Two weeks ago, our founder Grace had the honor of taping an interview with Andrea Canning of Dateline NBC.
On the back of this interview, we thought this would be a great opportunity to share some of the information that Grace provided to Andrea during her interview: 1) Why do we need to worry about environmental toxin exposures? and 2) How do we create a safer environment for our children?
Why do we need to worry about environmental toxin exposures?
Our children today live in a fundamentally different environment than the one that we grew up in. In the last 50 years, over 80,000 new chemicals have been introduced into use in industry and in consumer products. Fewer than 20% of these have ever been tested for toxicity in children.
These numbers alone may not be startling, except that there have been many recent studies linking synthetic chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), triclosan, phthalates and others to diseases and development disorders like cancer, ADHD and autism - all of which are on a significant rise in young children.
The developing fetus and young babies are the most susceptible to chemical exposures. On a pound-for-pound basis, even small exposures can be impactful, and in the womb and through age 2 is when children’s bodies, including their organs and brain, are growing at their fastest rate. Chemicals can actually affect children’s development resulting in long-term, lasting effects on their health.
What is most troubling is that these synthetic chemicals like BPA, triclosan and phthalates are found in everyday products that we use in our homes, on our bodies and on our children. These products include water bottles, beauty products, soap and toothpaste.
How do we create a safer environment for our children?
Consumer legislation has been slow to catch up with the mounting scientific evidence linking many of these synthetic chemicals to health issues. In the US, only 11 chemicals have been banned or restricted in use in cosmetic products, whereas in the EU, over 1,100 chemicals have been banned or restricted in use.
Until consumer legislation catches up, it has to be our duty as mothers to become better educated and more vigilant about the products we use in our homes and on children and on ourselves.
This may feel overwhelming, but small, simple changes can make a difference. For maximum impact with the least amount of effort, start with the products you use the most and switch these out first. Imagine if you switched out your shampoo that you use EVERYDAY. You’ve just eliminated one regular source of exposure.
The Nine Naturals product line focuses on simple, impactful changes. Our shampoo, conditioner, body wash and belly butter were created to be natural, safe replacements for the products you use everyday and designed with performance as well as purity in mind. With the Nine Naturals product line, changing to natural products from your favorite non-natural products just got easier. We want to empower you to make better choices for you and your family. All our products are sulfate-free, phthalate-free, paraben-free, BPA-free, triclosan-free, DEA-free and petrochemical-free.
Since you’ve become pregnant, what changes are you making to limit your environmental toxin exposures?
