| How health care sometimes hurts patients and the environment By
Evie Bain
eviebain@mnarn.org
From the Massachusetts Nurse newsletter
Vol. 76 No. 2
At a recent meeting of A Health Tomorrow
and The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, I had the pleasure to learn
about The National Pediculosis Association and non-toxic alternatives to
treating head lice.
Individual toxicity
The chemicals in pesticides used in
conventional treatment for head lice, can be absorbed through the skin and
inhaled by both child and the parent or whoever is applying the chemical.
Pesticides accumulate in the body and build up to toxic levels over time,
especially since many other products that are used frequently contain
pesticides, i.e., sun screen products containing insect repellant or
insect repellant itself (very toxic products indeed).
Adverse reactions
Headache, nausea, confusion, dizziness
are noted as immediate reactions to absorbed or inhaled pesticides.
They are also associated with long term health consequences including
certain cancers.
Environmental toxicity
The chemicals in these products can also
be found in ground water because they are not bio-degradable. They
are in a class of chemicals known as bio-accumulative toxins or BAT's.
Non-toxic alternatives exist
The National Pediculosis Association has
a kit and a process called the LiceMeister and information about this
product is available at its website
www.headlice.org.
|
