The Dangerous Chemicals Harming Your Children

Here's some knowledge for you that I hope will get you thinking: Incidence of certain childhood cancers has increased nearly 30% since 1975. The group Physicians for Social Responsibility reports that 6% of cancers are directly attributed to occupational and environmental exposures to specific known carcinogens, and the actual percentage is likely much, much higher--yet we can't find out because so few environmental chemicals have actually been thoroughly tested. The journal Environmental Health Perspectives reports that well over 80,000 synthetic chemicals had been introduced in the US during the 50 years prior to 2002, with an additional 2,000 to 3,000 new chemicals being introduced each year. Huge amounts of these chemicals are being distributed over our air, water, farms, homes and towns--but according to the National Academy of Sciences, less than half have been tested for their potential human toxicity. And only a stunning 7% had ever been studied for their possible effects on childhood development.

Meanwhile, the rate of children affected by allergies continues to skyrocket. The rate of asthma among African-American children alone rose 50 percent between 2001 and 2009. Diagnosis of learning and developmental disabilities, including autism and ADHD, have also jumped 300% between 1997 and 2008, with 1 in 6 American children now affected.

Some theories behind the surges of these childhood conditions vary wildly, everything from radically revised diagnostic criteria and increased awareness to thoroughly disproven vaccine scares. But why are we ignoring the elephant in the room? That overabundance of environmental toxins, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and chemicals continues to spill out into our soil, livestock, water and air. In 2006, the Harvard School of Public Health did a systematic review and proved that five industrial chemicals were developmental neurotoxins: lead, methyl mercury, PCBs, arsenic, and toluene. Since then, epidemiological studies have found six more, with others being studied and discovered every day. The European Journal of Public Health recently released an analysis that found the European Union spent over $70 billion in 2008 alone paying for treating developmental disabilities, asthma and cancer in children--all caused by their environmental exposure to lead and methyl mercury.

Add to this our culture's massive overexposure to antibiotics that totally wipe out our gut flora, allow unhealthy bacteria (like MRSA) to thrive, and trigger systemic inflammation, and have a huge impact on our children's neurological development and function. Then consider that 80 percent of the antibiotics produced in this country are actually pumped into farm animals that we eat. (amoxicillin burger, yum!) And, finally, the stunner: Despite growing scientific and governmental acceptance of the dangerous reality of antibiotic resistance, the agricultural use of these antibiotics is predicted to increase by 67 percent globally over the next 20 years.

Not only are these chemicals harming our kids' brains--they're making them fat. One in six American children is obese, and one in three will develop type 2 diabetes. Although overeating heavily processed foods is a large part of the problem, scientists are starting to discover that many chemicals commonly used to grow nonorganic foods are hormone disruptors and tamper with our bodies' natural weight loss chemistry. (Some have taken to calling these chemicals "obesogens.")

Here's the deal. I'm not trying to scare you--but the truth is that this stuff is scary. Its become a scary world we live in. But we can protect ourselves. We can shield our families from a great deal of the danger, simply by becoming informed. By utilizing the information, guidelines, and recommendations outlined here and also further in depth in my Yeah Baby! book, you are protecting yourself and your child to the best of your ability and setting him or her up for success at conception.

Yeah Baby! gives you all the tools to protect yourself and your little one with an accessible plan that’s affordable and manageable, and that still makes every effort to minimize your exposure to harmful ingredients and maximize your intake of vitamins and minerals. Here are your top priorities.

Do not eat nonorganic dairy or meat.

Your first priority when it comes to organics will be meat and dairy. While there are many, many problems with nonorganic meat and dairy, let’s start with one that’s apropos to pregnancy: lactating cows. Growth hormones are given to dairy cows to stimulate extra milk production, but the increased milk supply tends to lead to mastitis, or infections of the milk ducts. These cows then get repeated courses of antibiotics, which find their way into our milk cartons and glasses. Those antibiotics make their way down into our guts, where they wipe out all the good bacteria in our microbiomes and allow less beneficial bacteria to proliferate. (Hello, antibiotic-resistant strains like MRSA!)

When eating produce choose organic or choose the clean fifteen.

The clean fifteen are fruits and vegetables with thick skins or rinds that require significantly less pesticides.   For example, if you can’t get organic raspberries choose an orange, grapefruit, or tangerine instead.

Green your routine.

Avoid toxic chemicals in your beauty and hygiene products and cleaning products. Yeah Baby! tells you exactly what to look out for and how to swap dangerous chemicals out with safe products to ensure optimal health for you and your baby.