Vunerability of Children Related to Typical Household Cleaners

If you haven't decided to make the change to non-toxic cleaners and remove all chemical cleaners from your home, I hope these statistics will help you make the change to a healthier home!

Why are children so vulnerable?


Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development... Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxins and developmental disabilities such as ADHD.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.

Asthma is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood.

Children's metabolic pathways, especially in the first months after birth, are immature. Their ability to metabolize, detoxify and excrete many chemicals differs from adults.

Carcinorgenic and toxic exposures sustained early in life, including prenatal exposures, appear more likely to lead to disease than similar exposure encountered later.

There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA and fewer than 20% of them have been tested for toxicity.

Organic pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside. According to the EPA, sources of organic pollutants from household cleaners include: solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, and air freshners. Health effects from organic pollutants include: eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; and damage to liver, kidney, and cental nervous system. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.
Source: U.S. EPA

Source of data: Data Related to Typical Household Cleaners. Compiled by Shaklee Corporation. For all sources, see Shaklee Article.
Sources: U.S. EPA, New Chemicals Program, Landrigan, P.J. & Weiss; Natuional Research Council