Common food additives and chemicals harmful to children

What do a can of corn, a take-out pizza, a reusable water bottle, a bright green yogurt, and an inflatable pool toy have in common? They all contain food additives or chemicals that can be dangerous for children. Over the last few decades, the number of chemicals added to foods and other products has skyrocketed. We have created all sorts of plastics that are used in innumerable ways. We add preservatives to foods to keep them fresh. We add chemicals to foods to make them look more appealing. We have made food packaging to keep food fresh. We add chemicals to lotions and beauty products to make them feel, look, and smell nice… the list goes on and on of the ways we have invented and used chemicals. We did all of it for what seemed like good reasons at the time, but we are learning that many of those chemicals can cause real harm. In a policy statement entitled Food Additives and Child Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics warns about these harms — and points out that they often are worse for children. Children are smaller, so their “dose” of any given chemical ends up being higher. They put their hands in their mouths more than adults do, so they are likely to ingest more. Their bodies are still developing, so they can be more at risk of harm — and they are young, so the chemicals have more time to do more damage. In particular, the policy statement warns about: Bisphenols, such as BPA. They can act like the hormone estrogen and interfere with puberty and...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Environmental health Parenting Source Type: blogs