Protect Kids from Toxics
What are Toxics?
Toxics are substances that can cause harm to human health. It’s important to keep toxics away from our bodies, water, air, and land we share to keep ourselves and families safe.
Toxics can be found in many things like personal care products (like lotion and soap), cleaning products, art supplies, furniture and carpets, food and food packaging, and products made of plastic.
Why are children at greater risk for exposure to toxic chemicals?
Children have smaller bodies, so when they come into contact with harmful substances, it can have even more of an effect on their immediate and long-term health.
Here’s how:
- Children under the age of five breathe more air, eat more food, and drink more water, per pound of body weight, than adults do. They also have a significantly higher metabolism than adults which means they process things put into their bodies, like toxics, faster than adults.
- Children’s bodies are still developing. On average, human lungs aren’t fully developed until age 8, while the human brain doesn’t finish developing until around the age of 25.
- Toxics, like pesticides and heavy metals, are tracked indoors from the outside and gather in dust that settles on the ground, where children play, put dirty toys and hands in their mouths, and have tummy time.
- Since babies and young children are short, their breathing level is only one to two feet from the ground where the toxics collect.
- Exposure to toxics may make asthma symptoms worse, increase children’s risk for cancer, can interfere with brain development, and lead to behavioral problems.
If your home was built before 1978, it may have lead paint. Lead is also found naturally in the environment (in the soil) and can come from contaminated sites as well. Here are actions you can take to prevent exposure to lead:
- Inspect and maintain all painted surfaces, especially areas where friction can generate dust, such as doors, windows, and drawers. When old paint cracks and peels, it makes dangerous dust.
- Clean up dust often with a wet sponge or rag. Lead can accumulate in dust when old paint chips off over time and when it is tracked inside from the outside.
- Speak with your child’s healthcare provider about testing for lead exposure.
- Test your home for lead paint if your home was built before 1978.
- Run cold water for at least 30 seconds to flush lead from pipes each time the tap has not been used for several hours.
Here are actions you can take to reduce children’s exposure to toxics, to protect their health and the health of your family:
Use safer cleaning products that contain less harmful ingredients. Store products in a plastic tub with a lid that closes and make sure the tub is out of children’s reach.
- Dispose of unwanted household hazardous products safely and for free at HazoHouse.
- Prevent pests and choose the safest pest and weed control products if necessary. Visit GrowSmart GrowSafe to find the least harmful pesticide for the job.
- Don’t use fragrances or aerosols. They spread scented chemicals through the air that eventually land on the ground and collect in the dust.
- Increase ventilation to improve indoor air quality. Open windows daily for a few minutes, if weather and safety allow. Keep doors between rooms open to allow airflow throughout your living space.
- Test your home for radon and take action to reduce radon from getting into the home if the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher.
- Choose organic produce when possible and always rinse produce with water before serving to limit your exposure to pesticides used on food.
- Use plastic items safely. Choose plastic-free alternatives like glass, wood, stainless steel, and silicon when possible.
- Learn about ways to protect children from mercury.
- Avoid touching faces with dirty hands and wash hands frequently. Wash bottles, pacifiers, and toys frequently, too.
- Make sure your child is getting proper nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. Children who get the recommended daily amounts of essential vitamins and minerals are less likely to absorb lead and other toxics. Visit MyPlate.gov for great tips to keep your children healthy.
Beyond Bleach Staff Training for Childcare Centers
Do you work at a childcare center and are you interested in learning ways to protect kids (and yourself!) from hazardous materials while earning 1 STARS continuous education credit? If so, invite us to host a free training at your center! We’ll share information about common toxics, how they impact kids’ health, and how you can reduce their exposure to them. You’ll also learn how to read cleaning product labels, choose the safest product for the job, and how to safely store and dispose of unwanted household hazardous products. We’ll share information about how to use bleach safely to sanitize and disinfect surfaces and discuss the process to become approved by DCYF to use a safer bleach alternative at your facility. We offer a free Safer Cleaning Kit to participants who pledge to take action to reduce hazardous products in their homes and/or childcare centers.
Centers That Have Committed to a Bleach-Free Facility
Bleach is commonly used in childcare centers to sanitize and disinfect. Many people do not know that bleach can impact people’s health in the short and long-term. Children are especially vulnerable because of their size and behaviors. We are happy to work with childcare centers as they go through the application process to support a smooth transition. The following childcare centers have committed to using a DCYF approved bleach-free alternative to sanitize and disinfect at their facility:
- Check back soon to see which centers have made the switch to a bleach alternative
Resources
Learn more:
American Lung Association: Do It Yourself Healthy Home Assessment
Environmental Protection Agency: Reducing Household Hazardous Waste in Your Home
Environmental Protection Agency: Safer Choice
Green Science Policy Institute Six Classes
Safer Cleaning Recipes
Thurston County Healthy Homes Vendor List
Washington State Department of Ecology: Healthy Home Guide
Washington State Department of Ecology: What's hazardous in my home?
Washington State Department of Health: Eight Principals of a Healthy Home
Contact Us
Contact our Environmental Health Education and Outreach Team for more information at healthyhomes@co.thurston.wa.us or call 360-867-2674 if you have additional questions.