Making the Connection: How Where We Live Impacts Learning

By Maggie Parry

Children, because they are still growing, are far more vulnerable to the neurological damage environmental toxins can cause. With the number of children diagnosed with learning differences increasing almost exponentially, it’s important for parents to know the most common household toxins and how to decrease their presence in the home.

When you read reports of yet another toxin hiding in your house, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about how to make your home safe for your children. The harsh cleansers, the pesticides, the carpet fibers and even the kids’ toys all seem to contain something harmful. Before you outfit your family in Hazmat suits and just hope for the best, be encouraged that even small steps taken to detoxify your home can make a big difference. Anca Novacovici, founder of Eco-Coach, a Washington, DC-based company that performs home eco-audits says, “You only need to change what you can fi t into your daily routine and what makes sense fi nancially.” Otherwise, if you feel overwhelmed or resentful of the time it takes to make changes, you’re less likely to do anything at all.

While the body of scientific research on how household toxins affect learning and brain development in children continues to grow, there is still much more that is unknown. The research that does exist, however, points to some real problems. Elise Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Institute for Children’s Environmental Health and national coordinator of the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative, reports, “We all have hundreds of chemicals in our bodies today that didn’t exist a few decades ago. And we’re seeing increases in learning and developmental disabilities as well as many other chronic diseases. Currently, one in six children under the age of 18 has some kind of learning, or developmental, or behavioral disorder.”

Because of their unique developmental issues and patterns, children are especially vulnerable to the damage these toxins can cause. Dan Orzech, in his article, Chemical Kids: Environmental Toxins and Child Development, states, “Children living in homes contaminated with pesticides had almost twice as much of the chemical in their blood as their parents. And in a home with radon, a 6-month-old child will receive twice the exposure as an adult, according to the World Health Organization.”

The toxic 10

These chemicals, found in many everyday household items, may cause cognitive and learning issues in children. Parents should familiarize themselves with the terminology, so they know how to interpret labels and ingredient lists.

1. Formaldehyde evaporates from cushions, carpet, particleboard and the adhesives used to manufacture most inexpensive wood-based products.
2. Radon is a gas produced by naturally occurring uranium in soil and water and leaks through areas of lower pressure (cracks in the foundation). As it degrades, its toxic decay attaches itself to dust.
3. Lead levels once thought to be acceptable are now thought contributory to learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Though lead-based paint was banned in 1978, one of the biggest sources of exposure is lead dust released during home renovations.
4. Carbon monoxide can come from an unserviced furnace that burns propane, butane or oil.
5. Arsenic is found in many household pesticides and is increasingly used as a wood preservative.
6. Brominated fire retardants (BFRs) are added to many household items (electronics, mattresses, couches, carpets, upholstery) to prevent the spread of fire. The toxins in BFRs can escape into the air during product use.
7. Plastics can contain polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and polycarbonate which can leach into food when heated.
8. Phenols, are found in disinfectants, antiseptics, perfumes, mouthwashes, glues and air fresheners. When used excessively or in a small, unventilated area (like some small bathrooms), these products release toxic levels of pollutants.
9. Phthalates, (plasticizers), are in hair spray, shampoos, fragrances, deodorants and some plastic bathtub toys. Along with increasing the durability and flexibility of plastics, phthalates also bind the color and fragrance in cosmetic products.
10. Pesticides encompass a variety of chemical formulas that kill everything from tiny microorganisms to rodents.

A home detox plan for busy lives

Consider the four basic elements that humans need to survive: air, water, shelter and food (for Kids Enabled’s guide to choosing toxin-free food, see the article entitled Making the Connection: How What We Eat Impacts Learning). You can create a home detox plan by using the three elements of air, water and shelter as your guide. Below is a list of simple changes you can make for each element to make your home healthier. If you pick one element at a time, one room at a time and make one change at a time, you can slowly but effectively enact the changes that will ensure a healthy home environment for your children.

Air

• Open your windows and doors. According to Tom Kelly, director of the indoor-environments division at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.” Indoor air can’t circulate and gets trapped, creating a “soup” of pollutants.
• Filter the air in your home with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) air filter. You can use a stand-alone unit in different rooms or have one installed into your central air system. Check out the article Clean Your Air at www.wholeliving.com for a comprehensive guide to the air filters and purifiers currently available.
• Test for radon which is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Inexpensive home testing kits are available at Home Depot, or through the National Safety Council at www.nsc.org. To find your state radon office, see www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html.
• Replace your artificial fragrances and air fresheners. In the interest of making a sale, manufacturers add synthetic fragrance to everything from hair conditioner to clothing. Rebecca Sutton, an environmental chemist with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), says, “Repeated exposures over a lifetime are creating a toxic soup in our bodies. There’s little regulation and these substances don’t necessarily get tested.” She suggests doing two things: use fragrance free products (but check the ingredients list to make sure), and use home and beauty products scented with natural ingredients (plant products). The article, Replacing Your Artificial Fragrances, at www.wholeliving.com offers a comprehensive guide on how to recognize the good and the bad in fragrances.

Water

• Test your water for lead which can leach from old pipes or from the solder in pipes no matter what the age of te house. Even if you have lead in your water, you don’t necessarily have to replace your pipes. See the National Safety Foundation (NSF) Web site at www.nsf.org to learn more about water filtration.
• Filter your drinking water, which may contain varying levels of chlorine, toxic metals and pesticides and microbes. To remove these, the Natural Resources Defense Council recommends using a water filter with NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certification.
• Filter your shower water to keep your skin from absorbing chlorine and other waterborne toxins. Shower head filters are widely available and cost between $30.00 and $50.00.
• Don’t dump hazardous household products down the sink. Keep paints, used oil, cleaning solvents, polishes, pool chemicals, insecticides and other hazardous household chemicals out of drains, sinks and toilets. Contact your local sanitation, public works or environmental health department to find out about hazardous waste collection days and sites. If a local program isn’t available, you can request one at http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/gsteps.asp.
• Use natural fertilizers such as compost, manure, bone meal or peat whenever possible. Compost set-ups are widely available at garden supply stores, or you can make your own (get the details on how at www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/by_compost.htm).

Shelter

• Be aware of possible lead in home products such as antique furniture, costume and children’s jewelry, the glaze on some pottery and on older bathtubs, and on products made of PVC plastic. If you choose to keep these items, place them out of reach of children. Home lead tests are usually available in home and hardware stores.
• Use natural products as much as possible to avoid BFRs (brominated flame retardants). More and more companies are substituting safer flame retardants into their products. Research before you buy. Many specialty retailers can supply organic and natural fiber mattresses or bedding. See www.safer-products.org for more alternatives in furniture and household products.
• Be aware of pressure treated wood can be a source of arsenic poisoning. The good news is that the EPA halted the manufacture and sale of arsenic-treated wood for most residential uses in 2004. If you suspect that wood in your home may contain arsenic, you can order a test from http://www.ewg.org/reports/poisonwoodrivals/orderform. If replacing arsenic wood (such as a deck or a children’s play area) is not economically feasible, there are still steps you can take to make these areas safer. Sealing the areas every six months with a penetrating deck treatment is effective, but avoid using some “deck washing” products as some of them can convert the chemicals to more toxic compounds. For more ways to make these areas safer, see http://www.healthybuilding.net/arsenic/index.html.
• Clean your home (shelter) with natural products. Check all labels of your cleaning products and stop using those that are marked “caution,” “danger,” “poison,” or “warning.” Use safe alternatives such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and water when possible. For recipes on how to make your own cleaning products, see the article Clean Green: Natural Cleaning Products at www.wholeliving.com. If you’re not a “make it yourself” type, then there are many natural products for sale. Just make sure you check the ingredients list. Many products that claim to be natural are not!

For our kids

Healthy habits start with one small step: eating an apple instead of cake, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, bringing groceries home in reusable bags. Creating and nurturing a healthy home begins the same way – with one positive change at a time. And though the steps may be small, the benefits are felt in a big way. We feel a sense of pride and accomplishment at doing what’s best for our kids. Our bodies feel strong. Our homes are cleaner! Most importantly, our kids will have the promise of a healthier future.

Read Part I: Related Article: Making the Connection: How Where We Live Impacts Learning then take the Kids Enabled Making the Connections Survey.

This article has been made possible by a 2008 grant from the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Healthy Children’s Project. It is the hope of the LDAG and Kids Enabled to continue informing parents of the toxic risks that can impair learning, some of which are preventable before birth. If you would like more information on the Healthy Children’s Project and current legislation to reduce environmental toxins please visit, www.healthychildrenproject.org. If you would like to get more involved in reducing environmental toxins in Georgia, please email us at info@kidsenabled.com.

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