In my previous blog I revealed that I spent the past few days battling a respiratory illness and wondered what had caused me to feel so miserable. I joked (partially) that the numerous invisible hazardous pollutants that are present in nearly every household could have triggered my sickness. That blog provided tips on how to control the problem, but neglected to stress how important it is to rid your home of these dangerous pollutants, especially if you have young children.
Recent studies illustrate the negative effects toxic household pollutants have on adults, but the real eye-opener is what they do to children. A child’s immune system is not fully developed, which leaves them at an even higher risk for illness when exposed to indoor pollutants.
Review some of the ways you can make your home a safer place to breathe and if you are still not convinced that you should make some modifications, perhaps the following information will help change your mind.
• Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system.
• Children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults.
• Young children constantly put their hands and objects in their mouths and in doing so they transfer more foreign substances into their bodies.
• Because they are smaller and often play in the dirt or on the floor, kids are closer to pollutants that adults aren’t even exposed to.
• Studies show children absorb a greater proportion of many pollutants from the intestinal tract and the lungs.
• Because they are exposed to toxicants at an earlier age than adults, children have more time to develop environmentally triggered diseases, such as cancer.
• Again… a child’s nervous, respiratory, reproductive and immune systems isn’t fully developed so his ability to detoxify and excrete toxins is limited compared to an adult.
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