For five days this fall, USA TODAY teamed with scientists from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to analyze 40 toxic chemicals in the air near America’s schools. Although the government checks the quantity of 6 smog-producing chemicals in the air, many high-risk area are not monitored, and only 3% of America’s schools are within a mile of a monitor. Since even small amounts of toxins can lead to physical dangers for children, the news team was anxious to call attention to the potential problem.

Using a government-created computer model that suggests where industrial pollutants may collect, USA TODAY chose 95 schools they believed were at risk. Their results suggest that two-thirds of these schools need follow-up studies.

The EPA determines that air is safe if the increased risk of cancer from a chemical is less than 1 in a million cases. But at 64 of the monitored schools, the levels were at least 10 times that amount, a level where the EPA considers working with local industry to lower their emissions. In three schools, benzene (linked to leukemia) levels were 100 times the EPA standard, or likely to increased cancer rates by 1 in 10,000 people.

Children breathe more air per pound than adults do, and process chemicals differently. Therefore, it is possible that pollutants could permanently alter their cells, leading to cancer later in life. Philip Landrigan, one of the nation’s foremost experts on pediatric medicine and a physician at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, says, “Those mutations, once they take place, they’re hard-wired…they certainly put the child at greater risk of cancer, and that risk is life-long.”

Chemicals were found in both affluent and underprivileged schools, coast to coast. Here is a list of the worst schools, as well as a listing of the chemical found and their risks.

You can refer to Babies Online’s Green articles section for information on how to Protect Your Children With Green Cleaning or Amazingly Effective Tips On Environmentally Friendly Parenting plus much more.

Actress Gywneth Paltrow reveals in an interview for the May issue of Vogue magazine that she suffered from post partum depression following the birth of her second child. Two year old Moses was born in March 2006. The 35-year old multi award-winning actress said she didn?t know what was happening at the time and only realized she was suffering from the condition after she recovered.

According to the interview, Paltrow said “I felt really out of my body. I felt really disconnected. I felt really down? I felt pessimistic.” She believes she suffered from the condition because she stopped getting acupuncture when she was pregnant with Moses.

She and her husband, musician Chris Martin are also parents to four year old Apple, who was born on May 14, 2004. She did not reveal if she suffered any bouts of post partum depression following Apple?s birth.

The actress said in an article online that she has no immediate plans to add to her family right now because it?s hard being a mother. She also said that for her, pregnancy was also hard, especially because she was sick from start to finish.

Other celebrity moms who suffered from Post Partum

Actress Brook Shields? battle with post partum depression is well documented. Interestingly, talking about her condition and the treatment she received led to major arguments between Shields and actor Tom Cruise. Shield said she had to turn to medication, the anti-depressant, Paxil to overcome the condition. Cruise on the other hand strongly criticized her for using drugs.

Courtney Cox Arquette also suffered from post partum depression after giving birth to daughter Coco in 2005. Cox was treated with progesterone and credits that plus the support of friends for getting through. In a USA Today interview, the actress said that six months after giving birth she went through a stage where she couldn?t sleep and was really depressed.

During the early stages of her troubles, pop princess Britney Spears said that she was suffering from post partum depression.

Post partum depression can occur at any time during the first year after giving birth and not right after as some persons believe. A French study released earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Nursing states that there is a link between the gender of the baby and developing post partum depression. In fact, the authors said that mothers who had boys were more likely to suffer from severe depression. The exception was in countries like China where having boys was preferred, hence a higher rate of post partum among women who had girls.