Chronicles of Chaos

October 22, 2007 | Print

Alarming Toxicity in Children

Granted CNN crafts their article “Tests reveal high chemical levels in kids’ bodies” to trigger our fears, but after reading it (twice) I’m passing it on and still thinking about it.

Mostly it’s the mom’s quote at the end where she’s worried about what’s in her couch. And the stuff about European countries banning PDBE’s and the US not. The feelings of powerlessness and rage and anxiety, the everything’s on our shoulders and we can’t carry it all as described and described again in Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety.

Once I go through that loop–which for thematics is easy to borrow but too everymom, I’m more of a mom main character forging my way in a seemingly similar and at the same time dramatically different storyline–I settle into agitated frustration.

Where is the documented, legitimate and respected science explaining what these cumulative, supposedly low level (safe!) chemical exposures do to us, especially our kids?

Or is it already out there, cited in the articles I read about parabens, bisphenol-A and PDBEs but the health effects are not sufficiently scary or prevalent to make the health risks mainstream, meaning enough for companies and government to change their products and policies.

Then I drop to the next level, which is the most depressing–it feels sort of like reading The Lorax without the pretty pictures and witty banter.

And after that I need to go outside and take a walk.

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