|
|
|
The Newsletter of the Children's Environmental Health Center December 2011
|
|
Our Mission: Protecting Children Against Environmental Threats to Health
|
|
|
|
Dr. Philip J. Landrigan
Director, CEHC
|
|
Dear Friends of the Children's Environmental Health Center:
Happy holidays from our team at CEHC! As our gift to you, we have dedicated our December issue of Raising Healthy Children to helping you identify the safest gifts for your children. When reviewing holiday presents, make sure to follow our simple guidelines. We also share our Greening Our Children green tip of the week, which teaches how to pick safer holiday candles for your home. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!
Sincerely,
Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc
Director, Children's Environmental Health Center
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
|
|
Our Guide to Choosing Safer Toys
Read labels and avoid bright, painted products.
This holiday season, make sure only the safest gifts enter your home. From lead in painted toys to cadmium in costume jewelry, certain presents can bring unsafe toxins into your house.
To choose the safest holiday gifts, our team recommends following these simple guidelines:
- Check to make sure your toys are painted with lead-free paint.
- Stay clear of brightly painted toys; these often contain high levels of lead.
- Look for labels that read PVC-free or BPA-free when choosing plastic toys.
- Avoid older toys and hand-me-downs; they may not meet current safety standards.
Which toys are the safest? Dr. Landrigan recommends the following alternatives:
- Unpainted wooden toys.
- Toys made from natural materials, like wool or cotton.
- Sporting equipment, like gloves and balls.
- Books and magazines.
Less is more! When choosing toys for your children, it is important to remember that less presents are better, says Mount Sinai pediatrician Susan Samuels, MD. According to Dr. Samuels, who was quoted in last week's Huffington Post, "too many gifts can be overstimulating for children."
To learn more about safe and healthy gifts, visit Kids Health's guide or check out Healthy Child Healthy World's trusted partners.
|
Green Tip of the Week: Choose Safer Candles
Each week, we will be posting a new green tip on the Greening Our Children online journal. Greening Our Children is our annual benefit luncheon, with all proceeds benefiting CEHC's research into the environmental causes of childhood disease.
This week, our team teaches you how to choose safer candles. Click here to learn more.
|
Did you miss our annual symposium?
|
SAVE THE DATE!
The next Greening Our Children Meeting is Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
Featuring a presentation by Kevin Chatham-Stephens, MD,
who will discuss how fracking affects children's health.
10:00am - 12:00pm
Audubon Greenwich
631 Riversville Road,
Greenwich, CT
Click here to download the flier
Click here to RSVP
Click here to see photos from our last meeting
Learn more about the event at www.MountSinaiGOCluncheon.org
|
|
About the Children's Environmental Health Center
www.cehcenter.org
Formally established in 2007, the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center (CEHC) builds on Dr. Philip J. Landrigan's three decades of work in children's environmental health and fifteen years of research in environmental pediatrics at Mount Sinai. CEHC has established itself as a leading source of scientifically credible information on issues related to children's health and the environment. Our mission is to protect children against environmental threats to health. We do this by guiding, supporting, and building the programs of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
 
|
|
In 2010, the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center was designated a Collaborating Centre in Children's Environmental Health by the World Health Organization.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
