*Note: This post originally ran on the now discontinued Dallas Moms Blog…the information is still vitally important for parents, so I wanted to share it here! *

According to the Encarta Dictionary, a toxin is: a substance that accumulates in the body and causes it harm. I would venture to say that most people know that we encounter “toxins” on a daily basis. What you may not know is how frequently we encounter certain toxins and what effects they can have on your children.

Not long after our son, Ethan, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2006, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD,) I started searching for tangible ways I could help him. As I delved into the research, I learned about biomedical treatments. Thanks to Jenny McCarthy and lots of very dedicated and brilliant medical doctors with Autistic children themselves, biomedical treatments have become more popular and better understood in the past few years.

Prior to Ethan’s formal diagnosis I toyed with diet changes and found that he is sensitive to gluten (the protein found in wheat, rye and barley.) For many kids, gluten and/or casein (the protein found in milk and dairy products) act as poisons in the bodies of susceptible children. Today Ethan eats a completely gluten-free diet (along with a number of other necessary restrictions.)

With the help of Dr. Seshagiri Rao, a wonderful local DAN! doctor (Defeat Autism Now!) we ran lab tests a couple years ago to determine how Ethan’s various systems were working. Astonishingly, we discovered that he had a terrible yeast-overgrowth in his intestines, was extremely deficient in some Neurotransmitters with an over-abundance of others, and was showing very high heavy-metal readings of Mercury, Lead and Arsenic.

We also found that his zinc-to-copper ratio was extremely out of whack and uncovered a number of other deficiencies which needed to be treated. Over the past two years, we have also unearthed a bacterial overgrowth, an Amino Acid deficiency and discovered that Ethan’s body does not produce enough Glutathione, a key antioxidant. Even though he appeared to be a “healthy” child, Ethan was ill on so many levels, and the illness was manifesting itself through his behaviors! Here we were a typical middle-class American family with a healthy diet and access to standard American medical care via a PPO. How could our sweet boy be so very sick?

I began to compulsively research how this could be. Further, I explored all available options for helping Ethan’s little system heal. Much of what I have learned along the way is knock-your-socks-off-scary. I’ve come to the disturbing conclusion that we now live in an extremely toxic world. I think every parent needs to be aware of certain toxins which may be damaging an entire generation of children. Families, especially those with susceptible children (think ASDs, Asthma, Allergies, ADHD, etc.) need to consider putting safeguards into place. Sadly, these kids’ systems are inefficient and often unable to process out the nasty toxins.

Here are 12 “everyday” toxins I believe you NEED to know about to protect your loved ones:

Lead: Though it was banned from paint and phased out of automobile fuel in the 70′s, lead is still a concern for modern families. Airplane fuel consumption, metal melting, auto body finishing, cement manufacture and incineration all routinely release lead into our atmosphere. (Note: we lived just south of the DFW airport while I was pregnant with Ethan and until he was about 3 ½ years old.) Also, we must not discount the numerous reports of imported toys testing ridiculously high in lead levels in recent years.

Arsenic: Added to chicken feed to kill parasites and promote growth, Arsenic accumulates in the chickens (which we eat) and is passed into their excrement (which