If you saw Sarah Beeny’s documentary "Beauty Addicts: How toxic are you?" last week, this second program is a must, especially if you’re a parent.
This time around Sarah is investigating the synthetic chemicals that our kids are exposed to in their everyday lives and how this can affect their behaviour and health. Unbeknownst to most of us, children come into contact with literally thousands of chemicals on a daily basis, many of which have potentially harmful effects.
After testing ten different families to see what they were each being exposed to on a regular basis, one family was picked to try using chemical-light alternatives instead of their usual products to see how this changed their chemical intake and toxin levels.
Food and drinks are one of the main contributors to the manmade chemicals in our lives.
The additives can generally be recognised by an E-number and are used as preservatives or to add colour, smell, thickness or flavour. Some that you may recognise include the sweeteners aspartame (E951), saccharin (E954) and sorbitol (E420), the colourings tartrazine (E102) and sunset yellow (E110), the emulsifier lecithin (E322) and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate MSDG (E621).
In September, scientists at Southampton University released the results of a study which confirmed fears that some of these additives could have negative affects on children’s behaviour.
The Food Standards Agency has gone so far as to recommend that children who exhibit any signs of hyperactivity or ADHD should avoid certain E-numbers in order not to exacerbate the problem.
As discovered in the first program, it is not only food that contains these potentially harmful manmade chemicals. Other sources include household cleaning products and toiletries.
As with
the toiletries, we recommend familiarising yourself with the names of the chemicals you want to avoid and get into the habit of looking at the labels when you’re out shopping.
You’ll probably be surprised at what you find in many of your usual, supposedly healthy, purchases!
For chemical free skin and hair care products for your children, click
here.
How toxic are your kids? Channel 4, Thursday October 18, 8pm.