If you focus on whether you will run out of toilet paper in 30 days or not, you miss out on the joy of having enough for today. Stores may have enough by then. A treatment or cure for coronavirus could be discovered tomorrow. When London, England residents in 1940 woke up on day 58 after 57 straight nights of Nazi blitzkrieg, there was no more bombing. Enjoy each moment you have and don’t waste your energy on fears about the future.
Minutes & Money
Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely. Enjoy your summer!
Cold and Flu Season
Please keep your child home from school if they have:
- A fever of 100 degrees or more in the past 24 hours
- A diagnosis of a communicable disease
- A cold in the active stages: coughing, running nose, and sneezing
- A sore throat and/or swollen neck glands
- An undiagnosed rash or skin eruption
- Vomiting or diarrhea during the past 24 hours
- Acute pain that requires relief by narcotic medication
If all families did their part, the spread of disease would be greatly reduced.
Back-To-School Shoe / Sneaker Shopping Tips
Here are some important tips when back-to-school shoe/sneaker shopping:
1. Have your kids try on shoes at the end of the day or after a workout when feet are swelled.
2. There must be at least a half-inch of space between the longest toe and the tip of the shoes. Make sure there is plenty of room to wiggle the toes inside each shoe.
3. Always lace the shoes when trying them on.
4. When trying on shoes, have your student wear the type of socks they would normally be wearing.
5. Walk and run in the shoes on different surfaces like tile or carpet to make sure they are comfortable. They should not require breaking in.
Anti-Homework
In the early 1900’s homework was considered a bad thing. In fact Ladies’ Home Journal campaigned against homework claiming it damaged children’s health. Some American cities including Los Angeles even passed anti-homework ordinances. Come back tomorrow to find out when the anti-homework tide began to change.
Environmental Hazards of Dissection
Chemicals used to preserve dead animals for dissection such as formaldehyde and formalin (diluted form of formaldehyde) both cause cancer in humans and pollute the environment. Careless or irresponsible disposal of these preservatives or animal remains can contaminate water and soil and harm wildlife.
Dangerous Dissection Chemical #3: Ethylene Glycol
Ethylene glycol–preserved specimens have actually been first fixed in formaldehyde or formalin solutions. They are then washed and preserved in ethylene glycol, which is the same chemical in your car’s antifreeze. Ethylene glycol is another toxic chemical that our children are being exposed to during biology animal dissections. It can affect the central nervous system, heart and kidneys. Remember that besides the toxic ethylene glycol, these animals still have formaldehyde inside them as well. When the animals are cut open, our children are exposed to toxic poisonous ethylene glycol and formaldehyde.
Dangerous Dissection Chemical #2: Alcohol
Another commonly used dissection preservative our children are exposed to is alcohol. This alcohol (usually isopropanol) is very flammable and should be avoided in the classroom.
Dangerous Dissection Chemical #1: Formaldehyde
After animals are killed specifically for classroom dissection purposes they are then often preserved. Dissection animals are embalmed with a chemical preservative called formaldehyde (also known as methanal). Formaldehyde is a nearly colorless and highly irritating gas with a sharp odor. The liquid these dissection animals are contained in is actually formaldehyde dissolved in water called formalin. Formaldehyde is a known nasal and dermal carcinogen. It is also a sensitizer, causing allergy-related symptoms.
When students cut open these preserved dead animals, formaldehyde can be released. This formaldehyde can damage the children’s eyes, cause asthma attacks and bronchitis when exposed to this poison. Symptoms of formaldehyde exposure include eye, nose, throat and skin irritation. Other dissection chemical symptoms include a persistent cough, other respiratory ailments, headache, nausea and dizziness. This is why it is so important to ensure that they are always wearing protective equipment during this exercise, including lab coats, gloves, mouth masks, and goggles. It is also important that you have an eyewash station just in case their eyes do become infected, take a look at storemasta.com.au if you’re not sure where to source one of these from.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this chemical preservative can be linked to cancer of the throat, lungs, and nasal passages. Children may be more susceptible to the respiratory effects of formaldehyde than adults, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Biology students should not be exposed to dead animals preserved in formaldehyde.
Dissection Danger
Animals that are killed for middle and high school biology class dissections are soaked in toxic preservatives that are hazardous. In most cases, the commercial supply houses that process and ship these dead animals use dangerous formaldehyde, formalin, alcohol, or ethylene glycol to preserve the animals for our children to then handle. Over the next few days we will highlight some of the dangerous chemicals your child may be exposed to if they do animal dissections at school.
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