Toxic Smarts

Safe Chemical Act of 2011

2011-05-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq55QvyN3a8&feature=youtu.be

On April 14, 2011, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) released a video announcement introducing the "Safe Chemicals Act of 2011" and launching a new chemical safety reform push.

Do you think it has a chance? Will it work?

The Alchemy Of Grooming

2011-03-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

This article, The Alchemy of Grooming: Go green with your makeup with DIY cosmetics, pointed me back to a website that I've explored before. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a "coalition effort launched in 2004 to protect the health of consumers and workers by securing the corporate, regulatory and legislative reforms necessary to eliminate dangerous chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products." You can find all sorts of information there about what's in your products, cosmetic laws, and which companies are making your health a priority.

They have lots of suggestions about how you can get involved, one of which is making your own cosmetics or hosting a cosmetic-making party with your friends. In their Get Crafty section, there is a long list of DIY Recipes. Recipes include those for lips, face, acne, hands and feet, body and bath, deodorant, hair care, face paint and Halloween makeup.

Perhaps one of the easiest recipes:

Red Wine and Honey Bath

The red wine and the honey together clarify and moisten. From the Spa at Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Asheville, N.C.

Ingredients:
4 cups of red wine
1 cup of honey

Instructions:
Add wine and honey to bath.

Don't forget to drink a glass of the wine too!

I-131 And Your Thyroid

2011-03-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

There is much focus on the ongoing events in Japan and the possible threat of radiation exposure. If a cloud of radiation is carried our way via the jet stream, one of the threats is I-131 (a radioactive form of iodine). Iodine and its relationship with our bodies is quite unique! Your thyroid cells are the only cells in your body that will uptake iodine into them. Also, your thyroid cells do not differentiate between safe iodine and radioactive iodine.

But what is your thyroid and why is it so important? Your thyroid gland is butterfly shaped and sits in the front part of the neck below the Adam's apple. It works in symphony with the rest of your endocrine system controlling the metabolism of every cell in your body.

Just as I starved myself of iodine before my I-131 treatment so that I would uptake as much radioactive iodine as possible, given a nuclear disaster you would want to flood your body with iodine so that your cells would be satiated in their need for iodine. Dosing yourself with iodine-rich foods or taking tablets like potassium iodide (KI), do not prevent radioactive iodine from entering your body, nor do they protect organs other than the thyroid gland. Flooding your system with iodine also does not reverse thyroid damage that has already occurred.

Another good way to get the needed iodine is through diet. For some, this may be a very traditional diet.

After any sort of radioactive exposure you want to be eating seaweed and algae along with almost any type of commercial heavy metal chelating formula to bind radioactive particles and help escort them out of the body. Whether you’re worried about depleted uranium, plutonium or other isotopes, this is the wise thing to do which can possibly help, and certainly won’t hurt. Many nutritional supplements have been developed for the purpose of detoxifying heavy metals, most of which contain the algaes and plant fibers and other binding substances. Basically, an anti-radiation diet should focus on the following foods:

· Miso soup
· Spirulina, chlorella and the algaes (kelp, etc.)
· Brassica vegetables and high beta carotene vegetables
· Beans and lentils
· Potassium, calcium and mineral rich foods
· High nucleotide content foods to assist in cellular repair including spirulina, chlorella, algae, yeast, sardines, liver, anchovies and mackerel
· cod liver oil and olive oil
· Avoid sugars and sweets and wheat
· A good multivitamin/multimineral supplement

Yet another benefit of the sea vegetables rarely discussed is their high mineral content, which is a bonus in the case of radioactive exposure. Consuming natural iodine, such as in the seaweeds, helps prevent the uptake of iodine-131 while iron inhibits the absorption of plutonium-238 and plutonium-239. Vitamin B-12 inhibits cobalt-60 uptake (used in nuclear medicine), zinc inhibits zinc-65 uptake and sulfur is preventative for sulfur-35 (a product of nuclear reactors) incorporation by the body.

But can you get too much iodine? It is important not to over-consume iodine as it has a relatively narrow range of intakes that reliably support good thyroid function (about 100 to 300 micrograms per day). Someone consuming large amounts of iodized salt or seaweeds could overdo it. Excessive iodine has a complex disruptive effect on the thyroid and may cause thyroid dysfunction. I liked this summary here.

So, be safe my friends and don't panic. Make informed choices!

12 Natural Cleaning Recipes

2011-03-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

The labels on most household products read like the periodic table violently collided with a bowl of alphabet soup. What are those ingredients, and what might they do to our homes, our pets and our loved ones? A foolproof way to know what’s in your cleaning products is to make them yourself. It’s easy and economical, with the added benefit of reducing your household’s carbon footprint by creating less packaging waste and less pollution from manufacturing and shipping.

I certainly serve up a lot of information about the toxic chemicals in our environment which can be quite daunting and depressing. But here is a good resource that will help you actually eliminate those toxins and create your own safe cleaning products. Natural Home Magazine has put out this comprehensive article, The Easy-Breezy, Breathing-Easy Cleaning Arsenal: 12 Natural Cleaning Recipes which provides a safe list of ingredients to use, recipes and a list of toxic ingredients to ditch.

Shopping List
With these 15 items, you can clean just about anything.
■ Baking Soda: scrubbing, whitening
■ Beeswax: polishing wood
■ Borax (sodium borate): removing stains/disinfecting
■ Club Soda (or any unflavored fizzy water): lifting stains
■ Cornstarch: absorbing stains
■ Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfecting, removing stains
■ Lemon: removing stains and odors
■ Liquid Dish Soap: sudsing power
■ Olive Oil: polishing wood
■ Pine Oil: cleaning soft wood floors
■ Plant Essential Oils: chemical-free fragrance (do a sniff test before buying to make sure you’re not sensitive to the fumes)
■ Salt: scrubbing
■ Toothpaste: polishing metal
■ Washing Soda (sodium carbonate): scrubbing, removing stains and cutting grease
■ White Vinegar: disinfecting, removing stains

Ukiah Co-op Newsletter Feature

2011-03-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Toxic Smarts, as a regular column, will be featured in the Ukiah Co-op Newsletter.

March/April 2011 Article Title:
Roundup Revolt - GMO Alfalfa Deregulated

Check it out on page 6!

Mind Games

2011-03-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

The recent Orion magazine article, Mind Games, was a good read. Sandra Steingraber, also the author of Living Downstream, painted an all too familiar picture about how toxic chemicals are impairing children's ability to learn. The article is lengthy but this excerpt from the end was certainly noteworthy and does well to reach people on a personal level.

AS PARENTS, we can only do so much to protect our children from the brain-disrupting chemicals that lurk in every part of the Earth’s dynamic systems— its water cycles, air currents, and food chains. Faith and Elijah spend their days in a school full of equipment and furniture that no doubt contain brominated flame retardants (which, according to a 2010 study published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, is linked to lower scores on tests of mental development among children exposed in utero). They ride home on a diesel-powered bus. They fly around town on bicycles — or scooters or skateboards— to flute lessons, piano lessons, the public library, passing by pesticide-treated fields and lawns as they go. And when we lie together in the dark at the end of the day, I sometimes wonder how their brain architecture might have been — might still be — irreversibly altered, even if only slightly, by brain-damaging chemicals that are still allowed to be manufactured and sold, that are constantly pouring out of smokestacks and tailpipes, that are used as ingredients in everything from lipstick to gasoline. I sometimes think about these things when I watch one or the other of them erase a hole through a frustrating homework assignment and start over again.

So don’t give me any more shopping tips or lists of products to avoid. Don’t put neurotoxicants in my furniture and my food and then instruct me to keep my children from breathing or eating them. Instead, give me federal regulations that assess chemicals for their ability to alter brain development and function before they are allowed access to the marketplace. Give me a functioning developmental neurotoxicant screening program, with validated protocols. Give me chemical reform based on precautionary principles. Give me an agricultural system that doesn’t impair our children’s learning abilities or their futures. Give me an energy policy based on wind and sun.

Because I can do the thinking and research associated with making the right school choice for my children. I can help them with multiplication tables and subject-verb agreement. I can pack healthy school lunches. But I can’t place myself between their bodies and the two-hundred-plus identified neurotoxicants that circulate freely through the environment we all inhabit.

Clorox Cleanup?

2011-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Wow! Clorox has surprisingly released the lengthy list of fragrance ingredients that they use in their products. You've got to check out the list of Clorox's 1,219 fragrance ingredients here. Hmmm.....what's the catch? Clorox didn't bother to mention which fragrance ingredients are in which products. Well, I guess the good part for me is that I don't use any Clorox products!

Enviroblog's What's Inside: Clorox Shares A Little summaries the recent development:

The company no longer mentions polycyclic musks on the list of chemicals it never uses because the company - unfortunately - reneged on its promise to phase them out. Its just-released list of fragrance ingredients includes two of them, Galaxolide and Tonalide. Both have been linked to hormone disruption and breaking down cellular defenses against other toxic exposures. Research has also shown that these chemicals accumulate in people's bodies and turn up in blood and breast milk.
A third musk compound with potential for hormone disruption and cell damage is also on Clorox's list of approved fragrance ingredients: musk ketone. High blood levels of musk ketone in women may be associated with gynecological abnormalities, including mild insufficiency of the ovaries and compromised fertility.
The Clorox fragrance list includes a few other troubling ingredients:
Acetaldehyde - a possible human carcinogen, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Oxybenzone - a hormone-disrupting chemical commonly used in sunscreens that has been detected in the bodies of 97 percent of Americans and is linked to low birth weight in baby girls
Phenol and Benzyl Alcohol - both neurotoxins
Triethanolamine - a chemical that can cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy individuals.

When will enough be enough?

Green washing at its best.

Dear President Obama: Stop the American Cancer Epidemic

2011-02-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

CALL TO ACTION!

From the blog Crazy Sexy Life is a short update about the President's Cancer Panel urging Obama to recognize the significance that "nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated."

Sign the petition here to President Obama.

Article Highlights:

Right now, it’s perfectly legal for body-care products and other household goods sold in the U.S. to contain chemicals known to cause cancer and other diseases, with no warnings to consumers. This has been the story since the advent of synthetic chemistry in the mid 20^th century. Since that time, American industries have released billions of tons of unregulated synthetic substances into the environment – chemicals that are now all over our homes and inside our bodies.

Since that time, we’ve seen the dramatic increase of unexplained cancers – to the point that 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 women are now expected to get some type of cancer in their lifetimes.

The panel urged President Obama “most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

“The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with a myriad of combinations of these dangerous exposures,” warned the cancer panel.

The Pollution In Newborns

2011-01-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

I hope this article, Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns, would cause any parent or parent-to-be to take a more in-depth look at the toxic world around us and develop strategies for creating a less toxic living environment for their young one. There's more than just eating well that you need to consider!

Article Highlights:

Not long ago scientists thought that the placenta shielded cord blood — and the developing baby — from most chemicals and pollutants in the environment. But now we know that at this critical time when organs, vessels, membranes and systems are knit together from single cells to finished form in a span of weeks, the umbilical cord carries not only the building blocks of life, but also a steady stream of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides that cross the placenta as readily as residues from cigarettes and alcohol. This is the human "body burden" — the pollution in people that permeates everyone in the world, including babies in the womb.

In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals.

Among the tested chemicals are eight perfluorochemicals used as stain and oil repellants in fast food packaging, clothes and textiles — including the Teflon chemical PFOA, recently characterized as a likely human carcinogen by the EPA's Science Advisory Board — dozens of widely used brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products; and numerous pesticides.
Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this complex mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and neurotoxins have never been studied.

Early Exposure More Harmful:

Chemical exposures in the womb or during infancy can be dramatically more harmful than exposures later in life. Substantial scientific evidence demonstrates that children face amplified risks from their body burden of pollution; the findings are particularly strong for many of the chemicals found in this study, including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. Children's vulnerability derives from both rapid development and incomplete defense systems:
A developing child's chemical exposures are greater pound-for-pound than those of adults.
An immature, porous blood-brain barrier allows greater chemical exposures to the developing brain.
Children have lower levels of some chemical-binding proteins, allowing more of a chemical to reach "target organs."
A baby's organs and systems are rapidly developing, and thus are often more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposure.
Systems that detoxify and excrete industrial chemicals are not fully developed.
The longer future life span of a child compared to an adult allows more time for adverse effects to arise.

I've just stumbled upon a wonderful book titled Poisoned For Profit - How Toxins Are Making Our Children Chronically Ill. Although I have not read this book throughout, I've looked at it at the local book store (Mulligan Books) and found it be a wonderful read, full of good details. IF YOU ARE A NEW PARENT OR A PARENT-TO-BE, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! It's certainly on my to-be-purchased book list! Let me know if you've read it and what you thought of it!

Atrazine: Endocrine Disruptor Linked To Genital Changes And Sexual Preference

2011-01-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

This interview, Endocrine Disruptors Linked To Genital Changes and Sexual Preference absolutely fascinated me and is giving me visions of the future human race unable to reproduce because the female genome has been lost! You can either read the transcription of the broadcast or listen to it with the link at the top of their webpage.

Scientists are continuing to sound the alarm about some common chemicals, including the herbicide atrazine. So, what is Atrazine?

Atrazine is used to stop pre- and post-emergence broadleaf and grassy weeds in major crops. The compound is both effective and inexpensive, and thus is well-suited to production systems with very narrow profit margins, as is often the case with maize. Atrazine is the most widely used herbicide in conservation tillage systems, which are designed to prevent soil erosion.

Its use is controversial due to widespread contamination in drinking water and its associations with birth defects, menstrual problems, and cancer when consumed by humans at concentrations below government standards.^[1] Although it has been excluded from a re-registration process in the European Union,^[2] it is still one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.

Highlights from the endocrine disruptor interview:

AHERN: To explain what he meant by "feminized" Hayes brought me back to his office and pulled up a picture on his laptop of a frog that had been exposed to the herbicide.
HAYES: This is an animal that looked like a female on the outside. But on the inside it had large testis, so these are testis, and this is an oviduct. So, this is the equivalent of a man with a uterus.
AHEARN: These frogs aren't just behaving like females – they're actually producing eggs and when those eggs are fertilized by normal male frogs, the babies grow up to be seemingly normal frogs. Let me say that again: the male frogs are having babies. And there are consequences. HAYES: ...because they don't have a female chromosome the females that are genetically males can only produce other males so 100 percent of their offspring would be males.
AHEARN: And more male frogs means fewer babies down the road. Hayes says this might be one reason that populations of frogs and other amphibians all over the world are going down.

AHEARN: The reproductive problems Hayes is seeing in his specimens aren't limited to frogs. Studies on rats, reptiles and even human cells exposed to atrazine showed similar results. Recently, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey found intersex fish in one third of the waterways they tested across the United States.
And atrazine is not the only chemical to blame for causing widespread reproductive health problems. It's a member of a family of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors.

COLBORN: They're in plastics. They're in our toys, the children's toys. If you go to your kitchen sink and under your bathroom sink and look at the cleaning compounds that are there. The cosmetics. The toiletries. They're just about in everything because they've made every one of these products much nicer. They last longer. They're preservatives. They're fire retardants.
AHEARN: The endocrine system is made up of a series of glands throughout the body that control the hormonal messages that direct development. By imitating natural hormones– such as estrogen and androgen – endocrine disrupting chemicals prevent the body from sending and receiving those messages. Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California San Francisco, broke down some basic human developmental biology for me. He says in the womb, we all start out developing as girls.
ROSENTHAL: If you consider the gonads, which basically is the other name for the testis or the ovaries, in any baby - either boy or a girl – that, basically, these gonads are pre-programmed to become ovaries unless there's an overriding signal that tells them to become testis.
AHEARN: If you're a boy that over-riding signal comes from a gene on your Y-chromosome. It tells your gonads to become testis, instead of ovaries, and to start producing testosterone and androgen. Those hormones then travel through the body and hook up with receptors in cells.
ROSENTHAL: That sets off a chain of events inside a cell. It's like if you need a key and an ignition to start a car right, so the key goes into the ignition and then the whole thing can turn and the car goes on.
AHEARN: The car "going on" would equate to normal development of a fetus. Now picture some chewing gum in the ignition. The key won't fit. The car won't start – or, as Rosenthal explains - normal masculine development won't proceed.
ROSENTHAL: If there is some agent, some environmental disruptor that interferes with the normal functioning of the Androgen Receptor then it's very likely that in a male there will be incomplete masculinization of the external genitalia.

HAYES: People go, well, it's frogs. I go, yeah but look, the estrogen that works in this frog is exactly, chemically exactly, the same as the estrogen that regulates female reproduction. Exactly the same testosterone that's in these frogs regulating their larynx or their voice box or their breeding glands or their sperm count is exactly the same hormone in rats and in us.
AHEARN: So, what about us? Could endocrine disruptors be having feminizing effects in humans?

AHEARN: Talking about problems with reproductive health is something society has never handled well. And perhaps because most hypospadias can be corrected with surgery, very few doctors have raised questions about the underlying causes of this birth defect.
But endocrine disrupting chemicals show up in almost 100 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and many of these chemicals are known to disrupt normal reproductive system development in animals - think back to Tyrone Hayes' frogs here.
So I asked Dr. Theo Colborn, who's been studying endocrine disruptors for over 30 years, if she thought our environmental exposures could be affecting our reproductive health. Or more specifically, given what we're seeing with hypospadias, I asked her, do you think we are feminizing our baby boys?
COLBORN: I definitely do. I think there's a certain percentage that are definitely being affected and there's no denying it.

2010 Environmental Successes

2010-12-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

EWG's Top 10 Good Environmental News Stories of 2010

Haw many of these do you know about?

2010 Environmental Mishaps Reminder

2010-12-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

EWG's Worst Environmental Stories of 2010

Tomorrow....the success stories!

A Plastic World - BPA'd To Death

2010-12-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

"I have seen the results of this culture's quest for immortality, and these results are not pretty. We have achieved a sort of immortality, and it's name is plastic." Derrick Jensen

But this 'immortality' is killing everything, including us!

From the book, What We Leave Behind by Derrick Jensen and Aric McBay

Industrial civilization pumps out about 6 billion pounds of BPA per year, and it's found in nearly every human being, and presumably a similar proportion of nonhumans (not that most of us particularly care about them). The effects on living beings are horrific. Exposure levels of only .025 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (at this point low levels of human exposure from diet are around 1.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, and relatively high levels are around 13; of course prior to the invention of plastic, everyone's ingestion was at precisely zero micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day) cause permanent changes to the genital tract, as well as changes in breast tissue that predispose cells to the effects of hormones and carcinogens. Two micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day lead to a 30 percent increased in prostate weight (have you wondered why there are so many ads for chemicals to reduce the effects of enlarged prostates?). At 2.4, the victims (for that's what they, or rather we, are) suffer early puberty and a decline in testicular testosterone. At 2.5, there is an increased risk of breast cancer (and you have noticed the explosion in breast cancer rates, have you not?). Doses of 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day lead to increased risk of prostate cancer (Do I need to keep putting in the parenthetical comments, or do you see this now in your own life and the lives of those you love?). That same does leads to decreases in maternal behavior. Double it and you've got damage to eggs and chromosomes. Raise it up to thirty micrograms per kilogram per day and you've got hyperactivity, and also a reversal of normal sex differences in brain structure (where are those damn family values people when you need them?). Raise it all the way up to fifty-one micrograms per kilogram and you've finally exceeded what the United Stated deems safe exposure.

The real kicker: 51 MICROGRAMS PER KILOGRAM AND YOU'VE FINALLY EXCEEDED WHAT THE UNITED STATES DEEMS SAFE EXPOSURE! This is a good reminder that the US government certainly is not looking out for my best interests!

Thanks For Your Purchase, Here's Your BPA Receipt

2010-12-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

I wanted to continue the discussion about bisphenol A (BPA). In addition to plastic bottles, toys, and food can linings, bisphenol A can be found in the chemical coating on thermal papers - the type used in cash registers that turn color when exposed to heat.

Just a reminder that bisphenol A is considered an endocrine disruptor because it mimics estrogen, a natural hormone, and may fool the body by stimulating reactions that are unnecessary and potentially harmful. Scientists have linked BPA to a higher incidence of heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities in adults as well as brain and hormone development problems in fetuses and young children. Other tests have shown that BPA can promote human breast cancer cell growth, decrease sperm counts in rats, and cause erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men.

From the article: EWG Tests Find High BPA Loads on Receipts

Laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG) have found high levels of the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) on 40 percent of receipts sampled from major U.S. businesses and services, including outlets of McDonald's, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, WalMart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service. Receipts from Target, Starbucks, Bank of America ATMs and other enterprises were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts.
The total amounts of BPA on receipts tested were 250 to 1,000 times greater than other, more widely discussed sources of BPA exposure, including canned foods, baby bottles and infant formula.
Wipe tests conducted by the lab easily removed BPA, indicating that the chemical could rub off on the hands of a person handling the receipt.

Several recent studies have shown than BPA is easily absorbed into the body through the skin. Once BPA makes it through your layers of skin, it has easy access to your bloodstream.

A study published July 11 by scientists with the Official Food Control Authority of the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland found that BPA transfers readily from receipts to skin and can penetrate the skin to such a depth that it cannot be washed off. This raises the possibility that the chemical infiltrates the skin's lower layers to enter the bloodstream directly.

As a consumer, we're often asked if we want our receipt. We say "yes" right? Or push that 'yes' button on the gas pump. And then what do you do with those receipts? Save them? Trash them? How many times do you actually need the receipt? On a side note, don't recycle the BPA receipts because traces of BPA are now being found in 'recycled' paper.

Solutions? You could start reducing your exposure by not getting the receipt! Which also saves paper and the extra handling of that toxic 'goodie' not only by you but the cashier too. Imagine how much BPA a cashier is being exposed to by the repetitive handling of receipts. Being a new cashier myself, I'm overjoyed that Ukiah Natural Foods receipts are BPA free (there is only one company that makes the thermal imaging receipts without the BPA residue). Yeah for UNF!
You may also choose to shop and support businesses where you can get receipts that do not have the BPA residue!

Celebrity Petrochemical Perfume

2010-12-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yet another follow up to 'Fragrance'. I first talked about it in my October 12, 2010 blog titled Fragrance - It's A Bad Word

From the article, Celebrity-branded perfumes loaded with toxic petrochemicals:

The Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973 explicitly exempts manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products from having to disclose any of the ingredients used to give fragrance to their products, as long as "fragrance" is listed in on the label.

Upon request from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the Environmental Working Group sent 17 brand-name perfumes to be tested by the independent laboratory Analytical Sciences. Thirteen of the perfumes had been purchased in the United States, and four had been purchased in Canada.

Researchers uncovered 40 different chemicals in the perfume samples, in addition to the 51 listed on product labels. Of the 40 ingredients found, only two were listed on the label of every product containing them; the other 38 were unlisted on at least one of the 17 labels.

Even more seriously, researchers uncovered 10 chemicals known to disrupt the hormonal (endocrine) system, with each perfume containing an average of four. The perfumes Halle by Halle Berry, Quicksilver and Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow all contained seven different endocrine disruptors -- six estrogen mimics and a thyroid disruptor.

For more details, read the full article at the link above!

Got Safe Toys?

2010-12-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

As the Holiday season nears,

Are we giving our children safe toys? Free of toxins and dangerous components? Are we showing our children what truly matters isn’t the gift itself but the love embedded in the act of giving?

From the Climate Counts blog: Is There Room for a Holiday Climate Message For Our Kids?

A gift free of toxins and filled with thoughtful love is the best way to say Healthy Holidays to those special kids in your life!

BPA Bust

2010-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Senate Fails to Pass BPA Ban on Children's Products!

Read the article here.

NEARING Thanksgiving

2010-11-21T09:12:00.000-08:00


The sign of a culture who has lost its tradition!

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday there is much focus on family coming together and enjoying the 'traditional' turkey dinner. The general population might even take a moment to reflect on which they are thankful. There may be thanks given for 'good health' without a second thought. But what is good health? This is a big topic, more than can be discussed in this one blog. I think a person of good health is not only eating nutrient dense foods but has a positive mind, an active lifestyle and gives thanks daily.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the book, The Making of a Radical by Scott Nearing (published in 1972).

Health is the finally effective test of the interaction of the human organism with its total environment. Judged on this basis, the automated, computer-directed society of the United States is a ghastly failure. In an affluent society like that of the United States, tens of millions of adults are suffering from degenerative diseases, while other tens of millions suffer from constipation, insomnia, indigestion, nervous tension. Why should this be? The answer is obvious. The average American has no idea what good health is or how to go about obtaining it. When he feels the effects of ill health he goes to the doctor, who, like his prospective patient, knows little or nothing about health although he knows a great deal about diseases. He can relieve suffering by administering "wonder drugs", but he cannot prevent the disease which accompanies lack of health. The doctor, who suffers himself from the common ailments and fatal diseases which play such a prominent role in American life, is not concerned primarily with health. His specialty is disease. If there were no disease, that is, if people were healthy, doctors would be out of business except for accidents and the helplessness of infancy and old age.

This blog could quickly become one devoted to food if I followed the path of explaining the benefits nutrient dense foods. Certainly there will be future blogs about food because our foods are laced with toxins and you need to know how to avoid them!

So in general I want to encourage everyone to be meaningful in their thoughts, actions and food consumption. Take the time to prepare your meals from scratch, soak your beans, grind your grains, invest in the organic, humanely-raised turkey, share special moments in the kitchen with family, teach your children the value of nutrient dense food. Because what better investment can you make if not in your health? Health care has us investing in our future diseases, but we can take actions now to ensure a healthy lifestyle and reduce our dependency on the inundated health care system.

From the Weston A. Price Foundation Wise Traditions publication is a great article titled Modernizing Your Diet With Traditional Foods. The following roughly outlines healthy practices among non-industrialized cultures.

Here are nine dietary habits practiced among healthy non-industrialized peoples. The cultures consumed different specific foods, but the patterns among these different peoples were easy to identify.

All traditional cultures . . .
1. Consume some sort of animal protein, including organ meats and fat, every day.
2. Consume foods that contain very high levels of minerals and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K2 found in seafood, organ meats and animal fats).
3. Consume some foods with a high enzyme and probiotic content.
4. Consume seeds, grains, and nuts that are soaked, sprouted, fermented, or naturally leavened in order to neutralize a portion of the naturally occurring anti-nutrients in these foods.
5. Consume plenty of natural fats but no industrial liquid or hardened (partially hydrogenated) oils.
6. Consume natural, unrefined salt.
7. Consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths.
8. Provide extra nutrition for parents-to-be, pregnant women, breastfeeding women and growing children, to ensure the health of the next generation.
9. Do not consume refined or processed foods, including white flour, refined sweeteners, pasteurized and lowfat milk products, protein powders, industrial fats and oils and chemical additives.

Have a joyous and meaningful Thanksgiving!

PLASTIC STATE OF MIND - Parody with Purpose

2010-11-20T08:10:00.001-08:00

Healthy Home Checklist

2010-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Check out the EWG Action Fund's Healthy Home Checklist to see how your home stacks up!

Ready to create an eco-healthy home?

We created this Healthy Home Checklist for you to use as you walk through your home -- and open your bathroom cabinet, look under your sink, and check those laundry supplies. It's an easy, hands-on way to create a less toxic environment for your family. When you're done, you'll breathe easier (literally!) knowing that you've tackled the toxics that matter most in your home.

Notice the mentioning of bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining of canned foods. And check out this ENVIROBLOG topic: Can EWG staff live a week without canned food? Can you?

Toxic Plastic

2010-11-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

BPA - Alphabet Soup

2010-11-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

You might have heard a lot about BPA (bisphenol A) in the news. Many plastic water bottles now have stickers announcing that they are BPA-Free. But did you know that BPA is one of the chemicals used in the lining of aluminum cans?

From the report, Seeking Safer Packaging 2010:

Nearly every canned food and beverage product on the market today contains a highly controversial chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), in its can lining.

Since the first publication of Seeking Safer Packaging in spring 2009, momentum to reduce exposure to BPA has increased.

2010 BPA Scorecard

BPA has been known to be estrogenic since the 1930's. That means that BPA can mimic the estrogen made in our own bodies. Estrogen is a key steroid compound for women. And if you guys out there think you're off the hook, well think again! Men have low levels of estrogen in their bodies (All vertebrates produce estrogen).

From BPA Chemical Leaches From Hard Plastic Drinking Bottles Into The Body:

Several studies have shown that BPA disrupts hormones in animals, leading to early sexual maturity, changes in development and organization of tissue in mammary glands and reduction in sperm in the affected organism's offspring. The early stages of fetal development are thought to be the most vulnerable to harm from BPA, said the authors in a prepared statement.

Karin B Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) said that:

"We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds."

"If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher," she added, explaining that is worrying because "infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential".

For years I was enjoying my eco-conscious, unbreakable Nalgene bottle (with the #7 recycle number on the bottom). I filled it daily and was proud not to be using bottled water. I was unknowingly dosing myself daily with BPA. Having been diagnosed with an endocrine cancer, I have to wonder about its effects on me.

Hard plastic polycarbonate bottles are often used as refillable containers by students, campers and others. They are also used as baby bottles, although two months ago 6 manufacturers in the US said they would stop selling hard plastic baby bottles made with BPA.

If a hard plastic bottle carries the recycling symbol showing the number 7, then it is most likely made of polycarbonate, since 7 is the category for "all other plastics", which includes polycarbonate (according to the SPI resin identification coding system).

So check your cabinets! Are they filled with BPA canned food? It's time to take your health seriously and stop funneling your hard earned money to these companies who care more about making a buck than your health!

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

I found this little blurb in which you may be interested. It speaks to breast cancer and mammary glands specifically but you could use the same idea to consider impacts on any body system/cells.

From the article, We Won't Identify Breast Cancer Risks from Chemicals Until We Test for Them, I've copied a few excerpts below.

Most of the 80,000 chemicals in circulation since World War II have not been tested for toxic impacts on humans. Yet even for the small portion that does get tested—including pharmaceuticals and pesticides—current protocols don’t call for examining what chemicals do to mammary glands.

Breast cancer is a hormone sensitive disease, so something has to be triggering the disruptions in our endocrine systems. Toxic chemicals are a possible culprit, but we won’t know until we test them specifically for their links to mammary tumors.

A review done by the organization Silent Spring looked at the chemicals that have been studied intensively by the national and international authorities. They identified 216 chemicals that cause mammary tumors in animals, but only three are regulated based on danger to mammary glands—a sign that risks to breast tissue is not a high priority.

To learn more about your endocrine system and endocrine disruptors check here.

Heavy Metal Halloween

2010-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner! Any plans for face painting? Maybe you're planning to be a cat or a Wizard of Oz munchkin? Halloween aside, aren't kids frequently getting their faces painted? Lots to think about!

I just found this article, Pretty Scary: Heavy Metals in Face Paints. Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did an independent study sampling 10 random children's face paints.

A new report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, "Pretty Scary," reveals that some children’s face paints contain lead, a neurotoxin, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause lifelong skin sensitization and contact dermatitis.

Creepier yet, these metals were not listed on the products' ingredient labels. Some products even bore misleading claims (like "hypoallergenic" and “FDA compliant”), making it tough for parents to find safe face paints.

So, what can you do to avoid all this?

Choose costumes that don't require face paint or masks (which may also contain toxic chemicals and impair vision and breathing).
Make your own face paint with food-grade ingredients.
If you do use face paint, keep it away from kids’ mouths and hands so they don't ingest it.

You can make non-toxic face paint from natural food coloring or just food itself. You can use ingredients like cocoa butter, strawberries, blackberries, beets, avocado, blueberries, spirulina, chocolate, squid ink and powdered sugar. The cool thing is, making up your own face paint would be fun for you and your child and could become a favorite Halloween tradition. And think how proud you'll be when you tell your friends you made your own face paint!

Be SAFE this Halloween!

Classroom Air Pollutants

2010-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Every wonder what chemicals are used to clean the classrooms where your children sit for at least 6 hours each day they are at school? How about teachers who spend 8-10 hours in their classroom each teaching day? Does your child suffer from asthma? How about the janitors who are exposing themselves to cleaning chemicals simply because it's part of their job?

I just found the following article and of course there are many things of interest in it.
Green School Cleaners Emit Fewer Air Pollutants
I found this article through a link from another article called Cleaning at School may Dirty your Child's Classroom Air

What caught my eye though was the reference to Febreze (I guess I'm still not over my Febreze assault).

Febreze Air Effects, an air freshener that gave off 89 airborne contaminants including acetaldehyde, a chemical linked to cancer.

Worst Cleaners: These products released the largest number of air pollutants
Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser
Simple Green Concentrated Cleaner/Degreaser/Deodorizer
Febreze Air Effects

Worst Product Types: These types released the largest number of air pollutants
Graffiti Removers
Air Fresheners
Floor Finishes

Anyone still using Comet in their house?

As it happens, it’s not just the cleaners used in schools. Some of the products we had tested are also under the sink in millions of American homes. One of them, Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser, released 143 contaminants into the air – including formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and four others that California has formally identified as causers of cancer or reproductive problems. Yuck.

Making your own cleaning products is pretty simple and only takes a small amount of time. Probably as much time as it would take to research which products were safe to buy. Basic ingredients include: borax, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, water. Pretty simple right? I've only bought a few cleaning products which serve many purposes. Bon Ami is a polishing cleanser similar to Comet but without all the airborne contaminants. CitraSolv is another multi-purpose cleaner I use. I bought it once in a spray bottle and subsequently bought in concentrate form and fill up my spray bottle.

I never use air fresheners but often burn bees wax candles.

Beeswax is a renewable resource which produces negative ions that actually clean your air of odors, pollens, smoke, dust, dust mites, viruses and other allergens and hazards.

I think it's important to not get discouraged when identifying contaminants in your life. It takes time to find them, weed them out and to replace them with safer products. If you look under your sink and find it full of unsafe products, don't fret. Try changing out a product every few weeks or so. Don't let it overwhelm you, simply change things one step at a time!

The Story of Cosmetics

2010-10-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is a great video! I thought it was pertinent to the whole Fragrance topic!

Fragrance - It's A Bad Word

2010-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost 5 months since my last post? I'm not entirely sure where the time goes but it is indeed October! I spent June on Smart's Mountain Farm taking care of the place for my parents. July found us road trippin' through Oregon. The 2nd week of August was spent at Emerald Earth Sanctuary learning about all things natural and building. I'll have to do some future posts about the benefits of building naturally! Then Eric was off to Wisconsin for 3 weeks to work on Rising Sun Farm. After that we met up in Seattle, Wa to resume our aborted Pacific Crest Trail hike from last year. Our quest for Canada was again cut short by weather so we headed to Central California Coast to soak us some much needed sun. You can view our still being updated 2010 PCT journal if you're interested.

Slip-straw and slip-and-chip walls being built at Emerald Earth. Cob wall started in foreground.

On our return from Washington on the Amtrak train, I had the most unfortunate experience of an Amtrak employee spraying my backpack with Febreze. I was outraged! How dare they spray toxic chemicals on my personal belongings? I feel as if I were profiled because I was traveling with a backpack. There were other bags there that absolutely reeked on cigarette smoke, but they were not sprayed. Ok, enough.....

This is a really big topic, and it got me thinking about the scents that we are subjected to that come from other people. Or maybe even scents that you put on yourself. What gives your scented products or perfume their fragrance? Unless your products are made from essential oils, it's likely that the manufacturing agency hasn't shared that little tid bit with you. I found a good article with general information called Breaking the Bottle: The Dangers of Perfume by Stef McDonald. She shared the following:

"One of the tougher lessons I've learned since becoming aware of the dangers of personal care products is that most perfumes contain chemical toxins I don't want on or anywhere near my body. Worst of all: you don't really know what those toxins are because of old laws protecting perfume makers from revealing their trade secrets. And this applies to all products, not only perfumes. When you see the word "fragrance" on a label, you're being hoodwinked. "Fragrance" can include numerous chemicals that are not good for you (or the environment)."

So check your products, do any of them have an ingredient called Fragrance? On the Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database, Fragrance receives a score of 8 out of 10. Any product or ingredient in the 7-10 range receives the title high hazard. Also in the list of product ingredients, the word Parfum is sometimes used instead of Fragrance but they both mean the same thing! Fragrance receives such a high score because like the article states, it can contain any number of known toxins. And the companies making these products are not required to tell us consumers.

"How bad can a little perfume be, right? Wrong--unless you're okay with using chemicals classified as hormone disruptors that can increase your risk of cancer, or harm a developing fetus, or contribute to thyroid and other problems."

If you're about to shed a tear because you think you have to give up scented products completely do not fret. There is hope! There are safe alternatives for you and the environment that can give you your scent fix.
"There are pure and safe and stunningly beautiful perfumes being made that are far superior to the ones I had used. Now, I am a lover of perfumes made from pure essential oils--nothing artificial, nothing toxic. My dresser is now filled with small bottles of non-toxic oils and perfume blends I've found to satisfy my love of scent without sacrificing my well-being."

You can find a list of companies who are doing it right at Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the fore mentioned Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database. Make a change for the positive!

So, my backpack still totally reeks of Febreze but I am grateful that I had everything inside it bagged in plastic garbage bags. Luckily my sleeping bag and all my hiking clothes don't also reek of Febreze. If they did, I would not be able to use them at all! I have filed a claim with Amtrak and will follow up with a letter. So beware if you are a future Amtrak traveler.......keep that backpack nearby or else!

Sun Powered Vitamin D

2010-05-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

As the Summer Solstice nears, the days lengthen and the Earth's warmth calls us out into her arms. We love the sun but do you know how to best utilize her energy?

The below material is paraphrased from The UV Advantage by Michael F. Holick, PH.D., MD.

Sunlight Science
Sunlight consists of a mixture of electromagnetic radiation of various wavelengths. Ultraviolet, or UV radiation, consists of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. UVC is completely absorbed by the atmosphere. Although mostly absorbed by the ozone layer, some UVA and UVB rays still reach the Earth's surface. UVA radiation causes wrinkles while UVB is the form of radiation that reddens skin and causes sunburn. UVB also starts the reaction in skin that stimulates the production of vitamin D.

Exaggerated warnings about the perils of sun exposure are driving Americans to hide beneath long sleeves, floppy hats, wraparound sunglasses and to slather every square inch of skin that isn't covered with high-SPF sunscreens. The result of all this is to block out the sun that humans need to make vitamin D. The inescapable fact is that we humans have evolved in such a way as to be dependant on sunshine for life and health. Sunlight is as natural for human health as are food, water, oxygen and physical activity!

How Sun Exposure Benefits Human Health
Improves bone health
Enhances mental health (SAD, PMS, depression, general mood)
Prevents certain cancers
Improves heart health
Alleviates skin disorders
Decreases risk of autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes mellitus, and rheumatoid arthritis

"Some is good" doesn't mean that "a lot is better"
According to Michael Holick MD., to make approximately 800 to 1,500 IU (International Units) of vitamin D, you need to expose 25% (face, hands, arms) of your body's surface area to 25% of 1MED two to three times per week at all times of the year when you can activate vitamin D in your skin. 1MED is the time it takes for your skin to turn pink.

So, if you get pink after being in the sun for 1 hour, 15 minutes would be enough time for you to get your dose of vitamin D for the day.

Sunscreen Safety
Sure, there are lots of sunscreen choices but does your sunscreen really protect you against UVA and UVB radiation? Is it safe for the health of you and the environment? Healthy Child has a great article on sunscreen safety that is relevant for adults as well as children. Please remember that despite the amazing features of your skin, ingredients from skincare products are absorbed in minutes through your skin and into your bloodstream. Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database is a wonderful resource for checking the safety rating of all skincare products.

After doing extensive research, I've chosen to use Badger sunscreen which provides strong protection for both UVA and UVB rays. The zinc oxide (not from nano particles) does tend to leave a slightly white residue but with some persistence you can get it rubbed into the skin. I don't mind the extra effort because I know this product is safe for me and my environment.

Be safe and enjoy the summer!

The Mighty Mite

2010-04-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Got allergies and just think that it's the pollen in the air? Maybe your home is being over run by mites.That's dust mites of course!

Just imagining these dust mites living in your pillow by the millions, eating your dead skin and hair, is enough to make anyone think twice about these pests. Dust mites are microscopic (smaller than 1/70th of an inch) and thrive on sloughed-off human and animal skin. 70% of dust is human skin and the remaining 30% consists of pet dander, dirt, fibers, mold, bacteria and insects.

High concentrations of dust mite allergen are a significant risk factor for the development of allergic diseases such as asthma and hay fever. Studies at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) suggest that more than 45% of U.S. homes have bedding with dust mite concentrations that exceed a level equated with allergic sensitization.

Dust mites thrive in warm, dark, moist places. They thrive in bedding because that is where they find their biggest meals. Humans shed about 1/5 ounce of dander (dead skin) each week. A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. It's the feces and body parts from the dust mite that are the allergens, so simply killing the mites won't remove the allergen.

How to Minimize and Remove Mite Populations:

Direct sunlight kills dust mites, so hang bedding in the sun whenever possible.
Dust mites die when the humidity drops below 40%. A dehumidifier would help if you live in a humid climate.
Wash bed linens once a week in hot water. Water temps need to be above 130 degrees F or higher to kill mites.
Steam-cleaning carpets.
Vapor steam-cleaning.
The natural lanolin in wool repels dust mites. Yet another reason to buy wool bedding.
Eliminate wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpeting accumulates pounds of dust mites, dirt, pesticides and other toxins brought in on shoes, feet and pet's paws over the years.
Freezing stuffed animal toys (in a tightly closed plastic bag) in the freezer for 24hrs will kill but not remove the dust mite residue.
Clean weekly.

Scheduling a regular cleaning routine will help you accomplish the tasks needed to keep dust mites at bay. Find one small area that you can clean everyday. Spending just 10-15 minutes a day on a task can make the cleaning project as a whole not seem so daunting. Pretty soon your cleaning routine will become habit and you can breathe deeply in your home with confidence.

Source Material: Home Enlightenment by Annie Bond

Children's Pajamas - A Flaming Issue

2010-03-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

So the big question here is, do your concerns about fire safety outweigh the use of chemicals and their effect on the environment and your child?

Children's sleepwear has been the center of controversy since the 1970's when the now titled group Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) specified that sleeping garments must self extinguish when exposed to an open flame for 3 seconds. The garment must also pass the test after 50 wash cycles!

It's hard to say it better than this article on the flame-resistant baby pajamas controversy.

Polyester and cotton and the most common materials used to make children's pajamas. Most synthetic fiber sleepwear has a flame retardant inserted into the fabric fiber, including most polyester fabrics, as opposed to the fabric being “chemically treated” with a flame retardant. If they are treated with flame retardants, they must be labeled as such. Depending on the company, chemicals used on pajama fabrics could include chlorinated and brominated flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants such as antimony oxides, and phosphate-based compounds. Like I've mentioned before polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) accumulate in the environment and our bodies and have been linked to compromising the function of our nervous, reproductive and endocrine systems. North Americans have the highest body burden of PBDEs in the world.

The CPSC recommends that children's pajamas be either flame resistant or snug-fitting. Snug-fitting sleepwear does not have to be treated with flame-resistant chemicals. The idea is that snug-fitting pajamas have less air spaces and therefore less oxygen that can accelerate flames. Pure wool sleepwear would also be exempt from mandated treatment.

I think it is crucial to ask not only what is important for your child but what will best benefit our home, planet Earth. By purchasing organic or natural fiber clothing you are supporting companies that are investing in the healthy future of this planet and all its inhabitants.

Additional Pages of Interest:
Guide To Less Toxic Products
5 Minutes For Going Green

Your Child's Mattress Stinks

2010-02-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

How many well meaning parents do you know that upon learning of their expectant child have prepared the best nursery possible? New paint, new carpet, new furniture, new clothes, etc... Has the parent-to-be made their own paint, purchased low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, installed natural fiber carpet with natural latex or jute backing, made or purchased furniture without pressed wood, made or purchased natural fiber clothing? If not, then they have unsuspectingly created a ultra-toxic environment for the newest addition to their family.

Children are especially sensitive to chemical exposures. Evidence is emerging that because of a child's dynamic growth and development, they have an increased risk to certain diseases in part from exposures to environmental chemicals during childhood.

The Crib Mattress
Crib-size mattresses are usually waterproof which means that the covering is made out of some kind of plastic (oil). Typically, plastic coverings are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) covered with cotton or polyester layers, which as you probably guessed emit toxic fumes that are suspected carcinogens and can cause acute toxicity to the respiratory tract.

A popular material used to fill mattresses is polyurethane which of course is made from petroleum and highly flammable. Additionally, polyurethane is found to not break down in landfills therefore contributing to long term waste problems. Polyurethane poses a high fire hazard, thus enters the use fire retardants.

According to this blog, in 1972, California passed legislation requiring flammability standards for upholstered furniture and baby products like high chairs, strollers and nursing pillows. Manufacturers met these new standards by using inexpensive, toxic and untested flame retardant chemicals. In each animal species studied, these brominated and chlorinated flame retardants were shown to cause cancer, birth defects and neurological, reproductive and endocrine disruption. As mentioned in my pillow blog, the most pervasive fire retardant contaminant is polybrominate dipheylethers (PBDEs) which can increasingly be detected in mother's breast milk. Californians, in fact, have earned the dubious honor of having the highest amount of toxic flame retardant chemicals in their bodies of any people on the planet.

USA Today: Fire Retardant found in toddlers' blood

Solutions
Choices are limited when it comes to finding a mattress that has not been treated with fire retardants. Because wool naturally absorbs and releases water and is resistant to fire, dust mites and mold, it is an excellent choice for a mattress. Make sure you get organic or 'PureGrow' wool. Another option is organic pure latex (rubber). Be sure the latex is not a blend and has not been treated with drying chemicals. Like wool, natural latex is antimicrobial, resistant to dust mites, mildew and fire and breathes which wicks moisture away from the body. Organic cotton mattresses are also an improvement but due to federal regulations they are treated with a fire retardant.

If purchasing a new mattress is not in the budget you can seal in some of the synthetic fumes from mattresses and pillows by using a barrier cloth encasement. Barrier cloth is made of cotton that is so tightly woven (often 300 threads per inch) that it blocks fumes from passing through its weave. Make sure it's organic and not made of plastic which will outgas chemicals, totally defeating the purpose!

Helpful Resources

http://mommyfootprint.com/is-your-childs-bed-or-crib-toxic/

http://www.myessentia.com/research/fire-retardants

http://www.chem-tox.com/guest/guestbook.html

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/some-crib-mattresses-toxic.html

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Enlightenment-Practical-Earth-Friendly-Toxin-Free/dp/1579548113/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266013145&sr=8-2

I do not have children and a wool mattress is an expensive endeavor so, unfortunately, it still sits on my wish list. My newest mission is to search out an organic barrier cloth. We have a mattress pad now but I'm sure if I looked I would see that at least part of it, if not all, is made out of polyester. More toxic outgassing in addition to Eric's farting. Ha! I can't wait to get an organic wool mattress for healing, rejuvenating sleep!

Next Time: Children's Sleepwear and Fire Retardants.

Pillow Talk

2010-02-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I suspect that there is a great misconception that the products we can purchase from a business must be safe for our use. How else could they be available to us? Somebody has done the testing to ensure a products safety right? Well, this isn't always the case, which puts the responsibility on the consumer to do their own research.

You think, hey I need a new pillow so I'll run out and get the cheapest one I can find. But have you asked yourself, what is that pillow made of and what possible chemical treatments have been applied to this pillow? We spend approximately 1/3 of our life in bed. So why not make it as safe and healthy as you can? This blog is the first in a series that will peel back the covers of your bed.

We spend our nights tucked into our beds with our noses buried in or next to our pillows. Because of this, your pillow is the most important part of having a healthy bed. Unless you have a pillow made of natural fibers, you are unsuspectingly breathing in fumes that the pillow is outgassing.

Consider a polyester fill/cotton shell pillow. Polyester is a synthetic material (plastic) that is made from polyethylene terephalate (PET), a derivative of petrochemicals (oil). It can give off fumes of plastic, like when you smell a new ziploc bag. The weave of a pillow case is too loose to block these plastic fumes. Also, Polyester/cotton-blend bedding is heavily treated with a formaldehyde-based resin which also outgasses. Low levels of exposure to formaldehyde can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, cause skin problems, serious breathing problems and can increase your risk of certain kinds of cancer. OSHA regulates formaldehyde as a cancer-causing substance.

It's very likely that your pillow has also been treated with a fire retardant. A significant source of human exposure to one type of flame retardant chemical comes from polybrominated dipheylethers (PBDEs). These chemicals are long-lasting in the environment, our bodies and are being linked to irreparable developmental and reproductive disorders.

Does any of this sound like something you want to be breathing at least 1/3 of your life while trying to enjoy restful and peaceful sleep?

Some Natural Fiber Alternatives:
Organic Cotton
Organic or "PureGrow" Wool
Buckwheat
Kapok
Down
Syriaca Down

I purchased my "PureGrow" Wool pillow several years ago at a local eco-friendly store. Wool is naturally flame resistant, inhospitable to dust mites and resistant to mold and mildew but does tend to lose some of its loft. To freshen my pillow, I simply hang it out on the clothes line in the sun. It has been a wonderful and welcome addition to my healthy sleep habits. More than likely, you will not find these natural fiber alternatives at a Walmart or Target and will have to seek out either a local eco-friendly store or online resources which there are now many. Please always make an attempt to find a store close to home.

Next time.........A look at fire retardants and the chemical applications used on children bedding products.

Dusting Off The Research

2010-01-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

I know nothing has happened on here for many, many months, nearly a year! But I'm getting back in the routine and will change that. I am resuming my research so that I may bring you useful information about toxins in our environment.

Much has happened since my last blog. My partner, Eric, and I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. It's a national scenic trail that winds through California, Oregon and Washington. It covers 2,650 hiking miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. It's hard to summarize the experience. It was hard and yet incredibly fun too. All the blisters, hot days, and tumbles were well worth all the amazing friends we made on the trail. While out there I wasn't sure that I wanted to do more long distance hiking. But soon after leaving the trail, returning to the hiking community was all Eric and I could think about. If you want to read more about our adventure you can visit our PCT trail journal.

We've had a slow transition trying to acclimate back to life with beds, tv, jobs, stuff and moving cars. Last April, we moved our belongings from Arcata, Ca to Ukiah, Ca, where we now live. Ukiah is where I grew up......sort of. My 'home' is about a 30 minute drive outside of town up a rough and bumpy dirt road on Smart's Mountain. But Ukiah is my hometown and we are now living in the house where my grandparents used to live. There is much cleaning and sorting to do in the house and the yard needs an overhaul. I feel that this home provides us a place to transition into the next phase of our life. The sustainable phase! I hope that in not too many years, we will be able to live up on the mountain, build our own natural home and grow a bountiful garden!

Aside my toxin research is my newest obsession, bicycle advocacy. Ukiah certainly is no Arcata when it comes to biking. I can go a whole day here and not see anyone else on a bike. Sad! Ukiah is not that big of a town and people could very easily bike to their destinations. Rather than let this totally bum me out, I'm seeing it as an opportunity to influence change. I've slowly found others that want to make Ukiah a safer community in which to ride bikes. Thus starts the quest to create a bicycling advocacy group.

So, stay tuned for some more toxic updates!

Wishes

2009-04-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

I wish I'd had more time to post here before Eric and I left for our PCT adventure. The posts do take time and lots of research. It's not easy to find all the gory details about the carcinogens we come into contact with everyday.

So, please stay tuned because I will continue it after Eric and I complete the PCT sometime in October.

Skin, Your Largest Organ

2009-02-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

When you go to the store and purchase shampoo, lotion, soap, fragrance, makeup, or sunscreen, do you consider whether or not that product is safe to put on your body? Do you assume that because it is there for sale, it must be safe for use?

Your Skin
Your skin is your largest organ. It acts as a waterproof, insulating shield, guarding the body against extremes of temperature, damaging sunlight, and harmful chemicals. Your skin also functions as a medium through which toxins are removed from your body. Despite the amazing features of your skin, ingredients from skincare products are absorbed in minutes through your skin and into your bloodstream. Many of the ingredients in skincare products are already known, or currently being found, to cause cancer. Why are these dangerous personal care products allowed to remain on the market? Because the FDA, which is responsible for regulating these products, spends almost no time, money or effort actually investigating the safety of such products. Instead, the FDA spends the vast majority of its time approving new prescription drugs.

Partial list of known harmful chemicals:

Aluminum

Artificial fragrances

Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone)

Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate - OMC)

Dibutyl phthalate

Diethanolamine (DEA)

Digalloyl trioleate

Ethylhexyl p-Methoxycinnamate

Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives such as DMDM hydantoin quaternium-15, and diazonlidnyl urea

Isopropyl Palmitate

Lanolin and Acetylated Lanolin

Menthyl anthranilate

Methylisothiazoline (MIT)

Mineral oil

Nitrites (caution: their presence does not have to be disclosed)

Octocrylene

Oxybenzone, benzophenone, benzophenone-3

PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA)

Padimate-O (Octyl dimethyl paba

Para-aminobenzoic acid, PABA

Parabens - (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl- and propyl-parabens)

Petrolatum

Phenol

Phthalates

Propylene Glycol

Polyethylene Glycol (PEG's with any number)

Salicylates (ethylhexyl-, homosalate and octyl-salicylate)

Sodium Lauryl and Sodium Laureth Sulfates

Talc

Triethanolamine (TEA)

Urea, Imidazolidinyl, Diazolidinyl Urea and/or DMDM Hydantoin

Urocanic acid

List from http://www.best-mens-skin-care.com/ingredients.html

Pick One Product
It can be daunting to try to weed out products that are unsafe for your use. My challenge to you is to investigate one product that you currently use. Go to Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Reviews and check that one product and its ingredients. If it receives a low hazard rating, continue to use it. If you don't like what you see, use the above list to help you pick out a new product. Do your skin one big favor this week!

Products I use:

Aubrey Organics shampoo/conditioner

Avalon Organics hand/body lotion

Laef's natural and organic deodorant

Deep Steep organic hand soap

CitraSolve dish soap/multi-purpose cleaner

Seventh Generation laundry soap

Ecover stain remover

Badger sunscreen/chapstick

Living Downstream

2009-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

I have read nearly half of Living Downstream by Dr. Sandra Steingraber in the last week and continue to be fascinated by the topic! It's led me to searching the internet and I stumbled upon more information.

Living Downstream is currently in development with The People's Picture Company Inc,. Here, I found a link to the trailer for the movie. It is short and well worth the download time. It gave me goosebumps.

Inspiring and powerful!

Toxins Don't Discriminate

2009-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

There's a fable about a village along a river. The residents who live here according to parable, began noticing increasing numbers of drowing people caught in the river's swift current and so went to work inventing ever more elaborate technologies to resuscitate them. So preoccupied were these heroic villagers with rescue and treatment that they never thought to look upstream to see who was pushing the victims in.
(Dr. Sandra Steingraber; Living Downstream)

My quest to see what is upstream (like Steingraber's in Living Downstream) began in 2006 after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I began to ask myself, what is in the environment around me? How does this environment influence the lives of every person on this planet? Are we safe? Or do we blissfully go through our days blind to environmental hazards that are in the soil, air and water?

These questions have led me to explore the food I eat, the hygiene products I use on my body, the methods I use to clean my home, medications, the production of paper products, furniture and carpet, the clothing I wear, etc.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2006 Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) report, states that over four billion pounds of chemicals of varying toxicity were disposed of and or released in the United States. Roughly 75,000 chemicals are now in common commercial use and of these, only about 1.5 to 3 percent have been tested for carcinogenicity. According to the National Research Council, only 10 percent of pesticides in common use have been adequately assessed for hazards. Chemicals classified as known, probable, and possible human carcinogens are still allowed to be manufactured, sold, released, dumped, imported, and exported. It would be comfortable to assume such substances are automatically expelled from human society as soon as their cancer-causing potential is demonstrated, but this is not the case.

Given these statistics, it seems to me that the responsibility lies in the hands of the consumer to make educated choices about the products we use and consume. These series of blogs in the coming months will (I hope) provide a glimpse of what I have discovered. I am passionate about sharing what I have learned and how I have changed my life.