Environmental Toxins: Protecting Your Kids from MercuryLead & Pesticides

Did you know that your child could get mercury poisoning from eating tuna fish?  And that if a woman of childbearing age – or one who’s pregnant or nursing – eats too much fish with mercury in it, her baby’s brain development could be permanently damaged?  Both dangers are real, but they are also preventable.  The same is true of lead poisoning:  it affects nearly a million children ages 1-5 in the US, and once the damage happens, it’s irreversible – but again, it’s easy to prevent it if you know what to do.  And this show will tell you! Our host, Dr. Winnie King, brings you true stories from the families, and the FACTS from the experts –about protecting your children from mercury and lead poisoning, about reducing the potential dangers from pesticides, about the real role of organic food in protecting your kids’ health – all in this jam-packed half-hour show, that will teach you how to easily and confidently keep your kids safe!

Guests:

Jill Stein, MD - Environmental toxins expert; Board of Directors for Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility; Staff physician at Simmons College Health Center; Instructor in Medicine at the Harvard Medical School for over 15 years; Coauthor of In Harm's Way, a study of toxins in the environment and the impact of toxic exposures on child development; Founder and recent past president of the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
John Rosen, MD - Lead poisoning expert; Director, Lead Poisoning Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, New York City; Chief, Division of Environmental Sciences, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; Professor of Pediatrics,  Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Leonardo Trasande, MD - Environmental toxins expert, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Assistant Director, The Mount Sinai Center for Children’s Health and the Environment (CCHE)
Joy Bauer, Nutritionist - Served as clinical nutritionist with the neurosurgical team at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and as Director of Nutrition and Fitness for Mount Sinai Medical Center's Department of Pediatric Cardiology in New York City, for whom she developed the "Heart-Smart Kids Program." Taught anatomy & physiology, and sports nutrition, at New York University's School of Continuing Education; served as nutritionist for New York University's faculty, students, and athletes; Served as nutrition consultant for the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
Jeff Moyer - Organics Expert, The Rodale Institute; Managing farmer and researcher at the Rodale Institute
Deirdre Imus - Organics Advocate; Founder and President, Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology®, part of Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey
Justine Simons - Producer, Keeping Kids Healthy; mother of Eleanor, Age 3, and Nathaniel, Age 1
Hardy Jones – Documentary Producer, BlueVoice.org (provided interview footage of family dealing with mercury poisoning)

Tips:

Mercury Poisoning:

There is some disagreement among experts about the amount of fish that children, and women of childbearing age, should consume.   For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency offers the following advice:

Source: US Environmental Protection Agency/Fish Advisories
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to heart health and children's proper growth and development. So, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many nutritional benefits.

However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
   
   • Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
   • Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.

Fish lower in mercury:
Pollock, haddock, cod, tilapia, and “chunk light” tuna
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency Fish Advisory
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html
for more details about levels of mercury in most fish

However, other organizations take a more cautious approach, recommending lower consumption of some kinds of fish.  For a summary of this alternative view, go to: 

Source:  Physicians for Social Responsibility “Healthy Fish, Healthy Families” site
http://www.mercuryaction.org/fish

Lead Poisoning:

How to Avoid Lead Poisoning:

• Find out when your home was built
• If it was built before 1978, have it tested for lead
• If it tests positive, have the lead properly removed
• Make sure your child's blood is tested for lead before age 2, and regularly to age 6 if there is the possibility of lead in the child's environment

Some Temporary Ways to Decrease Lead Exposure Until Lead is Properly Removed

• Damp mop floors and other surfaces to remove lead dust and paint chips
• Don't vacuum because it just lets lead dust fly around
• Eat foods high in iron and calcium to reduce lead absorption

Other Important Information:

• Often there are no symptoms of lead poisoning and the only way to know if your child is sick is to have his/her blood tested
• Lead-poisoned children can suffer major learning disabilities and behavior problems as well as organ damage.
• Pregnant and nursing women are especially susceptible to lead and should take special care.
• Nursing women can pass lead on to their children through their milk.

1)  Reducing Pesticide Contamination in the Home:

One of the biggest sources of pesticides is actually found inside the home.

• Pesticides are often used to eliminate cockroaches.

What can you do:

• Deprive the cockroach of the things it needs to live, such as food.  Put all your food away in sealed containers, so that there's nothing out for it to eat.
  
• Get rid of the water sources.  That means no water in the sink.  And if there are leaky faucets or pipes, they need to be fixed.
• Above all, don't spray.  If doing the simple things listed above doesn't get rid of the pests, then use the least toxic methods –  and that means baits or traps.  But don’t use sprays, which tend to cause the greatest exposure.

2)  Eating Organic Foods as a Way to Reduce Pesticide Exposure:

While pesticide contamination in the home is considered by most experts to be a bigger danger than pesticide contamination in food, there is some evidence that pesticide levels in a child can be reduced by organic diets.  If you choose to buy organic foods, look for three tiers of labeling of food items

• Made With Organic: 70% or more of the ingredients within a product  are organic
• Organic:  95% of the ingredients are organic
• 100 Percent Certified Organic:  Every single ingredient within this food item is organic

Additional Resources:

General Information on Toxins in the Environment

Physicians for Social Responsibility
http://www.psr.igc.org/
617-497-7440

Mercury Poisoning:

Physicians for Social Responsibility “Healthy Fish, Healthy Families” web site
www.mercuryaction.org/fish

US Environmental Protection Agency Fish Advisory
www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

Lead Poisoning:

Montefiore's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Phone: 718-547-2789
They will direct you to help in your area

Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning
Phone: 202-543-1147
Email: aeclp@aeclp.org
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/lead.htm

The Lead Listing
To find an EPA certified inspector to come to your home
http://leadlisting.org/

Information About Pesticides, General Environmental Contaminants, and the Use of Organic Foods and Farming Methods:

Rodale Institute
Conducts ongoing research, education, training, and certified organic production projects, focusing on soil health, food quality, regenerative agriculture education, composting, and community development.
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/
610-683-1400

Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology
http://www.dienviro.com/
201-336-8071

Winnie King, M.D.