Toxic Chemicals 101

The Imus name took a beating last year as shock jock Don Imus's racially and sexually charged pot shots bought him a radio hiatus. A little noted consequence was how that hiccup affected the good work of his wife, Deidre Imus, who has been promoting ways to reduce the toxic exposure of children for years.

Deirdre Imus's work is back in the news today, as USA Today highlights her work to encourage schools to identify and remove toxic substances in common products. Increasingly, research suggests even low-level chronic exposure to certain chemicals can cause lasting health problems, including cancer, brain damage, asthma and possibly (some think) autism.

Reducing the risk can be easy, if schools choose non-toxic cleaning supplies, shun pesticides on playing fields and take other steps in Imus's Greening Your School program.

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