Meet David Steinman, an environmental activist, investigative journalist, and author who has worked to expose the dangers of chemical toxins in our daily lives. Steinman’s 1990 bestselling book, Food for a polluted planethas highlighted the dangers of hidden chemicals in our food. In his latest book, Raising Healthy Kids: Protecting Your Child from Hidden Chemical Toxinsexplores how everyday products contribute to this health crisis and offers practical advice for parents to reduce their children’s exposure to these hidden dangers and create a safer environment for the next generation. According to several studies, cancer cases in people under 50 increased by 79% between 1990 and 2019, and a study published in Nature found that more than half of the cancers studied and 8 out of 14 diseases were related to the digestive system. Highly processed foods and many apparently natural products that are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides that aren’t listed on the label are making us sick.
Rising rates of childhood illnesses, including developmental and behavioral disorders, are increasingly being linked by experts to environmental factors. For example, exposure to pesticides, particularly organophosphate pesticides, has been linked to increased rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and decreased cognitive function in children. David’s new book also explores the role of nature in developing personality and as an antidote to some of the harm that chemicals cause in childhood. David explains that parents can make efforts on a budget: consider putting a water filter on the tap to filter the air in your home (an inexpensive option available in almost every household); and choose organic produce at the grocery store. Most importantly, you can take action by getting your kids outside, writing letters calling for tighter chemical regulations, or becoming a citizen enforcer to denounce dangerous toxic products in your area. Raising Healthy Kids: Protecting Your Child from Hidden Chemical Toxins On Amazon and Powell’s Books.
