What Parents Can Do Have your child assessed for environmental sensitivities Seek support and information Make lifestyle changes eat tolerated food use tolerated water avoid pets, if necessary use tolerated cleaning and laundry products dust and vacuum more often reduce chemical exposures have a smoke- and scent-free home use safe renovation products reduce VOCs Communicate with teacher and school board

 

If you suspect that your child may be experiencing adverse reactions:

• Have your child assessed for environmental sensitivities by a physician specializing in environmental medicine.

• Join a support group for persons with environmental sensitivities, such as the Allergy and Environmental Health Association (see Appendix B).

• Modify your lifestyle and home environment:

• Avoid foods which cause adverse reactions.

• Use tolerated water for drinking and cooking.

• Determine if pets are a contributing factor. If so, address the problem.

• Use tolerated, non-odorous, unscented, non-toxic, volatile-organic-compound-free, environmentally appropriate cleaning and laundry products.

• Dust and vacuum more often.

• Reduce chemical exposures (including the removal of synthetic carpeting, particularly from your child's bedroom).

• Eliminate the use of scented personal care, laundry and cleaning products.

• Establish your home as a smoke- and scent-free environment.

• Use appropriate pesticides (borax) and bactericides (benzalkonium chloride and hydrogen peroxide) with appropriate caution.

• Check tolerability before introducing new building materials.

• Avoid products which contain volatile organic compounds.

• Communicate openly with your child's teacher, principal and, if necessary, the school board administration with respect to your child's needs at school.

• Provide the school with a written health record with all pertinent information. This information should be retained on the student's record for ready access by all staff, as needed.

• Refer to publications (see Bibliography) such as: Is This Your Child? by Doris J. Rapp and Non-Toxic, Natural and Earthwise: How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Harmful Products and Live in Harmony With the Earth by Debra Lynn Dadd.