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All Documents in Health Tagged children's health

When the Treatment is Toxic
Pesticides in Head Lice Prescriptions
Fact Sheet

Lindane--a dangerous insecticide--is often used in medication to treat head lice and scabies. The U.S. should adopt bans on lindane to protect the public and the environment. Get document in pdf.

Oppose the REINS Act: H.R. 10/S.299
Legislative Analysis

The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (“REINS”) Act (H.R. 10/S. 299), introduced by Rep. Davis (R-KY) and Sen. Paul (R-KY), would undo more than 100 years of safeguards by allowing just one chamber of Congress to block enforcement of existing statutory protections -- from worker safety, to public health, to Wall Street reform. This would make Congress the required arbiter of every technical question and business dispute, and would allow a single chamber of Congress to stop any regulation, no matter what the facts showed. The REINS Act would effectively rewrite virtually every environmental and other regulatory statute, making their requirements unenforceable. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Protect Children from a Developmental Toxic: Bisphenol A (BPA)
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as Bisphenol A (BPA). Produced at more than 2 billion pounds per year, BPA has found its way into many consumer products and into many people's bodies. Get document in pdf.

Mercury Contamination
A Guide to Staying Healthy and Fighting Back
Guide

Power plants and chemical facilities are the main sources of mercury pollution, but this hazardous chemical makes its way into our homes and bodies in fish. This guide provides information about the health effects of mercury exposure, shows where it's coming from, offers tips for eating fish more safely and highlights opportunities to help stop mercury pollution.

Now is the Time to Reform the Toxic Substances Control Act
Legislative Analysis

For decades, Americans have assumed that laws are in place to require testing of chemicals for safety and to keep unsafe chemicals out of the products we use every day. Unfortunately, the failure of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to regulate the chemical industry and protect the public from exposure to unsafe chemicals, proves this assumption wrong. Congress must enact strong legislation to reform TSCA and ensure the safety of chemicals in the home, the workplace, and the marketplace. Get document in pdf.

Harmful Pet Products
FAQ

Answers to questions including: How can I tell which pet products contain dangerous chemicals? Which products should I buy? How can I tell if my child or pet has been harmed by these pet pesticides?

Pet Products May Harm Both Pets and Humans
Products intended to kill fleas and ticks can also poison pets and the people who handle them.
News

Americans purchase and apply to their pets a vast array of toxic chemicals intended to kill fleas and ticks. Though consumers may assume that these products have been tested rigorously for safety, the truth is that the poisons in many of these products are not safe, either for pets or humans.

Poison on Pets II
Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars
Issue Paper

Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on products designed to kill fleas and ticks on household pets, especially dogs and cats. While some of these products are safe, others leave harmful chemical residues on pets' fur and in our homes. This April 2009 paper details a first-of-its-kind study by NRDC showing that high levels of pesticide residue can remain on a dog's or cat's fur for weeks after a flea collar is put on an animal.

Comments on which children's products are subject to the requirements of CPSIA Section 108
Testimony

Sarah Janssen, MD, PhD, submitted these comments on which children's products are subject to the requirements of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), Section 108 to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on March 25, 2009. Get document in pdf.

Comments on which children's products are subject to the requirements of CPSIA Section 108, Phthalates in Children’s Products
Testimony

Sarah Janssen, MD, PhD, submitted these comments on which children's products are subject to the requirements of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), Section 108 to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on January 12, 2009. NRDC's comments pertain to the last two sections of CPSC's request for information: a. Toxicity of Phthalates and Phthalate Alternatives and b. Exposure to Phthalates and Phthalate Alternatives. Get document in pdf.

Get the Lead Out
Guide

Children across the nation face the risk of lead poisoning, but steps can be taken to protect them.

More Effective and Economical Pest Control
Integrated Pest Management
Fact Sheet

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a proven, cost-effective strategy to combat pest problems without unnecessary pesticides. By correcting conditions that lead to pest problems and using least-toxic pesticides only when necessary, IPM provides more effective pest control, often without increasing costs. Get document in pdf.

Chemicals in Plastic Bottles
How to Know What’s Safe for Your Family
Fact Sheet

A guide to what plastics are safe for your family, and what the government needs to do to ensure strong protections. Get document in pdf.

Safe Ways to Control Pests Around Your Home
These alternatives to toxic pesticides will protect the health of your household, while keeping insects, rodents and other pests at bay.
Guide

These alternatives to toxic pesticides will protect the health of your household, while keeping insects, rodents and other pests at bay.

Asthma and Air Pollution
Bad air can bring on asthma attacks, even in healthy people; tracking air quality and controlling pollution from cars, factories and power plants can help.
Overview

Bad air can bring on asthma attacks, even in healthy people; tracking air quality and controlling pollution from cars, factories and power plants can help.

Children, Cancer & The Environment
By identifying elements in the environment that contribute to cancer, we can take steps to eliminate them and protect our children and ourselves.
Overview

Scientists now believe that many childhood cancers are caused by environmental factors which, unlike heredity, can theoretically be controlled. Learn more about some of the suspected environmental causes of childhood cancer and how you can reduce the risks to your own children.

How Lead Poisons the Human Body
Overview

Lead is devastating to the human body, inhibiting oxygen and calcium transport and altering nerve transmission in the brain. Even low concentrations of lead can cause permanent damage, and children are especially vulnerable.

Lead Paint in Schools
FAQ

Answers to questions including: How do I determine whether my child’s school has a problem with lead paint? What is considered to be an unacceptable level of lead in paint? How do I know if my child has lead poisoning?

Poisons on Pets
Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products
Report

This report highlights the potential health hazards to humans and pets from flea collars and other flea and tick control products. The report recommends that the EPA ban the use of an entire class of these products -- those using organophosphates. It also offers recommendations for pet owners on combating fleas and ticks with a variety of simple non-chemical steps and/or by applying safer products, including insect growth regulators.

Trouble on the Farm: Growing Up with Pesticides in Agricultural Communities
Report

A report examining the disproportionate exposure to dangerous pesticides borne by children of farmers and farm workers, and the related threats to their health.

How to Protect Your Children from Environmental Risks
Pollution-related illnesses may be on the rise, but there are things parents can do.
Guide

Pollution-related illnesses are on the rise, increasing concerns about the role environmental toxins might play in diseases, especially in children, as rates of asthma and childhood cancers increase. There are steps you can take to protect your children from the five worst environmental threats to their health: lead, air pollution, pesticides, environmental tobacco smoke, and drinking water contamination.

Our Children At Risk
The Five Worst Environmental Threats to Their Health
Report

A report identifying the special vulnerability of children to environmental hazards and highlighting the growing evidence pointing to a link between pollution and childhood illnesses. The report makes recommendations, at both the policy and personal levels, for the protection of the next generation.

The Story of Silent Spring
How a courageous woman took on the chemical industry and raised important questions about humankind's impact on nature.
History

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) was one of the landmark books of the 20th century. It described how DDT entered the food chain and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals, including humans, causing cancer and genetic damage. Silent Spring not only exposed the hazards of the pesticide DDT, but eloquently questioned humanity's faith in technological progress and helped set the stage for the environmental movement that followed.

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