Our Babies and Children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of harmful chemicals in their everyday environment!  They are potentially exposed to a wide variety of hazardous chemicals everywhere they go, including at home, in the car, at childcare and school and public places.

Hazardous chemicals can be found in the air they breathe, on surfaces they touch, things they put in their mouths, as well as in their food and water.

We may not be able to control what is going on out of our home, but we can certainly make a huge difference by controlling what we use in our homes!

The first step is to become aware of these chemicals and the role they play in the development and on the overall health of our Babies and Children.  The second is taking control.

Chemicals affect Babies and Children differently because?

  • their ability to detoxify chemicals is limited because their bodies and immune systems are still developing;
  • their brains and other organs are under constant development and can be damaged or disrupted by chemical exposure;
  • they breathe faster and eat and drink more in proportion to their body weight, which means they are exposed to proportionally more chemicals;
  • their behaviour predisposes them to chemical exposure as they tend to put things in their mouths and spend more time in close contact with potentially contaminated surfaces;
  • unlike adults, they don't realise they have come into contact with hazardous chemicals and don't take the necessary steps to wash or remove themselves from the situation;
  • researchers are currently investigating the role that chemical exposures might play in a range of childhood illnesses such as ADD,Hyper and Hypo-activity, Asthma, Chronic Fatigue Symdrome, Alleriges and Sensitivities and increasing rates of Childhood Cancers.

BABIES ABSORB CHEMICALS FROM SHAMPOO (EXTRACT TAKEN  FROM ABC NEWS IN SCIENCE)

Baby lotion, powder (talc is a known carcinogen and is well documented) and shampoo can lead to higher concentrations in an infants body of phthalates.  Phthaltes are chemicals linked to allergies and altered reproductive development.

It has been proven that our young girls are hitting puberty much earlier than in previous years.  Not so long ago the average age was 13, now the average age is 10.5.  Researchers, Doctors and Scientists all believe this is due to the unnecesary chemicals being pumped into their little bodies.  Phthalates are one of the suspected chemicals (see our chemicals to avoid page for more information) causing this.  Mentally and physically their bodies are being forced to undergo changes that they are not ready for.

The study found that babies treated with common babycare products, such as lotion, shampoo and powder were more likely to have phthalates in their urine than other babies.

PHTHALATES are chemicals commonly found in personal care products.

Animal studies of phthalates have found that they can harm reproductive system development and studies in humans have found that prenatal exposure or exposure through breast milk can alter hormone concentrations.

Researchers measured the levels of 9 different phthalates in urine samples collected from 163 infants aged between 2 and 28 months.

The team also asked the babies mothers to fill out questionnaires on their use of babycare products in the previous 24 hours.

The scientists found that at least one phthalate in every babies urine was present and that using baby powder, lotion or shampoo was strongly associated with higher phthalate levels in their urine.

Phthalates present included, monethyl, monomethyl and monoisobutyl.

This association was strongest in young infants under 8 months old, who the report says are more vulnerable to developmental and reproductive toxic effects.

Phthalates have also been linked to organ damage, immune suppression, endocrine disruption and cancer.

PHTHALATES are banned from use in cosmetics and personal care products in Europe.