Choosing Household Products That Won't Harm Your Kids

May 5, 2006 — -- Justine Guarda has made a lot of changes since her daughter Eva came along, but some have nothing to do with her sleep schedule or daily routine.

She's one of a number of parents who are changing their household products out of concern that the chemicals will lead to future health problems for their children.

Guarda uses natural cleaners, chlorine-free diapers and searches for shampoos without the chemical sodium lauryl sulfate that she believes is linked to cancer.

"I'm thinking about the health and safety of my family," Guarda said.

But despite a widely circulated e-mail warning of the dangers of sodium lauryl sulfate, the American Cancer Society says the chemical has not been shown to cause cancer.

'Prudence Without Paranoia'

Easy access to information may be leading to more confusion than solutions. Guarda often researches chemicals on the Web and shares her concerns through e-mails to other parents at her daughter's preschool, but with so much information for parents to digest, scientists caution it can go too far.

"I have a saying, 'prudence without paranoia'," said Dave Eaton of the University of Washington. "I'd say do your research. Look for objective sources of information."

Even that can be tough. Another parent said he is worried about buying a new couch. "We're having a hard time finding anything that's not treated with all sorts of unknown chemicals," said John Kaiser.

Guarda shops for European pajamas for the same reason, to avoid flame-retardant chemicals known as PBDEs.

But that may be overzealous. While these chemicals have been associated with health risks, a chemical industry group claims they're no longer found in children's sleepwear.

Still, children's environmental specialist Leo Trasande says parents are right to worry.

"You can't rewind a child's development, and unfortunately, when a chemical causes a toxic injury the effects of that exposure can be lifelong," Trasande said.

There are roughly 80,000 chemicals in use in this country, with 2,800 used widely. But of those, less than half have been thoroughly studied for toxicity.

To offer some guidance, doctors say parents should avoid the big risks: Mercury in fish, lead paint and smoking.

"I'm not going to spend all my days concerned and stressed out, but I will do what I can," Guarda said.

"For your children, it's a no-brainer," Kaiser said.