Toxins in Children Toys

When we have children, we begin to spoil them with endless amounts of toys. It is not only toys that we buy for them but we start to paint their rooms with pink and blue and buy furniture for their room to make their room nice and cute. Little did we know that by buying these toys and painting their rooms parents create an environment full of toxins! Many children toys that are plastic are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a compound of petroleum product and chlorine. Coming from an environmental and health standpoint, PVC is one of the most toxic plastic. Vinyl chloride a chemical used to make PVC and is known to cause human carcinogens! Within the first few years of life, children are very vulnerable to toxic chemicals compared to adults. Their immune system isn’t fully developed and it can be very dangerous for their health if exposed for a long period of time. Factory workers are all at risk as well, including the communities around the factor because these chemicals can contaminate the water, soil and air surrounds these factories.

Within these factories, PVC also creates and releases a chemical called dioxins. When Dioxins are released in the environment, it ends up in animals because of the food they eat. When we end of eating that animal, it can end up in our own body! Dioxins can cause many health problems including cancer, birth defects, and immune system abnormalities. The food we consume including meats and dairy products, accounts for 95% of human exposure to dioxins! That is a lot! Although most parents are unaware of these issues, it is best to get the word out now. How can parent make healthy alternatives?

Alternative: READ LABELS and avoid PVC as much as we can!

• Read toy labels and make sure to avoid products that are labeled with PVC or vinyl.
• On the packaging, look for “PVC”, it is sometimes next to the recycling symbol.
• Buy products that says “phthalate-free”, organic cotton or other natural ingredients

For more information:

http://www.healthychild.org/easy-steps/reduce-your-use-of-pvc-in-plastics-and-other-household-products/

http://lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=babycare