Flame retardant chemicals

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Top 20 things that are more dangerous to children than lead paint in Mattel toys Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts

Flame retardant chemicals Did you know that new mattresses for infants and children are often sprayed with extremely toxic flame retardant chemicals? These are easily absorbed through the skin of infants and children where they contribute to numerous neurological disorders and immune suppression. Many clothing products are also sprayed with flame retardants, as are some carpeting products. In the push to make everything fireproof, state regulators (who have mandated the flame retardant chemicals in states like California) have created a toxic environment for everyone.

Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry Stacy Malkan See book keywords and concepts

But the biggest surprise was what they found in two-year-old Rowan: higher levels of flame retardant chemicals than had been found in nearly anyone else in the world — six times higher than the levels found in his parents, and twice the levels at which researchers start to see impaired fertility in male rats. "This is a very serious warning of very small children being heavily exposed," said Aake Bergman, professor of environmental chemistry at Stockholm University in Sweden, one of the world's foremost experts on human exposure to fire retardant chemicals.

In animal studies, the flame retardant chemicals found in Michelle Hammond's children — polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) — can disrupt thyroid activity and harm brain development, while the cosmetic chemical dibutyl phthalate is toxic to the reproductive system, particularly for males. Yet very few studies had been conducted on humans, and there was no way to know for sure how these chemicals, or the many other toxins found in the kids, would impact their health. Michelle had mixed emotions at her family's test results: she felt a bit angry and worried, but also empowered.

She'd read that some nail polish companies were removing dibutyl phthalate, so she went to the store and bought those less-toxic brands. The flame retardant chemicals were harder to pinpoint. "It felt impossible," Michelle said. So many products contain PBDEs, unlabeled and in unknown amounts — foam furniture, electronics, rugs, even clothing. Most consumer products are unregulated in the US, so manufacturers are allowed to use hazardous chemicals without demonstrating the safety of the products and without labeling them as toxic. Now Michelle was starting to feel angrier.

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ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of this NaturalNews Naturalpedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.