Finally pediatricians are getting on board and making a statement about the dangers of chemicals to pregnant women and children! The AAP has called for an overhaul of the chemical regulation in our country. While European countries, Canada and other countries have begun to regulate dangerous chemicals, the United States has been lagging way behind. We have created and dispersed over 80,000 chemicals in our environment and bodies in the last 50 years and less than 200 have ever been tested for safety by anyone! That is crazy!
There is a philosophy of innocent until proven guilty-and no one in the government is trying to figure out if they are guilty…and when studies do come out, the chemical companies spend millions and billions of dollars in lobbying and their own “studies” to prevent change. The people who pay the price are us! And sadly, the most vulnerable are children and babies in the womb. Studies are showing these chemicals in everyday products from shampoo to baby mattresses cause infertility, lower IQs, ADD, asthma, reproductive birth defects and more!
Yes, some chemicals like BPA have been removed from baby bottles. This was ONLY done because of consumer outrage. The government continues to state BPA is safe regardless of studies showing that they are toxic. While companies try to give the illusion that BPA is no longer in products, these chemicals are still found in tons of products like blenders, baby toys, food processors, car seats, cups, plates, canned food, formula can lining and other baby items. Companies like Playskool, Hasbro, Fisher Price, Kids II and others not only still use BPA, but some of them still defend the use and actively fight regulation. And what most people don’t realize is BPA free isn’t a free ticket of safety. That just happens to be the chemical that is getting all of the attention these days. A new study found that over 70% of BPA FREE items leached hormone disrupting chemicals. So going BPA free is not enough. It is best to avoid all plastics whenever and wherever possible. Use glass containers and stainless steel.
And BPA is not the only chemical you need to avoid-it is just one of the most well known right now. For more resources you can watch our classes (Organic Pregnancy Class and Organic Baby Class) to learn step by step how to avoid chemicals like BPA, Phthalates, Flame Retardants, Chlorine and a host of other chemicals that affect fertility, babies in the womb, and children.
For the full CNN article click here
References
Martin, David. “Pediatricians urge tougher chemical safety law – CNN.com.” CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/
“Is “BPA Free” Plastics Misleading? Are Any Plastics Really Safe? | Organic Baby University.” BPA | Fluoride Exposure to avoid during pregnancy . N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://organicbabyuniversity.com/blog/2011/03/03/is-bpa-free-plastics-misleading-are-any-plastics-really-safe/>.
