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A Home Renovation Risk Everyone Should Know
Blog Of The Week
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
by Mindy Allen, Director, Preconception Plan
My son Haddon was not your average newborn baby. Haddon had terrible problems digesting his formula, bloody stools on regular occasion, and a piercing scream. - the intensity and frequency of which convinced me that something was very wrong. His constant abnormal behavior did not stop until two years later when Haddon was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), a disorder found on the Autistic Spectrum.
My husband and I spent the next few weeks researching treatments to try and help our son. Fortunately, we found a doctor who specializes in environmental medicine. This doctor reasoned that Haddon’s digestive and immune system was like an elevator whose capacity had been overloaded and he wanted to remove all toxins from his body to eliminate any further detrimental effects. He suggested that Haddon’s body was reacting negatively to the pesticides and aerosols we were using in our house. He also hypothesized that the renovation to our 1925 home likely triggered Haddon’s problems. In our efforts to improve our home, we had unwittingly exposed our developing baby to contaminants like lead dust from the old paint in our walls. Sure enough, results from a hair analysis showed Haddon had extremely elevated lead levels.
We immediately put Haddon on a gluten free/casein free diet and I began to use only non-toxic products in the house. We now had renewed hope and a plan for Haddon that included environmental control, various vitamins and minerals for nutritional support, and a new diet. Later on, we began chelation treatment in order to further flush the toxics from Haddon’s system.
Our efforts seemed to have immediate results. We saw significant improvements with his eye contact and his ability to communicate improved daily. Nine months after Haddon’s first evaluation, he was re-evaluated by the same state agency. Haddon jumped from 13 month receptive language skills to the level of a 2 year 7 month old child (An 18 month gain in 9 months!). His expressive language skills jumped from 12 months to 22 months. His eye contact had vastly improved along with his ability to engage and play with other children. Altogether, he was making outstanding progress. We continued the environmental control, diet, nutritional support, chelation, as well as speech and occupational therapies.
This alternative biomedical treatment transformed our son’s development. Eighteen months after his first evaluation, he was talking appropriately for his age and had mastered most age specific tasks. Haddon had his final evaluation in 2006 at the age of five. The Children’s Development Service Agency that diagnosed him at age two concluded that not only did he lose his diagnosis altogether, but that he would also no longer need an Individual Education Plan (IEP). My husband and I were overcome with a profound sense of joy, relief, and gratitude to be able to drop our son off at kindergarten with this entire crisis completely behind us.
This experience led me to start Preconception Plan, a non-profit whose mission is to help prevent childhood diseases and disorders by implementing an individually tailored regimen for all would be parents prior to conception. Our success has already been overwhelming. By helping people live healthier, like by following the “5 Easy Steps” outlined by Healthy Child, Healthy World, we have seen over 75% of previously infertile couples go on to have healthy babies!
Having fertility issues or having a child diagnosed with a disease or disorder can be both emotionally and financially disastrous for a young couple. When implemented effectively, preconception planning significantly reduces these risks. Learn more at PreconceptionPlan.com.
Editor’s Note: Mindy’s story is especially important in light of the recent EPA lead rule requiring contractors to be trained and certified prior to renovating old homes in order to prevent lead contamination. Unfortunately, many contractors are skipping the training in order to keep their costs down - and many homeowners are opting for the contractors with lower rates. Healthy Child strongly recommends precaution in the case of lead which can pose substantial health risks in very minute amounts.
“Ask to see the contractor's EPA RRP certification or choose a certified contractor from the EPA's website,” says Tamara Rubin, founder of Lead Safe America and Healthy Child Mom on a Mission nominee, whose family was also impacted by lead exposure during a renovation. “We hired a contractor to paint our house who claimed to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, but was not. As a result, our children were poisoned and it cost us over $200,000 to relocate, de-contaminate our home & return the property to a lead-safe condition. Six years later this incident has left our children with learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum symptoms, immune system deficiencies, sensory processing disorder and a host of other issues.”
Clearly, lead is no small issue and it is just one of many when it comes to building and renovating homes. On June 9, 2009, acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson released “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes“ to focus attention on the public health impact of housing. Among other things, this Call to Action outlined steps for a society-wide, comprehensive approach to healthy homes that would result in the greatest possible public health impact and reduce disparities in the availability of healthy, safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly homes. Healthy Child supports this effort and invites you to learn more about the issue by reading other submissions we received for this week’s Blog of the Week:
- “Are You Concerned About Health Hazards In Building Materials? Start By Doing Your Homework” by Rachel of Greener Everyday Consulting
- “What’s In Your Walls? Toxic Building And Repair Materials To Avoid” by Charise of I Thought I Knew Mama
- “Get To Know Your Home: Are There Toxins In The Walls?” by Lori of Groovy Green Livin
We also encourage you to check out Healthy Child’s Healthy Home, a model home built outside Chicago last year - as well as former CEO, Christopher Gavigan, and wife, Jessica Capshaw’s eco-renovation - both featured in the latest issue of Cambria Style Magazine.
Interested in being a part of our blogger network? Sign-up today!
Posted by Kristen for LeadFreeKids.org on 08/16/2011 at 12:20 PM
Hi Mindy,
I just wanted to let you know we posted your informative blog entry on the Lead Free Kids Facebook fan page. https://www.facebook.com/LeadFreeKids We appreciate you sharing your story and support of this very important but preventable issue.
We are working to create a group of educated and highly active e-advocates to get out there and tell anyone and everyone about this issue, in hopes to help prevent further occurrences. We would love it if you joined us! If you are interested we have a toolkit that will help!
We have tons more info and resources if you are interested on our website, Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Here are the links!
http://www.youtube.com/leadfreekids
http://twitter.com/#!/LeadFreeKids
http://www.leadfreekids.org/
https://www.facebook.com/LeadFreeKids
Please let us know if I can assist you in anyway.
Best,
Kristen for Lead Free Kids.org
Posted by Christa on 08/16/2011 at 11:34 AM
Yes, absolutely agree with this article. Some home renovation tips everyone can take of would probably reduce any risks to your children. I actually got some interior soundproof windows from CitiQuiet and those do a wonderful job of keeping a lot of allergens and pollen out of my home in addition to keeping noise levels down.
Posted by Ira | Chicago and Suburb on 07/28/2011 at 07:01 AM
Its good to know that Haddon is doing great improvements. I’m glad that this story was shared so that other women can learn from Mindy.
Posted by how to remove skin tags on 07/26/2011 at 12:30 PM
Hi Mindy,
I am sadden by your story of the suffering your son Haddon must have experienced (evidenced by his piercing scream), but I am impress with the love, care and concern manifested by a real mother and father.
You blazed the trail of a noble task. Thank you.
Posted by Jan katzen-Luchenta on 07/23/2011 at 10:11 AM
Mindy, thanks for your insight and amazing story about Haddon. Your dedication and tenacity to follow your intuition and not accept the status quo has renewed our vision of healthcare. Our viewfinders have been recalibrated.
Young children are physiologically immature. Incomplete function of excretory organs including low levels of plasma protein capable of binding toxic chemicals makes detoxification of environmental contaminants insufficient. The developing nervous system is especially vulnerable, particularly the under-developed blood-brain barrier. A good example is lead. A child absorbs 50% of digested lead while an adult absorbs 5-10%.
Tip of the iceberg
Have a look at published data on this common environmental contaminant found in every day foods ~
Associated symptoms of artificial food coloring (made from petrochemicals)
Aggressiveness, irritability, violence, sleep disturbances, poor coordination, poor speech, impairment of visual motor tracking and balance, blurred vision, inattention, easily distracted, fidgetiness, immune suppression, development of asthma and/or skin conditions i.e., eczema, hives, metabolic and physiological changes i.e., thyroid, EEG, heart rate, chromosomal damage (carcinogenic). (The aforementioned are referenced in animal and human studies.)
Infants: extreme restlessness, poor and irregular sleep patterns, excessive crying or screaming, rejected affection, poor feeders.
I am a preconception, prenatal, and children’s nutritionist. Please contact me for a complimentary 20-30 minute consult.
Jan Katzen-Luchenta AMI CFP
www.nutritionforlearning.com
Posted by Ronnie on 07/23/2011 at 03:57 AM
Incredible story, Mindy. So many children are going to be at risk as some elected officials are lobbying hard to weaken the lead clearance dust testing after renovation ruling.
Here’s more on the lead issue from Moms Clean Air Force: http://www.momscleanairforce.org/2011/07/20/who’s-watching-the-children/
Posted by Janelle Sorensen on 07/22/2011 at 02:05 PM
Betsy, I found this on the EPA site:
Are you planning to buy or rent a home built before 1978?
Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly.
Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renting or buying a pre-1978 housing:
LANDLORDS must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. Leases must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint.
SELLERS must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before selling a house. Sales contracts must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint. Buyers have up to ten days to check for lead hazards.
Visit their site for more info and call the lead hotline if you still have questions. http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#buy
Posted by Betsy (Eco-novice) on 07/22/2011 at 01:25 PM
I have a question—how long after renovating is lead-contamination a risk (if the renovation was not done with the proper precautions)? We rent and I would like to know what questions to ask about this for homes we are considering renting in the future.
Posted by Felicia Nicks on 07/22/2011 at 11:47 AM
Thanks! I hope to be in the 75% :)
Posted by cmw on 07/22/2011 at 11:33 AM
Amazing story. Such great results from thinking outside of the box and being proactive. Thank you for sharing!
Posted by Calli | Wedding Favors on 07/22/2011 at 05:43 AM
I know it was never easy but I am glad that Haddon is doing fine now. It can be frustrating that ignorance, carelessness, or lack of information can result to this. My sister developed asthma because of the baby powder puff we used on her when she was a baby. She must have inhaled the powder most of the time.
Posted by EPA approved lead test kits on 07/21/2011 at 01:34 AM
There’s big news in the building industry today as Congress voted in favor of an NLBMDA-approved amendment that will stop EPA Lead Rule enforcement until a reliable test kit is found and approved.
Posted by kthiruselvam on 07/20/2011 at 05:02 PM
INDOOR LIVING has become dangerously polluted with an entire range of fumes coming off chemicals, furniture varnishes, pesticides, sprays, aerosols, kitchen gas stoves and a host of other unwanted pollutes from wall paints, dust, pollen, dust mites and so on.
BEDROOMS where all of us spend the most time are now labelled as “BAD ROOMS”. Bedrooms are five times or more dirtier than the inside of the house, which is two or three times dirtier than the outside.
DO ATTEND to the interior of your house, car and workplace as well. Read more at http://bedroomupkeep.blogspot.com or http://airandyou.blogspot.com
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Posted by Grace Wahlbrink on 08/17/2011 at 10:20 AM
Mindy, thank you for sharing your story! It’s such a relief to know that Haddon is doing well now. As you may already know lead poisoning affect 1 million children today, so it is still a real problem for our kids. I’m working on a Lead Poisoning Prevention campaign sponsored by the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, the EPA, HUD and the Ad Council and am curious if you would like to share your story with our online community through Facebook. Here’s a link to our website: http://leadfreekids.org/ and Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LeadFreeKids if you’d like to check it out.
It’s so important to share these stories so that other families can protect themselves from the dangers! If you’re interested in joining our efforts you can reach me through leadfreekids@gmail.com!