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THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY
I recently attended a Mt. Sinai Children’s Environmental
Health Center event, where I heard Dr. Philip Landrigan,
the program director, speak about the Center’s research
to discover the environmental causes of a myriad of children’s
diseases, including asthma, learning disabilities, autism, obesity and childhood cancer.
I must confess that I am a little bit of a Dr. Landrigan “groupie.” Having purchased one of his books, Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World, in 2002, I began following his work carefully (i.e., obsessing over every little thing that I thought might be toxic to my children). To the extreme annoyance of friends and family, I would often quote facts and figures from the book. If I saw someone with a plastic baby bottle or watched as a friend’s child climbed on pressure-treated wood at the playground while simultaneously stuffing apple slices in the mouth, I couldn’t stop myself. A terrifying factoid would fly out, inducing extreme anxiety around my circle of friends. And I won’t even recount the diatribe spouted upon hearing of applications of pesticides to remove roaches. But, putting aside the psychotic anxiety of a first-time mom who happened to have a healthy (in my opinion) regard for all potential environmental dangers lurking around my family, reading about the Center’s work was exciting. Just knowing that great scientists and doctors were uncovering connections between the rising rates of childhood asthma and cancers to everyday chemicals made me feel safer. Their discoveries very well might be the reason why dangerous toxins are removed from our lives. Hence, my groupie status for the fine doctor.
Dr. Landrigan is no stranger to discovering environmental threats. In the 1970s, Dr. Landrigan was a young field investigator for the Centers for Disease Control. Flying all around the world chasing epidemics, Dr. Landrigan flew to El Paso to look into the potential dangers of children living near a lead smelter. People at that time did not realize how even a small dose of lead could be harmful to a child’s developing brain. During his research, Dr. Landrigan and his colleagues discovered that higher blood-lead levels in a child meant lower IQs, lower attention spans and more disruptive behavior. These findings were instrumental in getting lead out of paint and out of gasoline.
During the recent talk, I learned about The National Children's Study, which launched in January 2009.
“The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is to improve the health and well-being of children.
The Study will examine important health issues, including birth defects and pregnancy-related problems; injuries; asthma; obesity; diabetes; and behavior, learning, and mental health disorders, to establish links between children’s environments and their health. By tracking children’s development through infancy, childhood, and early adulthood, the Study hopes to determine the root causes of many childhood and adult diseases. Findings from the Study will benefit all Americans by providing researchers, health care providers, and public health officials with information from which to develop prevention strategies, health and safety guidelines, and possibly new treatments and cures for disease.”
I plan to pay close attention to the findings of this study. But my “healthy” focus on protecting my children from harm’s way has not ebbed as I have grown older. And I don’t plan on sitting back and waiting to find out the results of this 20-year study. I have to follow my eco-warrior mama instincts and continue to protect my children. So my advice is to stay tuned and continue to avoid questionable chemicals in your home. Here are just a few to be mindful of:
Bisphenol A (BPA) — found in plastic water bottles, plastic microwavable plates, ovenware, utensils, tooth sealants, glasses, food cans
Phthalates — found in soft plastics like plastic wrap; plastic storage containers; personal care products, including nail polish, mascara, shampoos and conditioners, lotions, sunscreen
Brominated flame retardants — found in mattresses, mattress pads, upholstered furniture, carpets and some electronics
Artificial fragrances — found in cosmetics and other personal care products as well as in liquid soap, air fresheners and dishwashing soap
Parabens — found in skincare products, cosmetics and personal hygiene products
Formaldehyde — found in cleaning products and skincare products
Naphthalene — found in carpet cleaners
Chlorine — found in chlorine bleach
Ammonia — found in window cleaners; other chemicals found in window cleaners are 1,4-dioxane and methanol.
Pesticides
In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for Scenic Hudson as well as contributes articles to Daily Candy Kids, CitiScoop and NRDC’s Simple Steps. She continues to watch her green business grow while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, 9, 7 and 4.
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