Learning Hazards

In America we invest heavily in children's learning—from Baby Einstein toys to SAT prep—but we also should examine hazards, such as lawn pesticides, that may affect their ability to learn. "Given that we know the developing fetus and children are far more vulnerable to environmental contaminants than adults, we need to do everything we can to reduce toxic exposures," says Elise Miller, M.Ed., executive director of the Institute for Children's Environmental Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2003 study of U.S. chemical "body burdens" found that children had the highest levels of all age groups of the banned pesticide chlorpyrifos. Contaminants such as lead, mercury and pesticides can be neurotoxic, meaning that they can slow or alter brain development, affecting crawling, fine motor and language skills. Concern is also rising with regard to the possible neurotoxicity of flame-retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are rising exponentially in U.S. blood and breast-milk samples. Future CDC reports will include PBDEs, but a family from Oakland didn't have to wait.

Children's Vulnerability
When the Oakland Tribune wanted to test a family for contaminants, Michele Hammond volunteered her two-year-old son, Rowan, her five-year-old daughter, Mikaela, her husband, Jeremiah, and herself. Michele expected healthy results. The family has no TVs (a PBDE source) and eats only organic foods, avoiding contaminant-laden fats. The results were an unwelcome surprise: both children had high PBDE levels, in Rowan's case 838 parts per billion (ppb), which is equivalent to levels that harm animals' memory and learning. The sources may have been polyurethane foam furniture at home and several computers at a grandparent's house, from which PBDEs leached, adhering to house dust. Crawling on the floor and hand-to-mouth contact may put young children at greater risk from high PBDE levels in house dust, notes Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.