Flame Retardants Might Pose The Greatest Rick to Our Children's Brains
“Flame retardants now represent a greater risk to cognitive development than lead, mercury, and pesticide."We all know that there are no safe levels of lead exposure for the developing brains of children- but according to the scientist behind a new study published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology- the same is true for methylmercury, pesticides, and flame retardants.
The good news is: While still a concern, lead and mercury exposure has dropped in the last 2 decades, thanks to laws eliminating lead from paints & gas and knowledge about mercury in fish.
The bad news is: 2 new chemicals are taking their place: pesticides and flame retardants.
-PBDEs (flame retardant) and organophosphate (pesticide) influence the brain indirectly by altering levels of thyroid hormone—a key player in brain development.- while only one type of pesticide and FR was studied - these chemicals are part of a large ‘family’ of chemicals that that have similar chemical structure & effects ( PBDE has been mostly phased out but replaced with similar FR chemicals.- The greatest estimated loss in IQ points in the last 16 years came from PBDEs : twice the IQ point loss of lead or organophosphates ( mercury was estimated to contribute to <1 font="" iq="" loss.="" of="" percent="" point="" total="">So what can you do?
When possible switch out old upholstered furniture that contains FR chemicals for new furniture that specify they do not contain flame retardant chemicals. Labels attached to upholstered furniture today will specify if the item contains FR chemicals (more in my stories)
Eliminate Dust! Household Dust is the main Source of FR In Human. These chemicals migrate to our household dust from electronics like tvs, furniture etc. Reduce dust by: wet dusting, wet mopping and vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum (my picks in my Amazon store)!.
Car seats: Many children’s car seats still contain flame retardant chemicals. Look for my car seat buing guide in my bio for info on which don’t.
Clean you Car: The interiors of our cars are doused in flame retardant chemicals. Clean your cars often and open your windows when conditions allow.
Wash your hands: because of how often children’s hands touch the floor and pick up dust , washing their hands often, especially before eating, is super important.
The best way to avoid organophosphate pesticides is eating organic.
These chemicals are known to cross the placental barrier: these means that pregnant women, especially, must take extra caution to reduce exposure.