What Parents Need to Know About Pesticides: A Five-Minute Guide to Protect Your Kids for Life, from MommyGreenest.com

What Parents Need to KnowAbout PesticidesAFive-Minute Guide to Protect Your Kids For Life

Until I had my third baby, I didn’t know that there could bepesticides in food and cleaners — even the soap thatI’d used with the first two!

I did some research and learned things like taking offyour shoes prevents 85% of dirt — including toxinslike lead and pesticides — from entering yourhome. Source: WebMD

As I shared this information, my friends and family weren’tconvinced. “We grew up with chemicals and we’reokay,”they said.

But are we? Today, babies are born with200+ industrial chemicals in their blood. Source: Centers for Disease Control

There are 80,000+ industrial chemicals approved for use inour household products and none have been tested forchildren’s safety. Source: Environmental Working Group

One of the most dangerous classes of these chemicals arepesticides. 80% of our exposure occurs indoorsthrough products like these… Source: Environmental Protection Agency

…but also through food. Today, an apple can contain asmany as 56 different pesticides. Source: Environmental Working Group

Pesticides have been linked to serious health problemssuch as autism, asthma and pediatric cancer. Source: Centers for Disease Control

Today, autism affects 1 in 88 children — that’s a600% increase over the past 20 years. Source: Centers for Disease Control

Asthma now impacts 9 million kids — including black andlatino children, who are 60% more at risk and threetimes more likely to die from the condition as adults. Source: Centers for Disease Control

With rates up 30% in 30 years, pediatric cancer is now theleading disease killer of children. It’s more lethal thanasthma, diabetes, AIDS, cystic fibrosis and birth defectscombined. Source: National Cancer Institute

Pesticides even affect unborn children. The dangers ofcommon pesticide exposure are equal to those of smokingduring pregnancy: low birth weight and early labor. Source: National Institutes of Health

Going shopping? Sadly, “natural” and “healthy” don’t meanmuch: Only USDA Certified Organic is regulated by thegovernment not to contain pesticides — as well as otherchemicals like rBGH, found in American milk butbanned in Europe because of cancer links. Source: Prevent Cancer

But can you afford pesticide-free? Yes, organic food can beexpensive: A gallon of milk is about $2 more. Source: Consumerist

The average American now spends more than $2 each dayon coffee. Wouldn’t you give up a cup a week to make surewhat your kids drink every day isbetter for them? Source: Consumerist

Plus, eliminating pesticides from your home can actuallysave you money! Instead of costly commercial products, tryred pepper to deter ants and wine for fruit flies. Source: Healthy Child Healthy World

Warm water and soap work as well or better thanpesticide antibacterials or antimicrobials like triclosan. Source: Federal Department of Agriculture

When it comes to food, simply avoid the Dirty Dozento reduce your family’s pesticide exposure by 80%. Source: EWG

Concerned? It can be tempting to bury your head in thesand like an ostrich — I know I did, for a while.

But small shifts can make a huge difference: After just oneday of eating organic food, children can eliminate mostpesticides from their bodies. Source: National Institutes of Health

And making these changes are so important — even forthose of us who don’t have children. Kids are only 30% ofour population, but they’re 100% of our future!

Inspired? Thank you for every step you take tocreate a better future — for all of us.

www.MommyGreenest.com

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What Parents Need to Know About Pesticides: A Five-Minute Guide to Protect Your Kids for Life, from MommyGreenest.com

by rachellsarnoff on Jun 19, 2012

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What Parents Need to Know About Pesticides: A Five-Minute Guide to Protect Your Kids for Life, from MommyGreenest.com Presentation Transcript