The Big DumpTruck

I just saw a link for an in-depth article in the Worcester Telegram that says "Household Dust a Health Concern."

Uh oh.

I read a little further, and learned that my shower curtain could be killing me. Well, okay, not in so many words, but the chemicals used to make it are linked to asthma and male infertility. And the dust in the house contains traces of these chemicals. Same for the chemicals used in non-stick pots and pans. Now I'm not a reactive person, but if this is an excuse for me to replace my 13 year old T-Fal set with the stuff coming off with a brandy-new set of Calphalon anodized pots and pans to match my Everyday Pan, well, I'm going to start those wheels turning. I don't want to eat or breath scraped-off non-stick coating.

Of course, most of the toxic chemical dust in our house comes from cleaning products. So then there's the age old dilemma - do I avoid cleaning and keep out chemicals, or do I clean to remove the toxic dust? (I know, I know, there are chemical free products. But the smell of Simple Green gives me the dry heaves (literally) so it's not that easy. Actually, I like Kaboom, which is supposed to be low-chemical. I think. Maybe it's time for more research.)

All joking aside, one thing a woman in the article says that actually shocked me is that "There is a high incidence of autism, asthma and autoimmune illness in our community" and "about 28 percent of the children in Leominster are experiencing learning disabilities."

Whaaaaat? I have never heard this, and I don't know what research out there backs up this statement. I know about the unbelievably high incidence of autism, especially in children whose parents who grew up in the vicinity of the old Foster Grant plant. I heard specifically the neighborhood of my old elementary school, which had a stream running behind it that may have had factory runoff, making the kids playing near it the equivalent of the 3-eyed nuclear power plant fish in the Simpsons.

But 28 percent have learning disabilities? I'd like to know where this number is coming from, and when it all started. Because I grew up here and I'd say that the number was nowhere NEAR that when I was a kid, and I don't personally know of any other kids (via daycare, preschool, kindergarten, baseball, soccer, etc.) with those problems. Not that the kids aren't out there, but 28 percent would indicate that I'd have run into quite a few of those kids by now.

Anyway, back to the main point - I have to decide whether or not to let the dust in my house continue to pile up. I'm leaning toward "yes."