Keep Children Away From Flame Retardants

I don't think many of us realize the dangers of flame retardants, especially for children.

The following is a short clip of information from the Environmental Working Group (ewg@ewg.org):

We just finished the first investigation of toxic fire retardants (called Deca) in parents and their children, and we found toddlers had 3 times the levels of Deca in their blood as their mothers.
That means young children in the U.S. bear the heaviest burden of flame retardant pollution in the world. Deca is a neurological and hormone distrupter, and children are more susceptible to its effects than adults.

What's a parent to do? Take these steps to protect your family:
* Inspect foam items and replace any with ripped covers or misshapen/breaking-down foam
* Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter
* Don't reupholster foam furniture in homes where children or pregnant women live
* Carefully remove old carpet because the padding may contain PBDEs.
* Have small children wash their hands frequently so they put clean hands in their mouths!

I add:
* Do not put children to bed in flame retardant sleepware
* Help babies and toddlers avoid direct contact with carpets by placing them on blankets on floor.

All these things do and will affect the health of individuals and especially young growing children. We can take better measures to eliminate the exposure.

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton