Pediatricians play a key role in preventing medical problems in children as much as they do in treating them. It is the reason for those frequent visits with your pediatrician in the first few years when growth and development are crucial. Identifying issues early on allows intervention and improves outcomes for a child’s long-term health. As a pediatrician myself, I have two main jobs: Take care of children and educate parents.
I am also a mother—and in both science and parenting there is so much to learn and discover. When my twins were infants and I made the decision to buy bright colorful plastic dishes to use when introducing solids; I believed BPA-free meant safe. My mother, an Indian immigrant, gasped when she saw this and immediately replaced those dishes with traditional Indian stainless steel (the same ones I used as a child). Her fear of chemicals leaching from the plastic into her grandchildren’s food was validated 5 years later by science.
Concerns regarding the harmful effects of plastic, climate change and air quality are growing. Leading world experts on environmental health are sounding the alarms for pediatricians and parents alike. Over the past decade, scientists have published numerous reports on the interconnection between the environment and children’s health. While nutrition, physical activity and other factors still heavily contribute to overall wellbeing, we must not ignore the real effect of everyday environmental exposures on health. The lasting impact between humans and the planet will be felt not by us, but by our children.
In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a report that warned parents about the harmful chemicals in plastic that interfere with children’s hormones, growth and brain development. The AAP recommended using glass or stainless steel instead; if plastic must be used, however, they suggested avoiding heat exposure in the microwave or dishwasher. So why does your pediatrician care about plastic? If you have not heard of the term Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) yet, you will soon as it is a growing concern to human health. To understand how these chemicals are affecting health, we must understand the importance of the endocrine, or hormonal, system in the body.
What is the endocrine system?
The endocrine system is a series of glands throughout the body that produce hormones. These hormones are natural chemicals that communicate with various organs (pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas, testes/ovaries) in your body to regulate overall health and well-being. They are essential for the normal development of the body and brain as well as critical to reproductive function. The chemicals in plastic interfere with the endocrine system because they can mimic or block natural hormones and their actions in the body. Children are particularly vulnerable to these chemical exposures because the body and brain undergo rapid growth and development during infancy and childhood. The leaching of these EDCs from plastics is of concern because they have been shown to cause abnormal reproductive, metabolic, thyroid, immune and neurological function.
Why should I be concerned about the chemicals in plastic?
My mom didn’t know it then, but her fears of plastic chemicals were rooted in the science behind how they interact with the endocrine system. The World Health Organization is also concerned about this issue. In the 2017 Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment, they highlight the growing concern of phthalates and bisphenols used in the food industry causing harmful chemicals to leach into food from canned food, baby bottles and food containers. “Chemical additives in plastic and the threat they pose to human health and the environment is an emerging issue of global concern,” says the Endocrine Society in their recent report in December 2020 (Plastics, EDCs & Health). The group is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology; it consists of over 18,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries.
Why haven’t I heard about this yet?
Many plastic additives are known to interfere with hormone functioning and are, by definition, endocrine-disrupting chemicals. So why is this global threat to human health largely unknown to both pediatricians and parents? To illustrate the timeline of how science, media and consumer goods work together; let’s look at a rather recent similarity: lead.
First comes the science. Researchers identified lead exposure to produce cognitive and developmental delays in children. Pediatricians developed new standards of care in lead screening and testing in their office. News stories highlighting this harmful link brought awareness to the general public. Policies and legislation were updated to ensure a decrease in lead exposure to children. Industries eventually removed lead from gasoline and paint. New regulations for lead testing in children’s products took effect. Now, we have a generation of children that are 4 to 7 IQ points higher than the generation before lead exposure was decreased. By working across industries—science, media, policy, regulatory and manufacturing—we came together to advocate for and protect our children from something we learned was dangerous to their brain development.
Decades later, we face a similar situation with plastic. While the well-known chemical bisphenol A (BPA) was banned from many baby products, we now know that it is just the family member that received the negative press. BPA is a part of the family called bisphenols; other members like bisphenols S and F (BPS and BPF) which are used as replacements have similar or even worse health effects. We are finding bisphenols and phthalates in breast milk that has been heated in plastic bottles and even in fetuses from maternal exposure to plastic during pregnancy. In the United States, chemicals are used in consumer products and released into the marketplace and the environment before we know their toxic effects. For example, there are more than 10,000 food additives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to modify the look, taste and texture of food or preserve and package food substances. However, a recent review of 4000 additives found that 64% had no research showing they were safe for people to eat and drink.
How can I decrease plastics in my home?
If you are a parent reading this, you are probably scared. I promise that is not my intention. I am a mother of three young kids myself so I do know how you may feel. I felt the same way when I learned about this topic. As I mentioned, my job as a pediatrician is to keep kids healthy and to educate parents. I hope that by educating parents it empowers them to make informed decisions. After reading the bad news, let me leave you with the good news.
While we are just starting this journey for a toxic-free future for our children and pediatricians are being educated on the topic themselves, leading medical and scientific communities are recommending small changes you can take today while the policy, regulations and manufacturing catch up. While plastic is everywhere in your daily living, a few key areas of focus can help start your own journey to limit your family’s exposure to EDCs.
The best part of these small changes? The research shows that by decreasing exposure to these chemicals, the levels found in the human body (which should be zero by the way) drop dramatically within just three days. This means that seemingly small changes can lead to significant protection for your child.
Here are some steps to take to lower your child’s exposure to chemicals in plastic:
- Eat fresh and organic fruits and vegetables instead of processed foods or canned foods. All cans have detectable levels of bisphenols in the lining.
- Use glass or stainless steel for serving and storing food and drink instead of plastic.
- If you do use plastic containers, don’t put them in the microwave or the dishwasher as the heat and cleaning agents increase the leaching of chemicals out of plastic. The same goes for etched (scratched) plastic; dispose of them if you notice containers are etched.
- Avoid plastic bottles with the numbers 3, 6 or 7
As parents, we want to protect our children and provide them with opportunities to thrive in a safe and healthy world. While this may feel like a mountain to climb given the overwhelming amount of plastic that persists in our lives, I have always believed in the power of parents and the cumulative effect of small changes. Taking baby steps in your own home and uniting with parents across the globe to ensure the future is bright for our kids. Now, that’s a mountain worth climbing together.
For further reading, please check here for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Endocrine Society and World Health Organization materials.
If you’re ready to make the switch to stainless steel, here are a few of our favorite things.
Ahimsa Stainless Steel Child Set
How cool are these plates? Made of dishwasher-safe stainless steel, this complete set will be an instant favorite with your little ones and you’ll feel good knowing they’re eating and drinking safely.
Welly Traveler 12oz Reusable Bottle
For healthy hydration on the go, we love Welly water bottles. They are made of stainless steel and bamboo, and can hold your favorite warm or cold drinks. And, it comes with a removable infuser for tea of fresh fruit!
Anjie + Ash Stainless Steel Teething Necklace
Have a little one who’s still teething? Why not let them teeth on stainless steel? In addition to a safe alternative to plastic, you can put in the in the freezer to help soothe on those extra tough teething days. And it doesn’t hurt that it is a super cute accessory for you, too.
Healthy Nest Cleaning Concentrate Trial
If you want to keep expanding your usage of stainless steel, the Healthy Nest products are a great place to start. This trial kit includes concentrate to make foaming hand soap, baby dish soap and surface spray.
We independently select and share the products we love—and may receive a commission if you choose to buy. You’ve got this.
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
I truly appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was
great. I do not know who you are but certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
We absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your
post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content available for you?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of
the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome web
log!
Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one
and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam feedback?
If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can suggest?
I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any assistance
is very much appreciated.
Hello Dear, are you really visiting this website regularly, if so afterward you will
without doubt obtain nice knowledge.
First off I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if
you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your
thoughts before writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out
there. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost just trying to
figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Kudos!
This design is incredible! You definitely
know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was
almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job.
I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
Thanks designed for sharing such a nice thinking, post
is good, thats why i have read it completely
My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find
most of your post’s to be just what I’m looking
for. Does one offer guest writers to write content
for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write with regards to here.
Again, awesome weblog!
I visited multiple blogs however the audio quality for audio songs current at this website is in fact fabulous.
Hi to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this web site, and your views
are pleasant in favor of new viewers.
Hello, i believe that i noticed you visited my blog thus i came to go back the want?.I’m trying to in finding issues to improve my web site!I
assume its ok to make use of some of your ideas!!
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely confused ..
Any ideas? Thanks a lot!
I will immediately grab your rss feed as I
can not in finding your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service.
Do you have any? Please allow me know so that I may just subscribe.
Thanks.
Hi there, You’ve done an excellent job. I will certainly digg it
and personally suggest to my friends. I am confident they
will be benefited from this web site.
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something
which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for
me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang
of it!
Hello there, I discovered your site by the use of Google at the same time as looking for a
similar matter, your site came up, it appears to be
like great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google
bookmarks.
Hello there, simply became aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is truly informative.
I am gonna be careful for brussels. I will appreciate when you continue this in future.
Lots of people will probably be benefited out of your
writing. Cheers!
Hi just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same
outcome.
I’ve been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article
like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and bloggers made good
content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever
before.
What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found
It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out
loads. I hope to contribute & assist different users like its aided me.
Great job.
Hey there! This is my 1st comment here so I
just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading through your
posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the
same subjects? Many thanks!
Its like you read my thoughts! You appear to grasp a lot
approximately this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something.
I think that you could do with a few % to drive the message home a little bit, but
other than that, that is great blog. A fantastic
read. I’ll definitely be back.
What a information of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable know-how on the topic of unexpected feelings.
We’re a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community.
Your web site offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done an impressive
job and our entire community will be thankful to you.
I am sure this post has touched all the internet users, its really really fastidious post on building up new weblog.
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my web site so i got here to go back
the desire?.I am attempting to in finding issues to enhance my site!I
guess its good enough to use a few of your concepts!!
Its not my first time to go to see this website, i am visiting this
website dailly and take fastidious information from here
daily.
This post will help the internet visitors for building up
new website or even a blog from start to end.
Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web
site, how could i subscribe for a blog web site?
The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit
acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear idea
hey there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked
up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this website,
as I experienced to reload the site many times previous to I could get
it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK?
Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and could
damage your high-quality score if advertising
and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding
this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content.
Make sure you update this again very soon.
I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills as well
as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself?
Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is
rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.
I read this article fully about the difference of most recent and
previous technologies, it’s amazing article.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after
browsing through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me.
Anyhow, I’m certainly pleased I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
Fantastic web site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some pals ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you on your effort!
Wow, marvelous blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is great, let alone the content!
Hello, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this post. It was practical. Keep on posting!
Hi there, its nice post concerning media print, we all know media is a enormous source of data.
Nice blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my website loaded up as fast as yours lol
I really like what you guys are up too. This sort of clever work and coverage! Keep up the terrific works guys I’ve added you guys to blogroll.
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thanks
You should take part in a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the net. I most certainly will recommend this website!
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my very own blog now 😉
This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate information Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!
Saved as a favorite, I really like your site!
It is perfect time to make a few plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I have read this publish and if I may just I want to recommend you few interesting things or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles relating to this article. I want to read more things approximately it!
great publish, very informative. I’m wondering why the other experts of this sector do not realize this. You should continue your writing. I am sure, you have a huge readers’ base already!
Hi there, I found your website by the use of Google at the same time as searching for a comparable matter, your site got here up, it seems to be good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i read this piece of writing i thought i could also make comment due to this brilliant article.
I feel this is one of the so much significant information for me. And i’m satisfied reading your article. However want to observation on few common things, The website taste is perfect, the articles is really nice : D. Good task, cheers
Marvelous, what a webpage it is! This weblog provides useful data to us, keep it up.
you are actually a good webmaster. The site loading velocity is incredible. It kind of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you have performed a wonderful activity in this matter!
obviously like your website however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth however I will certainly come back again.
Howdy! I realize this is kind of off-topic but I had to ask. Does operating a well-established blog like yours take a lot of work? I’m completely new to operating a blog but I do write in my diary on a daily basis. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my own experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any ideas or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your site. You have some really great posts and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Many thanks!
Excellent post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Kudos!
Hi! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My site looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. Thank you!
I have been surfing online more than three hours lately, yet I never found any fascinating article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will probably be much more useful than ever before.
Good info. Lucky me I discovered your site by accident (stumbleupon). I have bookmarked it for later!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we communicate?
Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and all. Nevertheless think of if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and clips, this site could undeniably be one of the most beneficial in its niche. Excellent blog!
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this matter here on your web page.
Hello there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Thank you
Fantastic web site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to a few pals ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your effort!
Normally I do not read article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do so! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you, quite great article.
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you
Thank you for some other informative website. Where else may just I am getting that kind of info written in such a perfect method? I have a project that I am simply now running on, and I have been at the glance out for such information.
hi!,I love your writing so much! percentage we keep up a correspondence more approximately your post on AOL? I need an expert in this space to unravel my problem. May be that is you! Taking a look forward to peer you.
I believe what you postedtypedsaidthink what you postedwrotesaidbelieve what you postedtypedthink what you postedtypedWhat you postedtyped was very logicala ton of sense. But, what about this?consider this, what if you were to write a killer headlinetitle?content?wrote a catchier title? I ain’t saying your content isn’t good.ain’t saying your content isn’t gooddon’t want to tell you how to run your blog, but what if you added a titleheadlinetitle that grabbed a person’s attention?maybe get people’s attention?want more? I mean %BLOG_TITLE% is a little plain. You could peek at Yahoo’s home page and see how they createwrite post headlines to get viewers interested. You might add a related video or a related pic or two to get readers interested about what you’ve written. Just my opinion, it could bring your postsblog a little livelier.
Hi my family member! I want to say that this article is awesome, great written and come with almost all significant infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
Unquestionably consider that that you stated. Your favourite justification appeared to be at the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked whilst folks consider worries that they plainly do not recognize about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top as smartlyand also defined out the whole thing with no need side effect , other people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thank you
Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing months of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?
It’s in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
No matter if some one searches for his necessary thing, so he/she desires to be available that in detail, thus that thing is maintained over here.
As the admin of this site is working, no doubt very rapidly it will be well-known, due to its quality contents.
This article provides clear idea in favor of the new viewers of blogging, that actually how to do blogging.
I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays.
Excellent blog you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find high quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Pretty great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wanted to mention that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing for your feed and I hope you write again soon!
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Kudos