Top Five (5) List of Precautionary Principles actions to Protect Children

A Top Five (5) List of  Precautionary Principles to protect children from environmental exposure to toxins while their endocrine system is developing.

We must protect children from environmental exposure to toxins while their endocrine system is developing. The Precautionary Principle, is an approach which is characterized by minimizing potential hazards to children health, at the onset of an activity, rather than accepting a level of harm.

USE PRECAUTIONS IN USING HOUSEHOLD AND OUTDOOR CHEMICALS TO LESSEN ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN HEALTH

1) Environmental Exposure- Ask for a MSDS sheet BEFORE you allow any spraying of home , school, parks, yard  where your child may be exposed. That applies to all spraying of any pesticide or cleaning products- inside or outside of buildings.  MSDS  is a Material Safety Data Sheet. Demand to study all MSDS of all products used inside the school or outside on the grounds, where your child attends class. On the MSDS,focus attention on Section 11 Toxicology -Demand the LEAST toxic alternative. The more toxic the product the more dangerous to the child endocrine system.

2) Environmental Exposure- Eliminate environmental exposure by children to lawn and garden pesticides.

3) Environmental Exposure- If painting a home or room, use VOC-FREE paints or solvents. VOC are Volatile Organic Solvents which are known to cause health problems in developing children.

4) Food Choices – Buy organic produce if at all possible. The fewer pesticides applied to food which a child consumes the better. Wash all produce thoroughly.

5) Food Choices- Ask for NON GMO foods especially in terms of DAIRY, BEEF, SOY, WHEAT, and CORN. GMO are Genetically Modified Organism Foods which have been genetically modified to contain either a herbicide, bacillus, or artificial growth hormone.Unlike safety evaluations for drugs, there are no long term human clinical trials of the adverse effect of GMO foods on the health of children. Until all scientific studies on potential adverse health effects of GMO Foods are completed do not accept any: Chemical Herbicide in soy, Soil Borne Bacillus (bt) in wheat or corn, Artificial Growth Hormone in dairy or beef. The Precautionary Principle is what needs to be applied to GMO Foods until all the unanswered questions are scientifically addressed. Until then  ask for NON GMO Food products

Understand the Big Picture

#A ) Read the 2010 President’s Cancer Panel report is available from the National Cancer Institute’s Web site at: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp.htm

#B Understand the issue of  Endocrine Disruption  in children caused by exposure to pesticides which act as Environmental Estrogen.

What does the Endocrine System do and why it is so important not to disrupt it. Turns on genes to make new proteins, which causes long term effects such as: Growth controlling height and bone structure, and control of sexual and reproductive maturity. Sex steroid hormones, (estrogens, progestins, androgens), help develop, regulate and maintain male and female sex characteristics such as breast size, bone density, muscle development, penis Size, sperm production, uterine growth, and behavior.

EPA is undertaking a new testing program to identify whether chemicals have the potential to interact with the endocrine system Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) decisions for pesticide active ingredients is expected to be available by the end of 2014. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified a list of 134 chemicals that will be screened for their potential to disrupt the endocrine system. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can possibly disrupt the hormones produced by the human or animal endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism and reproduction “Endocrine disruptors represent a serious health concern for the American people, especially children.” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. EPA will issue test orders to pesticide registrants and the manufacturers of these chemicals to compel them to generate data to determine whether their chemicals may disrupt estrogen, androgen and thyroid pathways of the endocrine system, that includes validation of the science through a transparent scientific review process. More information: http://www.epa.gov/endo

The Precautionary Principle is what needs to be applied to Endocrine Disruption caused by pesticides acting as environmental estrogens until those unanswered questions are scientifically addressed