By ANDREW LIGHTMAN
The Patriot LedgerHANOVER -
Common household products like
carpet cleaner can make your life
easier.
They can also make you sick.
That is what a panel of experts said
at a forum on environmental health
and its effect on children held last
night at the Cardinal Cushing
Centers in Hanover.
Carpet cleaners are among thousands
of products that contain chemicals
that could lead to severe
developmental disabilities in
children and other health problems.
Some kinds of carpet cleaners
contain monoethanolamine, a chemical
that may damage the liver, kidneys,
central nervous system and
reproductive organs.
In all, there are 80,000 chemicals
registered in the United States, and
of those, only about 20 have been
thoroughly evaluated for the harm
they may cause, said Laura Abulafia,
the director of the environmental
health initiative with the American
Association on Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities.
While most chemicals have not yet
been tested for effects on the human
body, Abulafia said the burden of
proof should not be placed on the
consumers.
Her organization urges people to
avoid likely sources of severe
health problems.
‘‘We don’t wait for the
burden of proof,’’ Abulafia
said. ‘‘We don’t wait for a
chemical company to be
proven guilty.’’
Some chemicals have already
been linked to health
problems.
Lead and mercury have been
identified for their
negative impacts on
intellectual and social
development, said Dr. Jill
Stein, a physician and
environmental health
advocate.
Mercury is especially
harmful because it is passed
from mother to child during
pregnancy, and through
breast-feeding, Stein said.
One common way to come in
contact with mercury is
through food, like fish,
because the substance
gathers as it is passed up
the food chain.‘‘Guess
who’s eating the bigger
fish?’’ Stein said.
Also on their list are PVC
plastics, nicotine, some
types of flame retardants,
and perfluoro chemicals,
like Teflon and Gore-Tex.
Cardinal Cushing Centers
Executive Director Michael
Bloom is also the
Massachusetts president of
the American Association on
Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities.
With documented cases of
autism and other
developmental disabilities
on the rise, toxins are not
considered the only cause,
Stein said.
Nutrition, genetics and
social environments also
play a role, she said, but
harmful toxins are the
easiest to eliminate.
Efforts are already under
way to ban 10 such
chemicals, including lead,
formaldehyde and a common
chemical used in dry
cleaning, perchloroethylene.
Panelist Tracy Carlson, a
campaign organizer with the
Alliance for a Healthy
Tomorrow, is among those
backing the legislation.
‘‘I know you’re thinking,
‘Oh my God, I woke up this
morning and brushed my teeth
and what was in my
toothpaste,’’’ Carlson said.
‘‘We cannot resolve this in
our homes. It’s up to the
Legislature (to ban harmful
chemicals).’’
Kimberly Blest, a Quincy
resident and the mother of a
20-year-old student at the
Cardinal Cushing Centers,
said she attended the panel
discussion because she has
just started to read about
the issue. After listening
for two hours, Blest said
she found the information
was compelling.
‘‘There are a lot of
chemicals that make life
easier for us,’’ Blest said,
‘‘but we don’t think of the
effects down the road.’’
Some ingredients to
avoid:
—Sodium hypochlorite
(bleach)
—Ammonia
—Diethanolamine (DEA), found
in a wide range of cleaning
products
—Sodium lauryl sulfate, a
lathering agent used in many
cleaning products
Safer alternatives:
—Baking soda
—Soap
—Isopropyl alcohol
—Borax
—Cornstarch
Source: The Alliance for a
Healthy Tomorrow
Andrew Lightman may be
reached at
alightman@ledger.com .
Copyright 2007 The Patriot
Ledger
Transmitted Thursday, June
21, 2007 |
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