A new report from Modern Medicine calls our attention the impact chemical toxins have on children. According to the results, exposure to chemicals called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) can lessen your child’s response to childhood immunizations.
What’s frightening is that PFCs are found in everyday household items including nonstick cookware, food packaging, and fabrics. They can even be passed from mother to child through breast milk.
What does this mean for your child’s health?
We are exposed to chemicals all the time and have been since birth. Some are natural. Some synthetic. As explained by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the help of biomonitoring, we can measure the amount of chemical toxins that exist in our bodies. This measurement is known as a person’s “body burden”.
Exposure to harmful toxins like PFCs can increase a child’s body burden, which can impair his or her immune system. The higher the burden level, the more susceptible your child is to disease. This link between PFCs and vaccinations also boosts concerns about the role toxins might play in developmental problems. Although research is still underway in this area, we can’t be too careful.
Take action: Decrease your child’s body burden.
Studies like the PFC findings are calls to action. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to try to limit our exposure to harmful chemicals. Of course it’s impossible to avoid toxins altogether, but here are some precautionary measures you can take:
- Go organic! Choose organic produce, meat and dairy products. (Read our past post for more on choosing an organic diet).
- Get clean! Use environmentally-friendly cleaning/hygiene products, like Seventh Generation.
- Go green! Say no to harmful pesticides and choose safe alternatives (Click here to for more on pesticides and herbicides).
The informed choices you make really can help your child sustain a healthy immune system. For more information on making your home and life environmentally-friendly, give us a call at 415.826.1701.
Please also visit Safer Chemicals, Safer Families to learn more about toxic chemical legislation.