The most precious people in our lives are our children. Not only do they grace our lives, but also they are our future if the human race is to survive.  However, what kind of life will they have if we do not take care of their health care now?  Of course we take measures to insure their health and welfare safe, but do we do it fast enough?  Do our governments act as fast as they can once they realize that there is a health threat present?

No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we are exposed to phthalates; they are at home, at work, in the hospital – they are in our environment everywhere.  Phthalates is a chemical resembling vegetable oil and is has been used in plastic products for at least the last 50 years. It makes PVC’s (polyvinyl chloride) more soft and flexible which is important for many plastic found such as garden hoses and other products, which need a measurement of flexibility to be functional.  Our world is saturated with plastic products and until recently it was not discovered just how much our health care is suffering from it. From plastic garden/rubber hoses to plastic bags, there are PVC’s all around us.

Through various testing done on animals, we are now finding how ingestion of this chemical substance can be toxic both to animals and to humans as well. Governments are now restricting the use of PVC’s in canned foods and plastic materials.  Major manufacturers from the food industry to the children’s toy industry must be more vigilant about our health care and stop using PVC’s in the production of their products.

In 2008, the American government banned the use of PVC’s in the manufacturing of children’s toys.  Research on children health care with regards to products made with phthalates and PVC’s shows severe developmental issues interfering with the children’s hormones. But wait, that is not the only horrible consequence of children being exposed to PVC’s. Birth defects have been noted in baby boys resulting from the influence of phthalates, and there has also been reporting of testicular cancer, liver problems, and early onset puberty in girls, which is also a risk factor for breast cancer in latter years.

The government banned PVC’s in toys but neglected another area just as important. They neglected schools supplies. There are so many schools supplies such as backpacks, lunchboxes, binders, pens, pencil cases, thermos, crayon cases, and more that have PVC’s in them.  Children are inundated with PVC’s and it does not stop there.  There are other toxins such as cadmium, and/or organotins and lead that are a danger to children’s health care.

These toxic substances may be ingested, or seep out and distributed in the air where your children will breathe in the vapors.  It doesn’t matter how much or how little exposure a child gets to these substances, they are toxics and therefore dangerous. We need to put pressure on the government to ban the use of these toxins in school supplies as well.  Our kids are at risk and so is their future, not to mention the drain on the health care system for all the medical attention that will be needed to treat our children as these toxic substances destroy their young bodies.

You can detect PVC products by looking at the label, if it says vinyl it contains PVC’s. Some products will be labeled PVC or V, or number 3 and that can be found under the recycling symbol. Avoid these products, as well as shiny backpacks with plastic designs, modeling or Crayola Air-Dry clay, notebooks, which have plastic on them, or plastic spirals holding them together, and colored plastic paper clips.

Don’t be fooled by shoes and shoe brand knock offs. For example even though the brand names shoes like Crocs are PVC free the charms on them may not be.  Crocs knock off, Kamid Doodle are made with PVC’s.  However you may be happy to know that brand names shoes such as Nike, Puma and L. L. Bean are PVC free.  

Until the government is willing to take action and legislate against PVC’s in children’s products and until manufacturers of children products take their social responsibilities seriously and stop using PVC’s on their own, we as parents have no choice but to monitor everything that goes anywhere near our children.  We must boycott the products that have not conformed to standard and save our children from future damage to their health care and well being. We must avoid a catastrophe before it happens.