Squeaky Green
The method Guide to Detoxing Your Home
by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry from method
A Kid’s-Eye View of Cleaning...
Think of kids as gigantic sponges – they absorb everything we do, but in much larger quantities.
Pound for pound, kids drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults do.
But...
Their immune systems aren’t fully developed until around age 10, lungs at about age 20, and many other organs are still works-in-progress until age 16.
And...
They tend to “live” on the floor, where residues from toxic things end up. And they put everything they find on that floor (or anywhere else) in their mouths.
All this makes them a prime receptacle for all things dirty that surround them. Everything that affects us, (the toxins and cancer-causing agents) affects them much more.
Many of the products you use in your home contain toxins that are known to cause both asthma and cancer.
The No. 1 medical reason kids stay home from school is asthma. It’s also the main reason you find them in the emergency room, and its levels are rising at alarming rates. Research has suggested that chemicals, pesticides, and environmental pollutants may play a significant role in the frequency of cancer in children.
The sooner you get these nasty influences out of your life, the better for everyone.
There’s a whole lot of things that you’re exposing your kids to without knowing it.
Problem:
Paints and markers can contain things like trichloroethylene, which can cause liver and lung damage.
Of course, you won’t know they are there, because companies aren’t required to list all ingredients on the labels.
How to avoid the bad stuff:
Look for products certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute (ACMI).
This is not a 100 percent foolproof method, but it comes close. They pass products’ formulations through the keen eyes of a toxicologist who thoroughly examines them (taking misuse into account) and makes sure that they are safe for your kids. You should also scrutinize the labels for obvious red flags like hazard or poison warnings.
Also, check out websites like thegreenguide.com, which has a good list of “clean” and “dirty” arts and crafts supplies, based largely upon the ingredients that they are make from. There’s even a helpful list of bad stuff that you should look out for.
Yet another problem:
Many pajamas on the market are treated with flame retardants – it’s the law.
The consumer products safety commission has a series of regulations that require flame retardancy for children’s sleepwear. This can mean added flame retardants to the finished products or that materials contain flame retardants from the start.
Research shows that these chemicals are pretty stable, but the jury is still out on their health effects. One solution is to buy organic cotton PJs that fit snugly. They’re not treated with flame retardants, but the snug fit ensures a good level of safety against open fires.
