In 2000, nearly 20,000 children were exposed to or poisoned by household chlorine bleach.
Every day we hear more and more stories just like the ones listed above of children being poisoned or harmed in their own homes simply because of hazardous substances we use on an everyday basis.
Although everyone is vulnerable to the side effects of these hazardous substances, children are more likely to be harmed simply because they go through the "hand to mouth" stage where everything they touch has to go in their mouth, and also because their bodies and organs are still developing, which makes the organs more likely to be harmed by chemicals.
Children also breathe up to twice as much air as an adult, putting more toxins and pollution in their bodies.
Sometimes this pollution and poor air quality comes from things we do inside our homes and other times it comes from things we use and have in our homes.
It's no big surprise that tobacco smoking causes cancer and other health problems, but smoking has also been known to raise the risk of ear infections, breathing problems, and asthma attacks in children.
Although model car building or wood working can be a great parent-child bonding time, they can also be harmful to your child and to you. Hobbies like these involve sanding, painting, or glueing, and often times these paints and glues contain harmful chemicals and toxins. These chemicals and toxins are then released into the air.
We all clean our homes, and although our house may look and smell clean, often times we're doing more harm than good.
Products such as bleach, toilet cleaners, air fresheners, disinfectants all contain hazardous chemicals and toxins that if inhaled or ingested can lead to severe health problems or even death.
While we may never remove all the hazardous chemicals and toxins in our homes, there are some simple steps we can follow to minimize our risks and improve the air quality in our homes.
Tip #1: When doing projects such as model car building, open windows and doors for ventilation.
Tip #2. Prohibit family members from smoking indoors.
Tip #3. Read product labels and use according to directions.
Tip #4. When purchasing household cleaning products, purchase products that are non toxic and free of VOC's (volatile organic compounds).
Tip #5. Avoid aerosol products, such as aerosol deodorant or hairspray.
Please, for your child's sake and the sake of all future generations, do your part to Protect Your Home, Protect Your Environment.
