A Minneapolis mom recently learned that ordinary, household items are contaminating her family.
"Everyday household things could be doing our kids harm and we don't even really understand what they can do yet," said mother Christi Williams.
Williams thought she had provided her children with a comfortable, safe living environment, but now she's not so sure. She and her daughter Lauren recently took part in a nationwide investigation that tested for neurotoxins in children and their mothers.
The Environmental Working Group investigation focused on chemical fire retardants that are put in carpet, furniture, pajamas, rain boots and soft plastic toys. The results showed that Lauren had five times more neurotoxins in her blood than her mother. That was the most of any child in the study.
"That's huge to me because they do all their -- all the governmental regulations are based on adults. And if she has five times the levels in her system, what does that mean for, what it is doing to her?" said Williams.
Studies show that high levels of a fire retardant called Deca have caused permanent changes to behavior in mice. Kids ingest more of these chemicals because they are closer to the carpet and often put toys and other objects in their mouths.
"It seems like these things are in everything," said Williams.
That is the challenge she and her family our now facing. The results of the investigation shocked them, but they are not entirely sure what they can do to make it better.
"People want to be protected from being set on fire, but what does that mean then for what chances you are taking with your family?" said Williams.
The fire retardant Deca is banned in Europe, but is unregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some of the neurotoxins that were targeted in this study can stay in a child's system for as long as four years.
Williams and Lauren were the only Minnesota family in the study. Out of the 20 families tested, only one parent had chemicals higher than their children.
Williams and her family have changed their diet since the investigation. They have started eating more organic foods, but Williams said it is hard to get rid of the carpet, couch, and other necessities. She is hoping for stronger, government regulations in the near future.WCCO 4
