toxic schools

[Guest guest]

Recently I heard of a situation in New Jersey, where about half the

teachers in the school had children with autism. I feel that the

burden infections play on our little ones' bodies, renders them

unable to handle toxins from fluorescent lighting (mercury vapor),

and molds and out-gassing from building materials. These schools may

also have electrosmog issues. Recently, I had to pull 2 of my

recovered children out of school. They were in kindergarten. The

first few months of school, they did great. At teacher conference, I

was informed that they they were above average in all areas of school

(behavioral, participation, learning). The next month, I had to pull

them out.

They had slowly regressed over time, since school started. After a

few months, the toxins built up in thier little bodies, and they fell

apart. I went and observed at school. What I found was that I could

not even enter my son's class-room because the smell of dry erase

markers was so bad. The teacher put wheat crackers out for everyone

which my son happily ate, even though I had brought doctor's notes

and sent him with his own snacks and lunch every day. The teacher

was wearing strong perfume, the room was carpeted with that thin,

foam-backed carpetting. The windows were covered with paper, and

there were more fluorescent lights than ceiling. My husband said he

almost vomited because of the marker smell. I pulled my kids out of

school immediately. My son went back to acting " normal " in a few

days. My daughter took nearly a month. Toxic schools are a very

real problem in addition to the other issues we are battling with our

children. Here is a posting concerning others' views on the matter:

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National Autism Association

wrote:

NAA E-Newsletter

Deirdre Imus helps schools go green

By Beth Furtwangler, USA TODAY

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-03-deirdre-imus_N.htm

Deirdre Imus wants you to know that your child's classroom could be

dangerous. No, it's not killer tests or deadly boring lectures. Think

more along the lines of things that your child can't even see.

Many schools contain harmful toxins and other chemical contaminants

that endanger children's health, says Imus, founder and director of

the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at the

Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center.

For the past six years, Imus, 43, wife of radio shock jock Don Imus,

has worked with her center to identify and prevent children's

exposure to environmental factors that could cause or contribute to

diseases such as autism, asthma, cancer and other neurodevelopmental

health problems.

" The significant increases we see with (these diseases), most of that

goes back to environment and pollutants, " Imus says.

Replacing potentially dangerous cleaning supplies, lawn chemicals and

pest controls with environmentally friendly and non-toxic

alternatives is a major focus of Imus' " Greening Your School "

program. The focus on cleaning supplies is called " Greening Your

Cleaning. "

The Imus program also encourages schools to test water and replace

older pipes to avoid exposing students to lead.

Schools are a logical place for Imus to focus her efforts. More than

60 million Americans — one-fifth of the population — spend their days

inside school buildings as students, faculty, staff and

administration, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

And children are particularly susceptible to environmental

threats. " Children have unique vulnerabilities that we adults don't, "

says Mark Blaire, the center's director of environmental

programs. " They have a lower center of gravity, so depending on the

type of chemical (that could settle closer to the ground), they may

have a reaction to environmental exposure that may not impact an

adult in the same way. "

Likewise, children typically have frequent hand-to-mouth activity,

and the ratio of their body weight to the amount of air, water and

food they consume is different than in adults.

To date, 76 schools across the country have adopted the program.

Pope XXIII High School in Sparta, N.J., implemented the program

18 months ago after noticing an increase in the amount of students

with asthma and allergies. " From everything I've read and after

talking to the Imus center, a lot of those illnesses are brought on

by. . .materials used to clean, " says E. Jane Brown, the school's

chief financial officer.

Although Brown says it is too soon to make conclusions about the

impact of the program, she has noticed a higher attendance rate and a

slight decrease in the number of student visits to the nurse related

to breathing problems.

Even before the word green meant more than just a color, Imus was

going green. In 1998, she and her husband founded the Imus Ranch for

Kids with Cancer, which offers a cowboy experience to sick children.

" When we built the ranch. . . everything we did was with the least

level of toxicity, " she said. " It just made common sense, seeing the

state of children's health and the link between chronic illnesses and

the environment causing it. "

The establishment of the Imus center at Hackensack University Medical

Center was the next step, following Imus' work to remove toxic

cleaning supplies from the hospital.

And now the scope has widened to schools, and beyond. Besides

creating a more healthful environment, all of the 300 schools,

hospitals and businesses that have adopted Imus' Greening the

Cleaning program spend the same or less amount of money on cleaning

supplies, Imus says. Some save up to as much as 75%.

" It's been successful for everyone, positive for everyone, " she

said. " Everyone wins and there is no downside. . . That's the beauty

of our program. "

The center offers its own line of toxin-free cleaning agents,

including glass cleaner, laundry detergent, hand soap and floor-care

products, which Imus says are just as effective as their conventional

counterparts.

" The custodian is really happy with the way (the products) all work, "

says , the administrative assistant for the Caliente

(Calif.) Union School District, which implemented the Greening Your

School program last spring. says the students have noticed a

difference in the way the school smells. " They didn't like the heavy

pine smell (of the cleaners) we used to use. "

The cleaning supplies were developed in response to inquiries about

what types of products would meet the Greening the Cleaning standards.

" We started researching available products, but we were not

comfortable recommending any of them because we couldn't even tell

100% what was in the product, " Blaire said.

All of the Greening the Cleaning products list every ingredient,

which Imus says " helps eliminate the confusion. " One hundred percent

of the products' profits go to the center or to the Imus Ranch. The

ranch also receives all of the profits from Imus' latest book, Green

This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning (Simon & Schuster, $15.95).

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You can help Green Your Childrens' Schools!

NAA and Deirdre Imus Announce

National " Greening Your School " Initiative

Please join this Nationwide Grassroots Campaign to Green Your Schools!

Together we can make our nation's schools a healthier place for our

children to learn.

For information, click here.

Download a copy of the Greening Your School Packet, and get started

today!

Think Autism. Think Cure. ®

Click here to visit our website

National Autism Association | 1330 W. Schatz Lane | Nixa | MO | 65714

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