|
|
Are kids being exposed to toxic chemicals in their everyday lives?
A biomonitoring project began in 2018 seeks to answer that question and is coming to Cook County.
According to the press release, “The Healthy Kids Minnesota program will give us a picture of children’s exposure to harmful chemicals across the state. We will determine whether chemical levels differ between groups and over time. Although the program will not study specific health effects in participants, the findings can tell us if more action is needed to protect preschoolers from chemicals, so they are ready to learn and succeed in school.”
Annika Linkenbach, a public health nursing intern for Carlton County Public Health and Human Services is teaming up with the Minnesota Department of Health on Healthy Kids Minnesota.
“The purpose of this project is to determine what chemicals children ages 3-6 years old are exposed to through foods, water, toys, pesticides etc., to prevent this exposure and improve health outcomes. The counties being studied for this year’s project include Carlton, Cook, Bois Forte Reservation and Fond du Lac Reservation included in St. Louis County,” she said to the Cook County News-Herald.
“The program is funded by the CDC for a total of five years, and every year they rotate regions of Minnesota, Linkenbach said. “This year they are only gathering data in the Northeast regions, so the only commitment parents and children will have will be collecting one urine sample this year and there will no other commitments.
“Where the Head Start Screenings
( education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/elsprog/start/before) are offered, we will also offer information about the Healthy Kids Project when children and their families go in for their appointment. My mission is to make sure that families have an awareness or familiarity with our program to potentially increase participants – so when their children are already being seen for their head start screening, we can also offer to collect the urine samples in that same appointment if families are interested. Families will be later contacted with their child’s results and with more information about prevention if certain chemical levels are high,” added Linkenbach.
Children’s developing bodies are especially vulnerable to chemical exposures. Healthy Kids Minnesota will give us a picture of children’s chemical exposures statewide. Through the program we will learn if more action is needed to protect preschoolers from chemicals, so they are ready to learn and do well in school. Results will help inform families, address community concerns, and promote policies that reduce childhood exposures and create healthy neighborhoods and homes for kids.
The program will work with local public health and school district partners to recruit three- to six-year-old children with parental consent and collect a urine sample during their Early Childhood Screening appointments.
During the Early Childhood Screening appointment, families can choose to join the program and complete a short survey. Their child provides a urine sample. If they choose, families will receive their child’s individual results in the mail, along with information on how to avoid the chemicals on the list. If a child’s urine has high levels of certain chemicals, a call will be made to the family to help figure out how the child may be coming into contact with the chemicals and how to avoid them in the future. After being collected at the child’s Early Childhood Screening visit, the urine samples will go to the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory to be analyzed for the list of chemicals above. Leftover urine will be destroyed after testing in the region is complete unless families give permission to have it tested in the future.
The Public Health Laboratory at MDH will measure more than 45 chemicals, including:
• Metals found in drinking water, air pollution, and some foods and products.
• Pesticides used in agriculture and to control pests in and around the home.
• Phthalates found in personal care products, toys, and some foods.
• Flame retardants found in household products like furniture and toys.
• Environmental phenols found in personal care products, toys, and some foods.
• Air pollution markers found in air pollution from industry and vehicles, smoking, eating some foods, and fires/smoke.
Leave a Reply