In response to last weeks request I was able to get some additional details about the picture from last week’s Blog “A Toxic Start to the School Year”. The original picture came from a friends neighbor. The friend didn’t want her name to be used publicly because she ran a daycare in her home and didn’t want people to know the challenges she was having with her child and have people start thinking negatively about her business. If these chemical based cleaners were impacting her own child, what could those chemicals potentially be doing to the children that she was responsible for all day long?
My friend elaborated on the story as she experienced with her neighbor: “My neighbor had a daycare in her home. Her son was in first grade and had been diagnosed with dyslexia, sensory issues and as well as ADD. Each day, after the children left, she would “dis-infect” her home using a sundry of different products like bleach and pine scented commercial cleaners. She’d clean the floors and toys and table tops toilets and sinks, while her son would do his homework at the table in the daycare area, and while she would clean for the next day.
I happened to visit her while this process was going on and I noticed her son was really having difficulty writing his numbers. I pointed it out to her and then suggested that I bring over an alternative cleaner which didn’t affect the neurotransmitters of his young mind. I remember her saying, “ Are you suggesting that what I am usingto clean my house might be causing my son dyslexia?” I believe she agreed to the experiment only because she wanted to show me how preposterous I was being. So the challenge was on. She would clean with my cleaner on Monday evening.
After the children left , I went over to her home to create a controlled experiment. While she was cleaning , I got her son situated in the same room, at one of the daycare tables and he started writing his numbers. As you can see, there is a big difference in his ability and his hand to eye coordination. She was certainly caught off guard, never realizing that what she had been using was harmful, and she also questioned the validity of the experiment. “These products had to be safe I am able to purchase at most stores. If they cause damage like this, then why are they being sold? Are there no regulations? She cleaned with her usual cleaning products just one more time. It was conclusive. The cleaning products were
causing problems with her son’s behavior and his ability to think and write. “How many other lives had she been affecting by using those off the shelf cleaners, and why wasn’t there any regulation on them? That was the last time she used those chemical commercial cleaners. They were disposed of in the hazardous waste facility, because as she learned further, they are registered with the EPA as hazardous waste. L .Sheets – Boston MA”
Some of you might be like the neighbor thinking, this is preposterous. How could a cleaning product be causing health issues in my child? As parents, we all want what is best for our child. I can tell you I was willing to try anything regardless of how strange the suggested sounded. My kids would not be where they are today if I didn’t go with my gut and be open and willing to try something different. We don’t have alot of control over all of the other places where our children spend time where the air could be unknowingly filled with toxic chemicals, but the one thing we do have control over is the environment in our home. What if you were willing and open to create your own experiment? What if you were able to positively impact changes in your childs behavior, asthma or allergies? What if your family could be another success story? This was just one personal story, there are many others. I will continue to share other stories of families that have seen positive impacts to their families by making changes in both nutrition as well as removing the toxins from the environment.