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Home › Articles › Decorating Children's Rooms › Nursery Safety Checklist

Nursery Safety Checklist

Tips for Designing Baby's Room

By Jacqueline Rupp

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Beyond the Basics
"Currently, the use of more than 70,000 chemicals is allowed in the United States," says Cindy Vallo, director of lung disease prevention programs for the American Lung Association of Southeast Florida and author of its recent clean air campaign A Baby's Breath"

"Little is known about the health effects of the majority of these chemicals on children," she says. "Our purpose is to educate parents about ways to limit their child's exposure to airborne pollutants and irritants. Air pollution affects children more than adults because of children's narrow airways, more rapid rate of respiration and the facts that they inhale more pollutants per pound of body weight."

Some of the most common pollutants that might be in your home include carbon monoxide, radon, environmental tobacco smoke, asbestos, formaldehyde and mercury.

Because children spend the first few years of life close to the floor, their exposure levels, from dust, soil, carpets and pesticides, can be a lot higher than adults. Here are some ways the American Lung Association recommends cutting down on exposure:

  • Make your home and car smoke-free.
  • Avoid using pesticides. Instead, use bait traps or insecticide that is recognized as safe for use around children and pets by the FDA. (Make sure bait traps are not within reach of children, however, because they are still highly toxic.)
  • Use paints that contain no volatile organic chemicals (VOC). Choose water-based paints.
  • Ask your paint supplier about environmentally friendly lines, as most paint companies now offer them.
  • Do not use all the air freshener products on the market.
  • Avoid strong cleaning products such as those containing bleach and ammonia, which are strong airway irritants.

    • Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

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