Thursday
Jun122008
Germs versus chemicals
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I feel a bit overwhelmed to be writing about this topic. But maybe trying to put some of my thoughts and findings into writing will help me wade through the complexity of it all.
My hypothesis is that parents seem to fall into one of two camps. They are either afraid of harmful germs or they are afraid of harmful chemicals. Those that are afraid of germs buy various chemical-laden products to try to protect their families from germs. Those that are afraid of chemicals accept a greater risk of being exposed to germs.
I also think it is part of an overall approach or philosophy that I want to talk about at greater length in a future post, that being short-term parenting versus long-term parenting. I see the fear of germs as being part of short-term parenting - e.g. I don't want my child to be sick tomorrow or next week. I see the fear of chemicals as being long-term parenting - e.g. I don't want my child to develop cancer later in life.
What have I learned about germs?
I often wonder what people are carrying around in their huge diaper bags and I got another peek recently when a friend offered me a wipe especially designed to wipe down a public toilet before your child uses it. I politely declined. I also don't rub my hands with antibacterial gunk after anytime I touch anything that might have been touched by someone that might have some germs.
There are lots of kinds of germs out there. There are bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. These germs can create toxins, which in turn cause symptoms typical of common colds of the flu, like sniffles, sneezing, coughing, and diarrhea. But other toxins can cause high fever, increased heart rate, and even life-threatening illness (source: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/germs.html).
But there are also beneficial germs, like probiotics (that help us digest our food and maintain a healthy immune system) and when we use products that try to eliminate all germs, we elimate those beneficial germs too.
Anti-bacterial products are more and more popular, but some experts advise against them. There are several reasons (source: http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=babycare#antib):
What have I learned about chemicals?
It is hard to get the straight goods on chemicals. The problem is that there are too many companies that have too great a stake in keeping chemicals in the marketplace, so they spend a lot of money lobbying governments and funding research that will show that their products are safe. And then they spend even more money marketing those findings to consumers. They accuse those that do express concern of fear mongering. I'm not a scientist, so I can't get into the lab and try to figure out who is right. But I read what I can and try to look behind studies to see who funded them before making assessments about their validity.
There are a lot of green guides out there these days. It seems that magazine after magazine is picking up on the trend and publishing something on green products versus harmful products. When looking for healthier products, it is important to be careful of products claiming to be "green" products, since this term is not regulated. The Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia has put out a Guide to Less Toxic Products that has some good information on the harmful effects of some chemical products and suggestions about alternatives for personal care, household cleaning, baby products, and other categories.
I think it is also possible to reduce our degree of exposure to chemicals by doing research and understanding where the risk is highest. For example, some non-organic fruits and vegetables have been found to have higher pesticide residue than others. So there are some fruits and veggies that we should always buy organic and others where I am comfortable buying non-organic if the organic version is not available. I also use plastics, but try not to heat foods in platics and try to avoid plastics with Bisphenol A (BPA). But if I have to replace something (water bottles, food storage), I tend to choose products that are non plastic. Or I might use a non-stick pan for only the foods that are most likely to stick (eggs usually), but otherwise use a stainless steel pan or try alternate cooking methods (e.g. oven) to reduce exposure to chemicals that are used in non-stick products.
My conclusion
I'm certainly not a germaphobe, nor am I likely to become one. A few germs here and there are not the end of the world. Other than washing my hands after using the washroom and during food preparation and covering my mouth when I sneeze or cough, there isn't much that I do to prevent the spread of germs. Despite that, other than a rare mild cold, my son has only been sick once in his 3.5 years. And my daughter hasn't been sick yet. I attribute a lot of their good health to extended breastfeeding, which has provided them with years of beneficial antibodies and immunities.
However, chemicals are another story. They do scare me. Despite repeated statements by companies and to some extent health regulators that levels of [insert name of chemical] are low enough to be safe for human consumption, I really question the science behind that and wonder whether the increased use of various types of chemicals in our homes, our food, and our clothing isn't the reason behind increasing cancer rates. But they are hard to avoid and while I will make a greater effort to avoid them I think it will be a work in progress, one product at a time, as I educate myself and discover good alternatives. It is an overwhelming task to try to reduce or eliminate chemicals in our lives, but I think it is a worthwhile one for the future of our children.
1000 words so far and I still don't feel like I've even begun to do this topic justice......perhaps I'll have more on it in the future. But I'm also interested in your thoughts. What worries you more? Germs or chemicals? Why?
My hypothesis is that parents seem to fall into one of two camps. They are either afraid of harmful germs or they are afraid of harmful chemicals. Those that are afraid of germs buy various chemical-laden products to try to protect their families from germs. Those that are afraid of chemicals accept a greater risk of being exposed to germs.
I also think it is part of an overall approach or philosophy that I want to talk about at greater length in a future post, that being short-term parenting versus long-term parenting. I see the fear of germs as being part of short-term parenting - e.g. I don't want my child to be sick tomorrow or next week. I see the fear of chemicals as being long-term parenting - e.g. I don't want my child to develop cancer later in life.
What have I learned about germs?
I often wonder what people are carrying around in their huge diaper bags and I got another peek recently when a friend offered me a wipe especially designed to wipe down a public toilet before your child uses it. I politely declined. I also don't rub my hands with antibacterial gunk after anytime I touch anything that might have been touched by someone that might have some germs.
There are lots of kinds of germs out there. There are bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. These germs can create toxins, which in turn cause symptoms typical of common colds of the flu, like sniffles, sneezing, coughing, and diarrhea. But other toxins can cause high fever, increased heart rate, and even life-threatening illness (source: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/germs.html).
But there are also beneficial germs, like probiotics (that help us digest our food and maintain a healthy immune system) and when we use products that try to eliminate all germs, we elimate those beneficial germs too.
Anti-bacterial products are more and more popular, but some experts advise against them. There are several reasons (source: http://www.lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=babycare#antib):
- They are unnecessary
- They expose us to harmful chemicals
- They kill both harmful and helpful bacteria
- They contribute towards the development of resistant bacteria or super bugs that will require even more chemicals to fight
- They can be irritating and drying to the skin
What have I learned about chemicals?
It is hard to get the straight goods on chemicals. The problem is that there are too many companies that have too great a stake in keeping chemicals in the marketplace, so they spend a lot of money lobbying governments and funding research that will show that their products are safe. And then they spend even more money marketing those findings to consumers. They accuse those that do express concern of fear mongering. I'm not a scientist, so I can't get into the lab and try to figure out who is right. But I read what I can and try to look behind studies to see who funded them before making assessments about their validity.
There are a lot of green guides out there these days. It seems that magazine after magazine is picking up on the trend and publishing something on green products versus harmful products. When looking for healthier products, it is important to be careful of products claiming to be "green" products, since this term is not regulated. The Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia has put out a Guide to Less Toxic Products that has some good information on the harmful effects of some chemical products and suggestions about alternatives for personal care, household cleaning, baby products, and other categories.
I think it is also possible to reduce our degree of exposure to chemicals by doing research and understanding where the risk is highest. For example, some non-organic fruits and vegetables have been found to have higher pesticide residue than others. So there are some fruits and veggies that we should always buy organic and others where I am comfortable buying non-organic if the organic version is not available. I also use plastics, but try not to heat foods in platics and try to avoid plastics with Bisphenol A (BPA). But if I have to replace something (water bottles, food storage), I tend to choose products that are non plastic. Or I might use a non-stick pan for only the foods that are most likely to stick (eggs usually), but otherwise use a stainless steel pan or try alternate cooking methods (e.g. oven) to reduce exposure to chemicals that are used in non-stick products.
My conclusion
I'm certainly not a germaphobe, nor am I likely to become one. A few germs here and there are not the end of the world. Other than washing my hands after using the washroom and during food preparation and covering my mouth when I sneeze or cough, there isn't much that I do to prevent the spread of germs. Despite that, other than a rare mild cold, my son has only been sick once in his 3.5 years. And my daughter hasn't been sick yet. I attribute a lot of their good health to extended breastfeeding, which has provided them with years of beneficial antibodies and immunities.
However, chemicals are another story. They do scare me. Despite repeated statements by companies and to some extent health regulators that levels of [insert name of chemical] are low enough to be safe for human consumption, I really question the science behind that and wonder whether the increased use of various types of chemicals in our homes, our food, and our clothing isn't the reason behind increasing cancer rates. But they are hard to avoid and while I will make a greater effort to avoid them I think it will be a work in progress, one product at a time, as I educate myself and discover good alternatives. It is an overwhelming task to try to reduce or eliminate chemicals in our lives, but I think it is a worthwhile one for the future of our children.
1000 words so far and I still don't feel like I've even begun to do this topic justice......perhaps I'll have more on it in the future. But I'm also interested in your thoughts. What worries you more? Germs or chemicals? Why?
Reader Comments (10)
I blame chemicals for the super-bugs we're now fighting (and don't get me started on antibiotics). It's all a vicious cycle: use chemicals, create resistant bacteria, get sick, take antibiotics, wipe out the good bacteria, get attacked again by even worse bacteria...
Great point on short-term vs. long-term parenting!
Now I'm off to check out the rest of your blog. :)
[...] think it all boils down to what phdinparenting calls “short-term” vs. “long-term” parenting. In the short-term, bribing [...]
[...] versus long-term parenting Jump to Comments When I wrote recently about germs versus chemicals, I raised the concept of short-term parenting versus long-term parenting and mentioned that I [...]
I like your blog and mostly share your opinions on parenting. I am a scientist and I do read a lot on child care. Unfortunately since I am a mother, I cannot be really objective with respect to the child rearing advice I read -- I am very much influenced by my experience with my child. A bit like your post on feeding pureed food to your grown up child (and the "I-never-thought-I-would-be-like-that" comment left after it), I try to protect my son from germs (hand washing and keeping him from prolonged contact with sick people as much as possible, without being paranoid and without using chemicals). I have never been a germphobe either, but despite being very healthy, having a wonderful pregnancy, breast-feeding until the age of one, never having smoked, etc., my son has been sick quite often since he turned three and a half months old (when the antibodies from the breast milk are not quite enough anymore): with one bronchitis and two ear-infections in the last 10 months. Yes, I know that boys are statistically more likely to get sick, and yes, the protection of breast-feeding against ear infections means less than 3 per year (!), but this knowledge is cold comfort for me. I tell myself that the simple colds he has very often only mean more sleepless nights and no hospital visits or anything serious, so yes, I have no real reason to complain. But I am more protective of him with respect to germs as I would have liked. I also remember seeing a study that too many respiratory infections can have long term effects on the health (asthma is an obvious one, but both asthma and the infections might have another cause, so correlation does not have to mean causality here). It's perhaps not as simple as "germs: OK", "chemicals: not", not even in a broad sense. It all depends on the child and the parent, and my opinion is certainly just that -- an opinion.
[...] 18, 2008 by phdinparenting When I wrote recently about germs versus chemicals, I raised the concept of short-term parenting versus long-term parenting and mentioned that I [...]
[...] not always convinced, however, that all of these chemicals are as safe as the government contends, especially when some of them disagree with each other, [...]
[...] not always convinced, however, that all of these chemicals are as safe as the government contends, especially when some of them disagree with each other, [...]
As usual, I really appreciate your take on the issue. This is becoming more and more of an issue for me, and I like the idea of long term versus short term parenting. I am having to temper my enthusiasm for avoiding chemicals with some practical limits - like I can't ask my IL's to change their cleaning products. I like your approach of making the best choices in any situation.
I have been reading Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living for some inspiration and a have fallen in love with vinegar for keeping my bathroom clean and shiny :)
[...] Source of the post: Germs versus Chemicals [...]
Hello my name is Sarah and I am currently suffering from ocd. I have been struggling with the disorder for years. I am stuck. Terrified of the two. This topic is all I think about. I've realized I go through a bottle of germ x and all purpose cleaner everyday. Not only is it very costly but I feel I have done harm to my family. It will be by the grace okf God they will be unharmed. I pray I have not hurt them by trying to keep them safe. I need some good advice. I'm not sure what is real anymore.