Childproofing for Environmental Health: Reducing Exposure to Harmful Chemicals in Personal Care Items

November 25, 2008

I recently attended another workshop delivered by Caroline Brown at an Ontario Early Years Centre in Ottawa. Caroline is a Child Health Educator and Consultant. The topic of this workshop was Reducing Children’s Exposure to Harmful Chemicals in Personal Care Products.

I already was aware that there were certain ingredients to watch out for in personal care items, but I had no idea how many. I also had not really stopped to think about how children are more vulnerable to these ingredients. I had already cut out many products on my sons such as diaper cream and lotions, but hadn’t really thought about some of the other chemicals they came into contact with daily, e.g. chemicals in baby wipes, sunscreens, petroleum jelly, etc.

The list of ingredients to avoid is stunning. According to the cosmeticsdatabase.com, ingredients to avoid always include: 2-Bromo-2Nitropropane-1, 3-Diol (or Bronopol), BHA, DMDM Hydantoin, Oxybenzone, Triclosan, Boric Acid and Sodium Borate, Dibutyl Phthalate, and Toluene.

According to the cosmeticsdatabase.com when possible you should also avoid, Fragrance, Fluoride, Ceteareth and PEG Compunds, Parabens, Triethanolamine, Dyes, Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate and Benzyl Alcohol and Isopropyl Alcohol.

I personally find it overwhelming reading product ingredients and trying to avoid every ingredient which has been linked to causing cancer, or potential to damage the brain or nervous system. Caroline Brown recommended a very good website by the Nova Scotia Environmental Health Association. It is www.lesstoxicguide.ca. The site provides safer alternatives for personal care products and includes a baby section

My main take aways were to basically use fewer products and use them less frequently and to buy fragrance free. I think if you try to read the ingredients on everything and totally avoid all harmful ingredients you would make yourself crazy.

Some ideas discussed at the workshop to use fewer products on your children included the following:

• Bathing less frequently, e.g. every few nights instead of every single night. My theory on this is have more than one child. My first son was bathed daily whereas a question often asked in my house these days is, “Do you remember the last time the baby had a bath?”
• Don’t wash hair every single time you bathe a child.
• Make bubble baths a treat rather than an every day occurrence. Use sparingly when you do have a bubble bath.
• Washing with microfiber facecloths instead of a body wash or soap.
• Only using products such as lotions and diaper creams as needed, instead of every day.
• Using face cloths instead of baby wipes.
• Wearing U.V. Protective Clothing to reduce the amount of sunscreen required.

If anyone had any ideas or suggestions on how you reduce the number of chemicals in personal care products that your children come into contact with on a daily basis, please leave a comment and share them.

Norwex Party Hostess Specials for December 2008

November 14, 2008

Norwex Canadian Hostess Specials December 2008

Click here to book a Norwex Home Party

Goo Gone Be Gone - Here’s a Better Way To Remove Stickers

November 11, 2008

I used to love Goo Gone, and then I discovered the Norwex Antibac Enviro Cloth. Honestly, nothing removes stickers from surfaces quicker. My two-year old loves to stick stickers everywhere and anywhere other than a sticker book. No amount of coaxing can convince him it would be fun to put them in a reusable sticker book. Nope - he prefers hardwood floors, coffee tables, patio doors, windows and very occasionally noses or the backs of hands.

Totally by chance some time ago I discovered that the Enviro Cloth is excellent for removing stickers. I was washing something sticky off the coffee table and there were a few sticker remnants as per usual. I tried the wet Enviro Cloth and was amazed how quickly and easily the stickers were removed and with no chemicals.

I was reminded of this tonight. The culprit - gigantic Strawberry Shortcake stickers stuck to the kitchen windows while I was cooking dinner. During clean-up tonight I experimented with the Enviro Cloth on half the stickers and a bottle of Goo Gone which was kicking around in my cupboard forever on the other half. The stickers came off much easier with the wet Enviro Cloth and a little elbow grease, than with the Goo Gone. And after reading the label and warnings that it is harmful or fatal if swallowed, I decided to give it a chuck and prevent any worries of my son ingesting it. I’ll stick with my Enviro Cloth

Child Health and the Environment

November 2, 2008

I attended an excellent workshop at the Ontario Early Years Centre this week. The presenter was Caroline Brown, an educator and consultant on child heath and the environment. The subject of the workshop was Child Health and the Environment. Her presentation was basically two-fold. First, why children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental hazards and secondly, what one can do to reduce them.

I was vaguely aware of many of the points which she presented, but some facts were surprising to me. Recently, I had been patting myself on the back for having significantly reduced the number of chemicals in our home. However, it became quite obvious to me after the first few minutes of the workshop that I had only began to skim the surface of reducing chemicals in my home.

As a mother you would drive yourself completely crazy were you to try and reduce every single harmful product from your family, but this workshop certainly made me think a little more about ways I can try and reduce harmful substances in my home.

Some of the reasons children are uniquely vulnerable include such reasons as their physiology, their behaviour (e.g. lying on the floor to play, putting everything and anything into their mouths) and lifespan (e.g. still have most of their life ahead of them).

I often wondered to myself why many chemical cleaners and personal care items are approved by regulatory bodies if they are so harmful. Ms. Brown explained that many of these products have safe levels were they to be the only products we are exposed to. The issue is the cumulative effect of the numerous products we bring into our homes, as well as reactions caused by certain chemicals being mixed together. Makes sense …

She shared with us information from a publication of the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health & Environment, entitled “Child Health and the Environment: A Primer”. Here are some of the points which were surprising to me:

• Children spend over 80% of their time indoors and indoor dust should be treated as an environmental contaminant which should be removed (as contaminants can be tracked in from outside on our shoes). Apparently, one of the best things you can do to reduce contaminants in your home is frequent dusting and vacuuming.
• Foods high in animal-fat contain higher levels of persistent organic pollutants, i.e. higher % of fat in milk, butter, cheese and meat could result in higher levels of toxic substances in our bodies.
• Phthalates are chemicals that are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic). They are found in soft vinyl products such as children’s toys and packaging. There is evidence of health risks associated with these chemicals and the European Union banned phthalates in children’s toys in 2005. Soft vinyl toys should not be given to younger children. Don’t microwave in plastic containers - even those designed for the microwave and alternatives should be sought to vinyl shower curtains and backbags - e.g. fabric. I knew about not microwaving in plastic - but I had no idea about the other points.
• Children who swim frequently can be exposed to high levels of disinfection by-products (from heavy chlorination of swimming pool water).
• You should avoid burning candles in your home as by-products of combustion include carbon monoxide, VOC’s polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot.

So, while I know I cannot reduce every single contaminant in my family’s home here are a few things on my to-do list:

• Stop wearing my outdoor shoes in the house. Even when I’ve forgotten something upstairs
• Start buying more organic products where I can - for starters I plan to start buying organic homo milk and apples as these items are heavily consumed in my house.
• Throw out my son’s vinyl bath toys. I haven’t had the heart to toss my son’s beloved “bath guys” yet.
• Buy glass storage containers for food.
• Toss my Pampered Chef microwave containers. Although, how I love them so.
• Buy fabric shower curtains.
• Stop feeling guilty that I never get to take the baby swimming at the pool like we did with his older brother. Turns out I’ve been doing him a favour.
• Think twice before burning candles.

The book I mentioned above (Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health & Environment, entitled “Child Health and the Environment: A Primer”) can be downloaded for free on the CPCHE’s website and is a fantastic resource. It is definitely worth a read. You’ll read things you already knew, but you may find a few ways to reduce chemical contaminants in your home.

• Subscribe

  • Subscribe to RSS
  • Comments
  
  

• Recent Posts

  • Here’s How to Get a Norwex Catalogue
  • 2 Year Savings by Buying Green - Savings Showdown
  • Norwex Laundry Solution (Detergent, Magnet Ball and Dryer Balls) Versus other Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener - Savings Series
  • We Hit the 100-Fan Mark On Facebook!
  • Norwex Mop System vs. Swiffer Dry Mop and Traditional Mopping - Savings Showdown

• Categories

  • Cleaning Tips
  • Health
  • Money Saving Tips
  • Motherhood
  • News
  • Norwex
    • Host a Norwex Party

• Popular Tags

  allergies Alzheimer's disease antiperspirant baby vomiting bathrooms bedroom cleaning tips breast cancer child vomiting cleaning paste cleaning product cleaning products deodorant dryer balls dusting dusting cloth dust mites dust mite spray dust mop enviro cloth floor cleaning green cleaning hot flashes house cleaning laundry balls laundry detergent laundry soap magnet ball mattress cleaner menopause microfiber micro fiber microfiber mitt microfiber mop mop natural crystal deodorant natural deodorant night sweats Norwex office cleaning tips specials Sportzyme stop snoring swiffer toilet brush wet mop

• Archives

  • October 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008

• Links

• Admin

  • Log in