What Are the Dangers of Toxic Chemicals to Children?

July 08, 2019 Leave a Comment

We want to keep our children safe from toxic chemicals. At home, we make sure our cleaning supplies, medicines, and other dangerous products are kept locked away, safe from the hands and natural curiosity of children. We trust our schools, daycares, churches, restaurants, and yes, even our doctors' offices and hospitals to use products that won't cause our kids harm either through direct contact or by inhalation. Unfortunately, many of the products we use to make these facilities safe are actually posing a threat. That's because many cleaners, particularly those used in commercial settings, are full of hidden dangers we don't even consider.


According to a report by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, "Since World War II, more than 80,000 new chemicals have been invented." The report goes on to state that as much as 75% of these chemicals are toxic and are regularly introduced into the environment. Some of these chemicals are found in many of our cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products and used both in commercial and residential settings. Furthermore, they are disposed of improperly, leaving the remnants to contaminate our water sources and other areas of the environment. The consequences of these chemicals are far reaching, particularly on our kids. This is why it's time we begin looking at ways to eliminate toxic chemicals in products we use all the time, especially around our kids.

Why Are Children More Affected by Toxins Than Adults?

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, children are actually more vulnerable to toxic chemicals than adults. There are many reasons for this. First, children are growing and developing rapidly. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry points out that changes in the way children's' organs function, their metabolic capabilities, their ever-changing physical traits (size or organs, etc.), and even their behavioral patterns (particularly their natural curiosity) are some of the reasons children can be more susceptible to the dangers of chemicals found in a variety of products, including everyday household products.

While extensive research has not completely made clear how children are harmed by toxic substances, federal health and environmental agencies such as the FDA and the EPA continue to focus on comparison of the vulnerabilities of children compared to adults when it comes to toxic substances. Studies done by both the EPA and FDA have shown that illnesses and dangers of toxic chemicals can begin in the womb and carry on through birth, throughout infancy, and into the early childhood years where developmental health is so important. This means almost constant exposure to potentially harmful chemicals during the most important times in a child's life.


Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc, a leader in children's environmental health and Director of the Children's Environmental Health Center (CEHC) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, states, "A large number of the chemicals in widest use have not undergone even minimal assessment of potential toxicity . . ." He goes on to suggest that "Knowledge of environmental causes of neurodevelopmental disorders is critically important because they are potentially preventable."

The Environmental Protection Agency backs up this statement by making it clear that research shows that fetuses and very young children are extremely sensitive to the effects of toxic chemicals. Why? Because during early development, there is rapid growth in organs, and in particular, the brain. The EPA goes on to state that, "In the US, researchers estimate that 5% of childhood cancer and 30% of childhood asthma are related to chemical exposures." In some cases, the negative health effects that stem from exposure to toxic chemicals doesn't even present for decades. This is because children, unlike adults, have more time to develop illnesses caused by early exposure to toxic chemicals. These illnesses range from mild allergies to cancer and even autism.

Where Do We Start to Make Changes?

A good place to start making changes is in the area of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products we use on a regular basis. Many of these products are loaded with harmful chemicals, especially those used in commercial settings. Some products are falsely marketed as "green" to trick the public into thinking they're safe and pose no risk. Unfortunately, there is currently no legal definition of this term and using them on a product's label does not guarantee they are safe. There are agencies, however, including the FDA and the EPA, working to identify products that are safer for human health, wildlife, and the environment while still being effective.

GenEon has been working for years to create safe cleaners and sanitizing and disinfecting products that are toxic free. GenEon products are made with on-site generation technology. This allows consumers to create sustainable products as needed using nothing more than natural minerals, water, and electricity. Because the products are created by consumers as they are needed, they are cost effective as well.


GenEon cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products are created using electrolyzed water. It works like this: natural minerals like salt are comprised of sodium and chloride. With on-site generation, sodium ions are positively charged while chloride ions are negatively charged. Our onsite generators expose these ions to a low electrical charge. The positive side of the charge electrochemically converts the chloride ion (Cl) to hypochlorous acid (HOCl), which is a powerful sanitizer, and the negative side of the charge electrochemically converts the sodium ion (Na) into sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which is a cleaning compound frequently found in soaps and detergents. What makes GenEon's OSG system different than others is that it uses a Blended Stream System, taking advantage of both versions in one solution. The hypochlorous acid is represented as a free available chlorine (FAC) with 80-200 times the sanitizing power of chlorine bleach. This means you get powerful cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting solutions with less risk than you find in traditional products.

GenEon products are ideal for commercial and residential environments. Used in conjunction with our advanced delivery systems and on-site generation technology, it's easy to create and disperse sustainable cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting solutions in small, hard-to-reach areas or over large areas. GenEon products are safe enough to be used in many different environments, including health-related facilities and in areas where there is food preparation. Our products are also ideal for schools, daycares, and other facilities where children are present.

To learn more about how GenEon's technology can help you begin to build a safer future for our children and the environment around they live in, call us at 866.217.0205.


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