The health of American kids is in the crosshairs again

We’re all well aware of the hoopla surrounding this current political administration.

And it seems like a new controversy dominates the headlines every day. But whether you feel it’s all “fake news” or a real outrage, there are at least a few things we can all probably agree on.

Like the importance of our children’s health. And no matter which side of the aisle you’re on, you should know there are some very concerning things happening behind the scenes that are putting the well-being of our kids directly in the crosshairs.

Dangerous disruptions at the EPA

According to reports, the EPA recently placed the head of the agency’s Office of Children’s Health Protection on what they’re calling “administrative leave.”

This office has served as a key advocate for tighter regulation of industrial pollution. So if it closes, that’s a huge win for the chemical industry. And an even bigger threat to American children, who stand to face even more harm than they’re already suffering. (As it is, you’ll find over 700 chemicals in a newborn’s umbilical cord blood — a significant shift from only a generation ago.)

Why is this such a threat to children specifically? Well, way back in the early nineties, the National Academy of Sciences reported that pesticides and other chemicals impact kids, infants, and developing fetuses in a very different (and ultimately, even more dangerous) way.

Even low levels of exposure during gestation and the first years of life can lead to damage of the brain and other developing organs — paving the way to a higher risk of learning disabilities, ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and breathing and reproductive problems.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice all of these conditions are way more prevalent in this generation than the last… And the thought that these problems may become even more common is frightening, to say the least.

Swimming in a toxic soup

The Food Quality Protection Act — which was enacted in 1996, and is also in danger of being tossed — delivered crucial health protections for kids. In particular, they advocated for standards on pesticides, which ultimately led to the ban of a number of dangerous toxins.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To give you an idea of the scope of the problem, consider the fact that every day, we’re essentially all swimming in a toxic soup containing more than 80,000 chemicals. These toxins are everywhere, and the effects can be devastating.

Take, for instance, heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Heavy metal poisoning can come from industrial exposure, air or water pollution, foods, medicines, poorly coated food containers, or ingestion of lead-based paint. Estimates suggest that roughly half a million kids under the age of five suffer from lead poisoning — a major source of brain damage and intelligence loss.

Meanwhile, chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCBs, also slash intelligence and alter behavior. The manufacturing of these man-made chemicals was banned in 1979. However, they can still be found in products produced beforehand, including industrial equipment, plastics, rubber, pigmented/dyed/carbonless copy paper, oil-based paint, caulk, adhesives, and tapes.

Phthalates are a type of industrial chemical used to make plastics and vinyl flexible and pliable. They are used in hundreds of products in our home, including toys, cosmetics, shower curtains, flooring, raincoats, food packaging, detergents, piping, and window blinds. And exposure to infants in the womb can impact the child’s behavior and increase the risk of reproductive defects.

Prenatal exposure to flame retardants — which you’ll find in electronics, clothing, and furniture — can drop IQ and shrink attention span.

Then there’s chlorpyrifos (an insecticide), which leads to smaller head size at birth, as well as developmental delays and impaired cognitive development. And you know what? Trump appointee Scott Pruitt declined to ban chlorpyrifos from the market. And if that doesn’t shock you… it should.

Pruitt may not be with the EPA any longer. And thankfully, a federal appeals court has since ordered chlorpyrifos out of use. But the struggle is far from over.

These chemicals are still everywhere we turn. And our kids need protection — we all do. But you know who doesn’t?

Big businesses.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to lighten your toxic burden. In fact, I wrote about this extensively in the March 2016 issue of my monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter (“The deadly toxin lurking in every town across America”).

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Source:

nytimes.com/2018/10/02/opinion/chemicals-epa-children-health.html


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