May is National Asthma Awareness Month and you don't have to look far to find someone with asthma. When I was growing up, I don't remember anyone using an inhaler in school or giving their babies or toddlers breathing treatments with a cute little plastic mask.
However, today more than ever, asthma rates have skyrocketed! In 1998, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994 and in 2007, the EPA reported that an average of one out of every 13 school-age children suffers from asthma. In fact, “asthma has become the most common serious disease of childhood,and there are at least several well-designed epidemiologic studies that have documented a strong link between use of domestic and industrial cleaning products and risk of asthma,” says Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University. "
With asthma rates increasing at such rapid rates, I believe researchers and doctors are beginning to see the link between environmental indoor pollution and our health. I have friends whose children have asthma and they have told me that traditional household cleaning products often triggered an asthma attack in their children and I believe it. Just walk down the cleaning product isle of your local market... you can smell the out gassing of the chemicals and all the bottles are sealed. Amazing.
I hope you will pledge to swap out your toxic household cleaners (dispose of them safely and responsibly at a toxic waste facility near you - find a local source at http://earth911.org/) and choose safer alternatives for your family and pets.
"Moms already know household cleaners can be hazardous if swallowed or spilled directly on your skin, but most don't make the connection that when these products are used as directed on floors, sinks and tubs, their families are exposed 24 hours a day." - Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C.
However, today more than ever, asthma rates have skyrocketed! In 1998, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994 and in 2007, the EPA reported that an average of one out of every 13 school-age children suffers from asthma. In fact, “asthma has become the most common serious disease of childhood,and there are at least several well-designed epidemiologic studies that have documented a strong link between use of domestic and industrial cleaning products and risk of asthma,” says Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University. "
With asthma rates increasing at such rapid rates, I believe researchers and doctors are beginning to see the link between environmental indoor pollution and our health. I have friends whose children have asthma and they have told me that traditional household cleaning products often triggered an asthma attack in their children and I believe it. Just walk down the cleaning product isle of your local market... you can smell the out gassing of the chemicals and all the bottles are sealed. Amazing.
I hope you will pledge to swap out your toxic household cleaners (dispose of them safely and responsibly at a toxic waste facility near you - find a local source at http://earth911.org/) and choose safer alternatives for your family and pets.
"Moms already know household cleaners can be hazardous if swallowed or spilled directly on your skin, but most don't make the connection that when these products are used as directed on floors, sinks and tubs, their families are exposed 24 hours a day." - Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C.
No comments:
Post a Comment