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A Healthy Nursery |
EPA Studies have found indoor pollution levels to be up to ten times higher than outdoor pollution even in "the largest and most industrialized cities."
One of the greatest sources for indoor pollution identified by the EPA comes form "furniture made of pressed wood products." The EPA warns that everyday furnishings represent one of the few sources of indoor air pollution that "release pollutants more or less continuously," from the time they reach our homes.
New furniture has the highest chemical pollution levels. And since baby's room is often newly decorated - crib, nursery furniture, mattress, bedding, paints, carpet, toys -- your baby's room will often be the most toxic room in your home.
THE MOST TOXIC BABY ITEM MAY BE THE CRIB
Pressed wood products, like particle board, MDF and plywood are amongst the most popular materials from which furnishings today are constructed, and are especially popular in kids furniture (as they are cheap).
Cribs, toddler beds, children's tables, armoires, dressers, rocking horses, chairs, changing tables, toys, etc., all use these materials - high end furniture makers are included in this group.
These products are still often referred to as "wood" or "wooden," but are distinguishable from solid wood products, because they are really wood scraps that have been compressed together through the use of chemical adhesives, including formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound (VOC).
The EPA warns: "At room temperature, volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals (e.g., formaldehyde, benzene)...Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors." Pressed wood products made for indoor use include:
? Particleboard (used in shelving, cabinetry & furniture)
? Hardwood plywood paneling (used on exterior of furniture and cabinets)
? MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard (used for drawer fronts, cabinets, and furniture tops).
MDF "is generally recognized as being the highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.
The chemicals used to create furnishings do not stay put - these chemicals continuously off-gas and are inhaled by us as we sit, play or sleep on them.
Many parents prepare for a new child by painting, buying new furniture and carpeting the baby's room with conventional products, never thinking that by doing so they may create an environment high in harmful chemicals.
Pediatric environmental health experts have found that children are more susceptible to environmental hazards than adults. You can reduce the risks your children face, however, with careful attention to their nursery's design, materials, and maintenance.
Organic Mattress
Low-Voc Paint
Eco-friendly Furniture -made of hardwoood(preferrably sustainable) with non-toxic finishes and paint.
Non-toxic, eco-friendly Flooring
Natural, untreated clothing & Bedding
Bottles & Sippy Cups that are free from Bisphenol-A and Pthalates
Wood toys with non-toxic paint
Plastic toys that are free from Bisphenol-A and Pthalates.
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Recently scientists have discovered that even tiny quantities of toxins can have a potentially serious impact on our children's health and future. Chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates ? key ingredients in modern plastics ? may disrupt the delicate endocrine system, leading to developmental problems. A host of modern ills that have been rising unchecked for a generation ? obesity, diabetes, autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ? could have chemical connections. "We don't give environmental exposure the attention it deserves," says Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at New York City's Mount Sinai Medical Center. "But there's an emerging understanding that kids are uniquely susceptible to environmental hazards."
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