Preschool kids more prone to food-borne toxins

With a new school year opening soon, this e-mail we received from Richard Gutierrez (again, not the actor, but our friend from Ban Toxics, 26 Matalino St., Suite 332, Eagle Court, Diliman, Quezon City; telefax 3557640; www.bantoxics.org) couldn’t have come at a better time.

His note reads:

I hope you’re doing well.  I came across an article on preschool children being particularly vulnerable to food-borne toxins, which I thought your readers might be interested in.  Some of the advice might be too “western,” but I think the concepts remain true, whether in the developed world or developing world.

Worth noting is the need to vary the food we eat.  Although the article mentions going the organic route for most Filipinos, I think varying the foods we eat — that is, eating different types of vegetables and fruits, avoiding meat, and eating more fish — is still quite applicable.

But it is worth mentioning that at the end of the day, it is vigilance and paying attention to what we eat that count.  It’s about letting the brain take over instead of the stomach, when it comes to deciding what food to eat.  Especially so if the choice we’re making as parents is for our preschool children.

Allow us to share with you parents that news item:

In a sobering study published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers at UC Davis and UCLA measured food-borne toxin exposure in children and adults by pinpointing foods with high levels of toxic compounds and determining how much of these foods were consumed. The researchers found that family members in the study, and preschool children in particular, are at high risk for exposure to arsenic, dieldrin, DDE (a DDT metabolite), dioxins, and acrylamide. These compounds have been linked to cancer, developmental disabilities, birth defects, and other conditions. However, the study also points to dietary modifications that could mitigate risk.

“Contaminants get into our food in a variety of ways,” said study principal investigator Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor and chief of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health at UC Davis. “They can be chemicals that have nothing to do with the food or by-products from processing. We wanted to understand the dietary pathway pesticides, metals, and other toxins take to get into the body.

Researchers assessed risk by comparing toxin consumption to established benchmarks for cancer risk and non-cancer health risks. All 364 children in the study (207 preschool children between two and seven, and 157 school-age children between five and seven) exceeded cancer benchmarks for arsenic, dieldrin, DDE and dioxins. In addition, more than 95 percent of preschool children exceeded non-cancer risk levels for acrylamide, a cooking by-product often found in processed foods like potato and tortilla chips. Pesticide exposure was particularly high in tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers, grapes, lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, dairy, pears, green beans, and celery.

The results of this study demonstrate a need to prevent exposure to multiple toxins in young children to lower their cancer risk.”

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Celebrities race to fight poverty

Picture It girl Anne Curtis, entrepreneur and heir to the Belo beauty empire Cristalle Belo Henares, beauty queen Miriam Quiambao, and TV host Christine Bersola-Babao locked in a bruising race — to stop poverty in its tracks.

It’s a different kind of race, it’s amazing! These celebrities have taken up the challenge of  “World Vision Celebrities for Children: The Race for Hope” to help uplift the lives of poor children in the country. Out to prove that they have beautiful hearts to match their lovely faces, these celebrity challengers are joining a race to get 1,000 indigent children sponsored by their families, friends, and fans.

World Vision associate director for public engagement Jun Godornes explains the mechanics of the race: “The celebrities may use any fund-raising strategy as long as it abides by World Vision’s ethical guidelines and child protection policies. They may tap as many channels as they wish — social media, conduct of special events, media guestings, etc. But the celebrities themselves shall initiate these engagements.”

Godornes adds, “Through this project, World Vision celebrities will have the opportunity to experience deeper and meaningful engagements, making them ambassadors for children and fundraisers-in-action.”

World Vision is a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Its mission/vision is to see to it that children enjoy good health, are educated for life, are cared for and protected, and experience the love of God and their neighbors.

So, shall we stop, look, and help?

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To support your favorite celebrity and help World Vision, visit www.worldvision.org.ph/campaigns/celebrity-for-children/race.html.