Environmental Justice
Action in Southern Africa
|
Environmental Justice
Action in Southern Africa |
The
household toxic tour The baby's room
Beware
of babies products made from PVC plastic.
Especially make sure that the teats for the baby’s bottle, all teethers,
dummies and soft chewable toys are PVC free.
PVC contains many toxic chemicals which may cause damage to the human
reproductive system, harm developing foetuses and damage the
liver, kidney and lung. As far as possible, demand non-PVC products for your
baby and his/her room.
Some
disposable nappies contain a chemical called Organotins, which are
suspected of disrupting hormones in the human body. During the year 2000 there was a
scare after Crayola crayons were found to contain traces of asbestos.
Crayola state that their crayons are safe now, but to be on the safe side
buy wax crayons wherever possible. Also
be careful of what glues and paints you allow your child(ren) to play
with. Some paint pigments can give
off toxic fumes, so, if you can, buy natural pigment paint.
Also buy or make play dough that has been coloured with natural
colours as opposed to artificial colours, such as tartrazine. Also
beware of paints containing cadmium or cobalt as both can cause damage to the
lungs and breathing problems. Permanent
markers contain aromatic hydrobarbons (including xylene and toluene), which can
cause blurred vision, irritate the nose, eyes and airways, cause dizziness,
fatigue, nausea and headaches. Talcum powder (or baby powder) is made from the naturally occurring magnesium
silicate, which is crushed into powder form.
It may contain traces of asbestos, which is cancer causing.
Long-term use of talcum powder in the genital area increases the risk of
ovarian cancer in women. If talc
makes contact with open wounds it may cause inflammation. Johnson's Baby Shampoo contains a chemical called Quaternium 15 which may
cause cancer and dermatitis. |
