Toxins

[Guest guest]

Hi all!

I thought this was an interesting article I'd share with you!

Cz.

---------

Parents Can Help Protect Children From Toxins

By Schorr

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters/Health) - Parents can do several things to reduce the

amount of environmental toxins their children will encounter, pediatricians

said Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

``We're living in a significantly toxic environment,'' said Dr. B.

Weil, Jr., professor emeritus at Michigan State University in East Lansing,

Michigan. ``Kids are exposed to multiple chemicals.''

Young children may be especially vulnerable to environmental toxins for many

reasons, he said, such as their still-developing organs, their frequent hand

to mouth activity and their proximity to toxins on the ground.

Mercury was one major concern to the pediatricians, with evidence that young

children and developing fetuses exposed to mercury can experience

neurological damage.

Earlier this year, the government issued recommendations saying women

contemplating pregnancy or who were pregnant should avoid fish such as

shark, swordfish or mackerel--all of which can contain high levels of

mercury.

Weil also advised women who are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are

nursing to avoid eating more than one serving of tuna fish weekly, and to

avoid serving it to their young children.

``The first trimester is crucial for brain development,'' Weil said. ``If

you're going to get pregnant, don't eat (these fish) for 120 days. That's

what I would tell my daughter.''

Several nationwide programs are encouraging parents to turn in their old

mercury-based thermometers for safer digital thermometers, which won't

accidentally break and release mercury into the environment.

``It may seem like a small measure, but it's going to go a long way,'' added

Dr. , an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical

School (news

<http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/n

ews?p=%22Harvard%20Medical%20School%22 & c= & n=20 & yn=c & c=news & cs=nw> - web

sites

<http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Harv

ard+Medical+School>) and a toxicologist at Children's Hospital in Boston,

Massachusetts.

Both doctors also addressed practical ways parents can reduce the amount of

pesticides and herbicides their children may encounter in the home, such as

pesticides from the yard that can get tracked into the home.

``Anytime before you use a product, think: 'Do I really need to use that

chemical?''' Weil urged. ``Eighty percent of US families use pesticides

during the year, and rarely is there a real need.'' He recommended systems

like integrated pest management, which attempts to find alternative

bug-reduction methods.

In addition to the home, parents may also want to contact day care centers

and schools about the fumigation policies they have implemented, Weil

suggested.

advised that parents may want to make a targeted decision, wherever

possible and affordable, to buy organic foods that children are most likely

to eat, such as apples, peaches and grapes.

``Parents need to face the current-day reality that pesticide residues will

be on foods their children will eat in the near future,'' said.

``That's a small measure that can make a difference.''

_________________________________________________________