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As a parent, your child’s safety is one of your biggest concerns. While your concerns might typically revolve around the type of childcare you choose, the environment is extremely important as well.
Everyday items that you might not think twice about could actually be toxic when it comes to your child. Here is some insight into toxic chemicals, and how they could affect your little one.
Why Children Are the Most Vulnerable
One thing you must remember is that children can see and access areas that you would typically overlook. This is why children at the crawling stage will often be interested in electrical outlets, objects in corners, et cetera.
Furthermore, smaller kids have an explorative nature that is not only through touch but also through taste. It is quite common for them to put non-food objects in their mouths. This can make it easy for a child to ingest a harmful substance, eat paint chips, and more.
Environmental Hazards That Can Affect Children
Although many of the following items might be harmless to an adult, for children, they can be deadly:
- Pesticides such as mouse traps or chemicals
- Playground soil and sandboxes
- Household cleaning products
High doses of any of the above-listed items could be severely harmful to anyone. But children are more vulnerable. Since they are much smaller than adults, kids will absorb higher doses of a toxin.
Even crawling on a floor that has chemical-containing dust on it, can be very hazardous to a baby if they put their hands or feet in their mouth. This can be a major issue for children who attend daycare as the facility must keep the center clean to prevent the spread of illness.
However, if they fail to use products that are safe for children, your kid could be harmed by inhaling or ingesting toxins while in daycare. You should know that if you or a loved one were a victim of toxic chemical exposure you are entitled to compensation according to US law and should call an attorney right away.
How Toxins Affect Your Child
While some toxins can affect the gastric track and others can affect cognitive development, virtually all exposure to chemicals can harm your child’s health. These are some of the most common toxins and how they can deplete your child’s health:
- Lead can have a negative influence on your kid’s cognitive function. It can hinder their learning ability, contribute to attention deficit disorder, and other neurological issues. There have also been cases where lead poisoning inhibited a child’s proper bone development, weakened their immune system, caused kidney malfunctioning, and even resulted in high blood pressure.
- Exposure to arsenic could result in gastrointestinal disorders, lesser appetite, and anemia.
- Pesticides have been known to cause neurotoxicity in exposed children and can exacerbate allergies as well as cause asthma. Pesticides like rat baits can even result in bleeding and possible death.
Take Preventive Action
While there is no getting around cleaning your home or even using treatment to get rid of pests, you have to consider your child before using a specific product. Try to use products that are non-toxic or natural, if possible. There are many cleaning products on the market that are made with natural and safe ingredients, as well as natural home remedies that you can try as well.
Furthermore, when you are touring potential daycares for your little one, ask them about their cleaning methods and the type of products that they use. Even if they must use traditional cleaning solutions and pesticides, these products must be used properly and not when children are in the area.
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This content is brought to you by Charles Britton.
Photo: Shutterstock