“Everywhere Chemical” Linked to Childhood Cancer (Scary!)
How to protect the kids in your life
I don’t have grandkids yet.
But I do have three grown sons, and I still care as much for their wellbeing now as when I was tucking them into bed every night.
I’m sure if you’re part of the “Grandparent Club,” you feel the same way about the kids in your life.
So, when I read this news article about a common chemical that’s been linked to childhood cancers, I knew I had to share it with you.
When adults are aware of these risks, they can take REAL action that could dramatically impact the cancer risk of the children in their lives.
Phthalates are commonly referred to as the “everywhere chemical,” and I’m sure you can guess why.
They’re in practically everything.
They’re used to make soft, flexible plastics like the kind found in food packaging.
They’re in your food, water, and air. They’re in personal care products people use every single day… shampoo, aftershave lotions, soap, nail polish, hair spray, you name it.
They’re in the products that are being slathered on children as well.
And quantities are high enough that infants exposed by lotions and baby powder have higher amounts of it in their urine.
A review from more than a decade ago showed that more than 50 children’s products contained phthalates.
I’m sure it’s only gotten worse since then, and that’s a BIG problem.
Because research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has found that kids exposed to the chemical have a higher risk of childhood cancer.
Researchers looked at all live births from 1997 to 2017—about 1.3 million children. There were 2,027 cases of childhood cancer.
For these individuals, the researchers measured their phthalate exposure and the incidence of specific cancers.
Overall, childhood phthalate exposure was associated with a 20 percent higher rate of childhood cancer.
Specifically, it was associated with almost a three-fold increase rate of a bone cancer called osteosarcoma, and a two-fold higher rate of cancer of the blood (lymphoma).
The rate of phthalate exposure was only based on prescription fills for phthalate-containing medications. (Yes, the “everywhere chemical” also extends to prescription drugs.)
But since they’re also in the soaps and lotions used in kids’ products (and plastic food containers!) – I’d imagine that their exposure and their connection to cancer risk could be even higher.
The study didn’t offer a solution, but I will.
Choose products that contain as few chemicals as possible. Read the labels. If dozens of chemicals are listed (in font so small you can barely read it), leave it on the shelf.
Eat real food that’s not packed in plastic.
And check out websites like the one from the Environmental Working Group. They can help you identify the safest products available for both you and the children in your life.
Visit them at www.ewg.org.