airborne): Most candle wicks are made from >cotton but those that need extra support require a >metal core. Despite a warning issued by the U.S. >Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC), candles >with lead-core wicks (as opposed to zinc or tin wicks) >are still being manufactured today. These candles >release concentrations of lead into the air that range >from nine to 33 times higher than the acceptable >federal limit. Lead is particularly harmful to >children and can cause damage to the central nervous >system, reproductive system, and kidneys. Even low >levels of lead can lead to decreased intelligence, >impaired neurobehavioral development, decreased >stature and growth, and impaired hearing acuity. In >order to be sure that your candles are lead free, >avoid candles with metal cores of any kind as it is >difficult for the average consumer to determine if the >metal wick is lead or some other non-harmful metal. > >Lead Paint: A source of continuing danger to children >under the age of six is the existence of lead paint in >older (built before 1978), poorly maintained >buildings, or in buildings that have undergone >renovations. The problem is most prevalent in poorer >neighborhoods where there is a greater likelihood that >painting has not been done recently or where paint has >been allowed to fall into disrepair. In these >situations, paint tends to peel, chip, or flake. Young >children are prone to swallowing these small pieces of >paint. Even if the paint is not flaking or peeling, >small children will chew on window sills and other >painted surfaces when teething and ingest paint chips >in the process. > >If you suspect that your child has been exposed to >lead paint or airborne lead, a blood test should be >done to obtain an accurate lead level. Recent studies >have indicated that severe, irreversible neurological >damage may occur at lower levels than previously >believed. It must be emphasized that medical science >has only been able to develop treatments that may stop >the progression of lead poisoning. Treatment does not >prevent or reverse the signs and symptoms of >lead-induced neurotoxicity. To be sure, lead poisoning >in children causes devastating and permanent >neurological damages. Thus, the best solution to the >problem is total lead abatement in any living quarters >where young children are expected to take up >residence. > >AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE > >In April of 2001 a committee of the National Academy >of Science’s Institute of Medicine discovered that >children of veterans of the Vietnam War may have an >increased risk of a form of leukemia due to their >fathers’ exposure to Agent Orange, a powerful >herbicide used as a defoliant during the war. The >chemical may cause acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, >in children. Of the several studies that were >conducted, one found that childhood development of AML >was more likely in the offspring of men who use >pesticides and herbicides in their work. The report >also confirmed that herbicide exposure may also be >responsible for the development of soft-tissue cancer, >Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and >chloracne in veterans. Additional studies, however, >are needed in order to prove that there is a link >between Agent Orange and birth defects. > >TANNING SALONS > >A study which appeared in the April 2001 issue of the >Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed >that the UV exposure received from a tanning bed may >be just as harmful to the skin as outdoor sun exposure >therefore creating the same risk of developing skin >cancer. More than one million (1,000,000) people in >the Unites States visit tanning salons in an average >day despite knowing that there is an increased >incidence of melanoma in those who visit indoor >tanning salons. Salon bulbs actually provide enough >UVB and UVA radiation and both types of ultraviolet >light, whether from the sun or tanning light, cause >many types of skin damage that can lead to skin >cancer. Salon-goers should view the tanning salon as >the equivalent to spending the same amount of time at >the beach on a sunny day. > >EXHAUST FUMES > >Environmentalists are concerned that children who ride >to school on diesel-powered buses may be exposed to as >much as four times more toxic exhaust than those who >travel to school in passenger cars. It is estimated >that these children might have an increased risk for >developing cancer. While most modern buses are >equipped with engines which emit less exhaust, keeping >windows open in the bus or seating children closer to >the front of the bus could minimize the potential risk. > >PESTICIDES and DETERGENTS > >New findings have indicated that women exposed to high >levels of the pesticide DDT are more likely to have a >premature baby or a baby that is considered small for >its gestational age. DDT use can also increase infant >mortality. Pregnant women should avoid prolonged or >consistent exposure to DDT at all times. > >In addition, pesticides present a serious problem in >areas when the runoff from rain or flooding causes the >residue to contaminate sources of drinking water >(aquifers, reservoirs, and wells) or habitats used by >edible fish and shell fish. Detergents from laundries >(home and commercial), car washes, building cleanings, >and other sources which are disposed of in public >sewer systems also add to the contamination of our >water supply. Certain studies also suggest that the >stronger detergents (pH of 11 or more) may also >present a risk of dermatitis, asthma, and >conjunctivitis to those coming in direct contact with >them or with clothing that has been laundered in them. > >THE INDUSTRIAL SOLVENT 1,4-BUTANEDIOL > >1,4-Butanediol is an industrial solvent, which along >with another industrial solvent known as >(gamma)-hydroxybutyrate, have been found to be >extremely dangerous when ingested. Unfortunately, the >fact that these solvents are converted to >gamma-hydroxybutyrate, a drug of abuse with depressant >effects on the central nervous system, has caused >people to intentionally ingest the compounds in the >form of a dietary supplement. The effects of these >compounds, when ingested, can be quite severe. They >include vomiting, urinary and fecal incontinence, >agitation, combativeness, respiratory depression, >decreased consciousness, and death. The compounds can >be addictive. There is simply no reason to ingest >these solvents in any form. > >POWER PLANT EMISSIONS > >Aging or poorly maintained coal-burning power plants >are responsible for the emission of nitrogen oxides >and sulfur dioxides which, in turn, cause significant >levels of air pollution and acid rain. On August 7th, >a federal judge in Ohio ruled that a utility company >in that state had violated the Clean Air Act when it >failed to install better pollution control devices in >its coal-burning power plant. The case was brought by >the Environmental Protection Agency along with the >states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut which >suffer from the effects of the air pollution caused by >the toxic emissions from power plants in the Ohio >Valley. Other cases brought against a number of other >power companies operating over 48 plants have been >settled. > > > > >www.hcop.org

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