Air Pollution
91% of the world’s population breathes polluted air! Yet over one-third of countries have no laws protecting outdoor air quality! The World Health Organization (WHO) released updated air quality guidelines and targets for common air pollutants. WHO’s new guidelines aim to push governments to reduce pollution levels, protect the health of children and adults, and prevent climate change.
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill, repel or control unwanted pests, such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), fungus (fungicides), harmful to cultivated plants, humans and animals.
Only a small amount of the pesticides actually reach their target; most of it leaches in the environment, contaminating the air, water, soil, and our food. Persistent pesticides, like DDT, can still be detected in humans 50 years after they were banned. Scientists have found pesticides in:
• Blood, urine and hair
• Breast milk
• Cord blood of newborns
• Placenta
No Safe Level
No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to negatively affect a child’s intelligence, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. While the effects of lead poisoning may be permanent, if caught early, there are things parents can do to prevent further exposure and reduce damage to their child’s health.
PFAS: Forever Chemicals
Hundreds of everyday products are made with highly toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS. They build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment. PFAS are universally detected in pregnant women and cross the placenta. Very small doses of PFAS have been linked to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases.
Microplastics and Babies
Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic, often too small for the eye to see. And they’re everywhere.
A new study finds that they are released in huge quantities from plastic baby bottles when they’re used to prepare formula. The study suggests that bottle-fed infants around the world may be consuming more than 1.5 million particles of microplastics per day.
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What We Do
Little Things Matter raises awareness of the growing environmental risks we face as a global community by translating science into free, easy-to-understand and actionable materials. Our goal is to spread awareness about the effects of toxic chemicals on the health of our population and planet.
We believe that every child has the right to a healthy environment.
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Follow Our Footsteps
One week until CEH Day!
We believe that all children deserve clean air, clean water, safe food and products, and healthy places to live, learn and play. That’s why we work to protect children’s environmental health year-round and why we’re excited for Children`s Environmental Health Day (CEH Day) on October 10th! Join us: cehday.org
New Science
Is your cutting board exposing you to microplastics?
Researchers found that plastic cutting boards are a source of microplastics, particularly in fast food chains where large quantities of food are processed.
Microplastics contain chemicals, like phthalates, that increase the risk of ADHD in children and infertility in men.
Wooden cutting boards inhibit bacterial growth; plastic cutting boards are conducive to bacterial growth (Ak, 1994).
A solid wood cutting board made by a local artisan from hardwood or bamboo is a great gift.
Checkout ways to reduce exposure here: https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
Read the full articles: https://bit.ly/3S0Zun7
https://bit.ly/46S19j0
Photo source: Mr. Luqman Ali (College of Information Technology, UAEU) and Mr. Mubashir Noman (College of Engineering, UAEU) for the 3D-photo of the used cutting board.
📰 In the News 📰
"Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested." @theguardian
https://bit.ly/3uoXg3w
`“It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day.
“We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,” he said. “That worries me a lot.”`
Watch our video on #microplastics and impacts on #children, and visit our #LittleFacts page to learn more, including how to reduce your #exposure: https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
💫 #LittleChangesBigImpact
Forests and green spaces improve children’s mental health and cognition.
💫 Promote green spaces in our town
💫 Protect the quality of natural environments
💫 Spend time with children in forests & parks
#Fridaysforfuture
Read and learn more here: https://bit.ly/3dfBZEs
✋ YOU asked... WE answered! 👇
Q: You asked: "What chemicals are found in breastmilk and should I be concerned?"
A: While toxic chemicals like PFAS and POPs can be found in breastmilk, most women do not have levels in their breastmilk that should cause them to stop breastfeeding (Balk & Etzel, 2020). We feel strongly that women should not bear the brunt of having to worry about chemicals in their breastmilk, and industry should be held accountable.
While we continue advocating for stronger regulations to prevent chemicals from entering breastmilk, women can reduce exposure to chemicals while breastfeeding by:
1. eating fresh/frozen foods and choosing organic when possible;
2. avoiding packaged foods and heavily processed foods;
3. cleaning with a wet-mop and avoiding dust build up;
4. avoiding fragrance and other chemicals in personal-care products;
5. checking home and water for lead hazards and other heavy metals.
Read more about how to prevent exposures here: littlethingsmatter.ca/little-facts
❓ What other questions do you have for us?
Reference: Protecting Your Child`s Health: Expert Answers to Urgent Environmental Questions By Sophie J. Balk, MD, FAAP and Dr. Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD, FAAP
⭐️ Recent Research ⭐️
Can babies be harmed by their parents’ contact with chemicals in the workplace?
Investigators at Institute of Environmental Medicine in Sweden @karolinskainstitut found that parents’ workplace exposure to organic solvents – often found in paints, adhesives, and degreasing agents, or engine exhaust – increased children’s risk of developing cancer.
Children whose mothers were exposed to organic solvents around birth were more likely to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Mothers exposure to diesel or gasoline engine exhaust increased their child’s risk of developing astrocytoma, a type of brain cancer.
Fathers’ exposures also matter! The investigators found an increased risk of Hodgkin lymphoma in children whose dads’ were exposed to gasoline engine exhaust.
Organic solvents can be found in occupations such as:
- Laboratory technicians 🥼 🧪
- Firefighters 🚒 🚨
- Steelworkers 🥾 ⛏
- Road tunnel workers 🚧 🚦
Gasoline and diesel engine exhaust fumes are common in jobs such as:
- Agriculture workers 👩🌾 🌳
- Mechanics 🔧🪛
- Drivers 🚚 🚛
Protecting workers today protects the next generation, too. How can expectant parents avoid exposure to organic solvents and engine exhaust in the workplace?
Read the full study here: https://bit.ly/3KSGeme
@who @cdcglobal @johnshopkins
#HealthyLiving #chemicalexposure
Um novo estudo descobriu que bebês expostos a baixos níveis de poluição do ar (abaixo do que é considerado aceitável pelos padrões europeus) apresentaram redução na função pulmonar durante a infância e adolescência.
Ativistas da campanha por ar limpo argumentam que é "errado pensar que está tudo bem enquanto os níveis de poluição estão dentro dos limites legais. Não existe um nível seguro."
Assista ao nosso vídeo do LTM sobre #poluiçãodoar e maneiras de reduzir a #exposição da sua família: https://bit.ly/3yqpTQS
Leia mais sobre o estudo aqui//bit.ly/3no03Xv
#QueimadasBrasil #SOSAmazônia #ArLimpoJá #ForaPoluição #MídiaMainstream #G1 #JornalOGlobo #FolhaSP #AmazôniaEmChamas #DesmatamentoZero #ProtejaONossoFuturo #ClimaUrgente #PoluiçãoNãoTemLimite #SaúdeRespiratória #CriançasVulneráveis #MeioAmbiente #SalvarOPlaneta #JustiçaAmbiental #RespirarÉDireito #EmergênciaClimática #SOSClima #AçãoPeloClima #BrasilVerde #MenosPoluiçãoMaisVida #NotíciasBrasil #JornalNacional #Estadão
Meet Teresa Vincente
Teresa Vicente led a historic, grassroots campaign to save the Mar Menor ecosystem—Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon—from collapse, resulting in the passage of a new law in September 2022 granting the lagoon unique legal rights. Considered to be the most important saltwater coastal lagoon in the western Mediterranean, the once pristine waters of the Mar Menor had become polluted due to mining, rampant development of urban and tourist infrastructure, and, in recent years, intensive agriculture and livestock farming.
Worried by the slow death of the Mar Menor, Teresa was moved to action after a mass fish die-off in 2019. She became convinced that the only way to give the lagoon a chance of survival was to grant it legal personhood and recognize its rights. “Rights of nature” has been proposed and debated for years, but the theory did not gain much traction until recently: Ecosystems in Latin America and New Zealand had been granted such legal rights but none in Europe. Despite being told by experts that it was impossible, Teresa pushed ahead. Courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize
The Toxic Chemicals Line Up
Phthalates
Phthalates
EDCs
EDCs
Pesticides
Pesticides
Lead
Lead
Air Pollution
Air Pollution
PFAS
PFAS
Fluoride
Fluoride
Microplastics
Microplastics
PFAS
PFAS
little Steps big impact
Sometimes the events that alter history and have enduring impact happen behind the scenes or without much fanfare. Little Steps, Big Impact takes a moment to highlight those significant events and celebrate their contributions.
Shifting to phthalate-free products
can quickly lower toxin levels
A new study shows that young women who use conventional foundation, blush, and mascara have higher levels of phthalates in their blood. Phthalates are hormone-disruptors, and can mimic or block hormones from properly signaling in the body, disrupting important reproductive and neurological systems.
When the young women in the study stopped using
products with phthalates, the level of some chemicals
in their blood lowered up to 45% after three days.
To reduce the amount of phthalates in your blood, swap personal care products for those without phthalates, parabens, or PFAS (or just stop using them). Products without these chemicals can be found by searching EWG’s SkinDeep database.
little videos that capture the big picture
Expand your mind and understanding of how environmental toxic chemicals affect all of us with these short educational videos.
The Deadly Impact of Airborne Particles: air pollution is all around us, what can we do?
Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxic Chemicals on the Developing Brain