Healthy Home! Know Your A B C's

Create a Safe and Healthy Home! Know Your A B C's
By Dr. Joyce M. Woods

Dr. Joyce Woods worked as a medical/surgical nurse, public health nurse, nursing instructor, nursing school administrator, and occupational health consultant. She holds Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Arts (Specialist), Master of Education degrees, and has completed her doctoral degree in the area of "Indoor Air Pollution, and ...it's Effect on Your Health"

A- Begin by thinking of your home as a toxic waste dump. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals - more than a chemistry lab at the turn of the century.

B- More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WW II.

C- Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals in wide spread use have ever been tested for toxicity, birth defects or mutagenic or carcinogenic effects.

D- The majority of chemicals have NEVER been tested for long-term effects.

E- An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.

F- Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

G- CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that "out gassing" of chemicals has nowhere to go, so it builds up inside the home.

H- We spend 90% of our time indoor, and 65% of our time at home. Moms, infants and the elderly spend 90% of their time in the home.

I- National Cancer Association released results of a 15 year study concluding that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing cancer than women who work outside the home.

J- Cancer rates have almost doubled since 1960.

K- Cancer is the number one cause of death for children.

L- There has been a 26% increase in breast cancer since 1982. Breast cancer is the number one killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54. Primary suspects are laundry detergents and bleach, household cleaners and pesticides.

M- There has been a call from the U.S./ Canadian Commission to ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.

N- Chemicals get into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption.

O- We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of air per day.

P- There are more than 3 million poisonings every year. Household cleaners are the number one cause of poisoning of children.

Q- Since 1980, asthma has increased by 600%. The Canadian Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada identify common household cleaners and cosmetics as triggers.

R- ADD/ADHD is an epidemic in schools today. Behavioral problems have long been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.

S- Chemical and environmental sensitivities are known to cause all types of headaches.

T- Labeling laws do not protect the consumer - they protect big business.

U- The New York Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels are either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison and for first aid instructions.

V- Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene and xylene are all found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are known to be cancer causing and toxic to the immune and nervous systems.

W- Chemicals are attracted to, and stored in fatty tissue. The brain is a prime target for these destructive organics because of its high fat content and very rich blood supply.

X- The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found more than 2500 chemicals in cosmetics that are toxic, cause tumors, reproductive complications, biological mutations and skin and eye irritations.

Y- Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases commonly related to chemical exposure.

Z- Pesticides only have to include active ingredients on the labels, even though the inert (inactive) ingredients may account for 99%, many of which are toxic and poisons.
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www.saferisbetter.com/freedon

As most parents know, childhood asthma is on the rise

Please keep getting the word out on Toxins and how they affect the health of the children. Breathing problems, skin conditions, ear infections, Auto Immune issues all are being linked to exposure to to many chemicals that we use and we absorb into our bodies. Let us help with some great suggestions.
www.saferisbetter.com/freedon we would love to help.


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Dr. Sutton is a senior scientist in the California office of the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization that strives to protect children from exposure to toxic chemicals. She is an environmental chemist and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Sutton investigates hazardous chemicals in everyday items, including cleaning supplies, body care products, and even tap water.

As most parents know, childhood asthma is on the rise. In fact, 1 in 10 American kids now develops this chronic health condition during childhood. If your child is fortunate enough to be asthma-free, chances are she or he has at least one school or daycare buddy with the disease.

And it’s not just kids. Turns out teachers also suffer significantly higher rates of this life-threatening condition. So as researchers and children’s health advocates at Environmental Working Group, we wanted to know whether the cleaning supplies used in schools might have something to do with this trend, since they’re a common source of indoor air contaminants.

The Bad News First: Common school cleaners dirty the classroom air
To better understand the potential link between asthma and school cleaners, we ordered up sophisticated air pollution tests for 21 common school cleaning products. These tests showed that as a group, these 21 products release into the air no fewer than 457 distinct chemicals. 457! And six of them are known to cause asthma in otherwise healthy people.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by these results: Studies of folks who clean for a living find increasing evidence that asthma developed on the job is often linked to exposure to common cleaning supplies. Cleaning products can also trigger an asthma attack.

EWG’s tests found chemicals in cleaners that are associated with even more disturbing health problems. Eleven are known, probable or possible human carcinogens. We also detected reproductive toxins, neurotoxins and hormone disrupters in commonly used cleaning supplies.

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.

It only makes sense to keep noxious chemicals out of the air wherever young (and not-so-young) children spend a lot of time. Students who stay after school for extra-curricular activities probably get an extra dose of cleaning pollutants since custodians often do a lot of their work after classes let out. Because children’s developing bodies are more vulnerable to toxic chemicals, schools rank high on our list of places that should be free of preventable, lung-damaging air pollution.

The Good News: There are effective greener alternatives
EWG’s study also looked at “certified green” cleaning products to see if they were less likely to release potentially harmful contaminants. Independent organizations that review products according to health-based standards (Green Seal and EcoLogo) had given them high marks. Both in individual product tests and in simulated classroom cleaning situations where we compared them with conventional cleaners, the certified green supplies emitted fewer toxic chemicals.

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Rebecca Sutton Ph.D.
October 18, 2010
Note: This Perspectives Blog post is written by a Guest Blogger of DrGreene.com and is provided in order to offer a variety of thoughtful points of view. The opinions expressed on this Perspectives Blog post do not reflect the opinions of Dr. Greene or DrGreene.com. As such, Dr. Greene and DrGreene.com are not responsible for the accuracy of the information supplied.


Read more: http://www.drgreene.com/perspectives/2010/10/18/cleaning-school-may-dirty-your-child%E2%80%99s-classroom-air#ixzz12jQYoLr2

Green Choices and Your Reproductive Health

We are so passionate about Chemicals in the products women use and why we want mom to be aware of Toxins in the everyday products we use. More in on us: www.saferisbetter.com/freedon

Thanks you PP for a very informative article!
Planned Parenthood: Green Choices and Your Reproductive Health

Posted on October 14, 2010 — Bookmark and Share

Vanessa Cullins, Planned Parenthood

By Dr. Vanejavascript:void(0)ssa Cullins
Vice President for Medical Affairs
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

“Going Green” means more than recycling your bottles and riding your bike to work. Here at Planned Parenthood, we understand that our environment and our bodies are inextricably connected. When our environments are polluted, so are our bodies. When we wash our hair with shampoos that contain endocrine disruptors (PDF), eat fruit coated in pesticides (PDF), or scrub our countertops with toxic cleaning products (PDF), we could be compromising our health and our family’s health.

That’s why Planned Parenthood established Green Choices, a project whose goal is to provide our patients with the knowledge they need to reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals in their everyday lives. With the help of environmental health organizations from around the country, we have developed a series of online learning modules called Green Choices for staff who work at Planned Parenthood health centers.

The Green Choices learning modules demonstrate:

* the link between environmental toxins and adverse reproductive outcomes
* how to assess a patient’s risk of being exposed to harmful chemicals
* how to educate patients about simple changes they can make to live and work in a healthier environment

The modules focus on eight specific topics — you can click on the links to learn more about each one: lead, pesticides (PDF), cleaning products (PDF), plastics (PDF), personal care products/cosmetics (PDF), fruit and vegetables (PDF), fish (PDF), and tobacco smoke (PDF). For each of these areas, we have created assessment tools to identify where a patient might encounter toxic chemicals. We can then offer our patients suggestions for reducing their exposure to these chemicals.

If a client indicates she microwaves her food in plastic containers, for example, we can provide her with informational resources on plastics that explain how chemicals found in plastic containers can absorb into our food, and then into our bodies. A simple solution is to instead store and microwave food in glass containers.

Beyond educating patients at our health centers, Planned Parenthood is an advocate for commonsense policies that will make us all healthier. Planned Parenthood is part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Campaign that is working to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which currently does not require chemicals used in consumer products to be tested for safety. Planned Parenthood is also part of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that is working to enact the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 which gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to ensure that personal care products are free of harmful ingredients. Planned Parenthood is also part of the Green Choices Alliance — a group of reproductive and environmental health organizations and academic institutions that works together to promote environmentally safe practices and policies.

So the next time you go to your Planned Parenthood for a checkup, don’t forget to ask how you can make green choices to help protect your reproductive health.

********
We also have answers to healthier products, and would love to share addition information that we open your eyes to toxins in products People use on a daily basics.
www.saferisbetter.com/freedon

Sanitize your linens—and fight off a cold

Sanitize your linens—and fight off a cold
We’re just at the beginning of cold and flu season, and now’s the time to put a little extra thought and effort into minimizing sickness-inducing germs and bacteria from spreading among your family members and throughout your home. And one of the simplest and most straightforward ways to do this is by keeping your linens spic-and-span.

Though how often you wash your sheets is clearly a personal decision, there are scientific arguments for washing your bedding weekly to benefit your health. According to ehow.com and examiner.com, laundering sheets weekly (in hot, 130-or-more degree water) gets rid of the dead skin cells (fodder for bacteria) and allergy-inducing dust mites that accumulate after a few nights’ sleep. If you or someone in your family is prone to sweating—or if you’ve got Fido cozying up with your in bed—consider washing every couple days to rinse out dirt and pet dander. Don’t ignore your mattress pad either—it’s a good idea to wash it bi-weekly or at least monthly.

Pillows are another consideration. To ensure you’re not resting your head on a big pile of germs—you should be washing your pillows at least every six months. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when washing them, though generally you should be able to clean them in your home washing machine, and with down ones in particular, it’s a good idea to throw in a couple clean tennis balls while drying which helps keep feathers fluffy. Investing in zippered pillow protectors is also key: they act as a barrier between your pillow and its case (the latter of which should be washed at least weekly) to keep the former nice and sanitary.

Comforters and blankets need proper maintenance as well. Your comforter should we washed monthly (and your duvet weekly). Read the care instructions on the label, since chances are you’re going to need a front loading commercial size washer to accomplish this. Make sure it’s dried properly to avoid mold and fungus from growing. Blankets should also be washed or dry cleaned monthly.

Towels, as we previously discussed, also need TLC—with washcloths and hand towels, in particular (since they’re actually used to wipe off the dirt and oils off your skin), there’s a real risk of spreading staph infections and pinkeye. It's also a good idea because bathrooms are warm, humid breeding grounds for bacteria to begin with. Washing bath towels weekly, and smaller, more frequently used towels even more often that that, is the best way to tackle the germ problem.

Related: How often do you wash your towels?; How often do you change your sheets?; 5 tricks to keep towels soft and fluffy; How to wash down pillows

Sources: ehow.com; globalhealingcenter.org; tips.become.com; ehso.com; healthnewsdigest.com

Related: sanitize your linens; washing towels; washing sheets; laundry; cold and flu season; how often do you wash your towels; how often do you change your sheets

Series on Caustic Chemicals

www.saverisbetter.com/freedon for some great information on what we do to get Toxins out of our home.

Series on Caustic Chemicals

Twenty years ago the majority of the public didn’t believe that “properly” used home cleaning products could be hazardous to their health or to our environment. My goal and intention for developing this series of articles is to help you decide for yourself whether you want to use environmentally responsible products in your home or use the caustic hazardous products.

Many people do not realize that disinfectants, detergents, cleaning compounds, excreted hormones, cosmetics and prescription medications can end up in our rivers. As you will learn, most water treatment facilities in this country are unable to remove these chemicals from the waste water before releasing the “cleaned water” back into our rivers. (refer to the studies below.)

Although today, modern science is able to treat some cancers more effectively, the incidence of cancer is rapidly increasing. It has been recently reported that there are more deaths as a result of cancer than from heart disease, which has been the number one cause of death in North America for many years. Many cancers are now being directly linked to environmental toxins

Without question, I believe that good health is directly related to what we eat and drink, what we are able to digest, absorb and eliminated and to what degree we are exposed to toxic chemicals and carcinogens. As a society we have to start taking more responsibility for our own health. Our current health care system is a business that rewards illness…not wellness. Most doctors are paid to treat a problem after the cause, preventing health problems is your responsibility.

Twenty years ago most people had quality low deductible health insurance. Today a serious illness may not only cause death, but it could send a family to bankruptcy. The day is coming when employers will not be able to afford to pay for employee’s health insurance.

Michael McCullough, DC
_________________________________________________________________________________

I can’t afford to get sick!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates that America's health care costs have risen at twice the rate of inflation since 1970. Total costs amount to about $2 trillion annually, with almost half of that government spending. What's behind this enormous price tag? Here are the biggest components:
 Hospital care: $571 billion
 Doctors' services: $400 billion
 Prescription drugs: $189 billion
 Nursing-home care: $115 billion
 Private insurance: $96 billion
 Dental services: $82 billion
 Home health care: $43 billion

Driven partly by these increases, insurance premiums have risen at an even faster annual clip (9% in 2005) than health care overall. Consumers are hard hit by these escalating prices, but they are certainly not the only ones feeling the impact.

Readers Digest April 2006

“You can’t afford not to make changes. The following information will help you understand the relationship between caustic chemicals and your health!
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One of the major detergent manufactures estimates that there are over 35 billion loads of clothes washed in the U.S. every year and there are more loads of dishes washed than loads of clothes washed! Most dishwasher detergents have more phosphates than clothes soaps. It is estimated that the average water usage from a load of clothes is approximately 16 gallons.

Because of the ever increasing amount of nitrogen and phosphates dissolved in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, pollution has more than doubled since 1950. Current estimates suggest that three times as much nitrogen is being carried into the Gulf today compared with levels 30 years ago or at any time in history. Blooms of photosynthesizers die and sink, and the processes of their decay exhausts the available supplies of oxygen dissolved in the water. Every summer there is now an area south of the Louisiana coastline, larger than the U.S. state of Massachusetts at over 7,000 mi² (18,000 km²) that is hypoxic. These waters do not carry enough oxygen to sustain marine life. This annually enlarging dead zone is a major threat to the fishing industry and to public health.
Also, there are frequent "red tide" algae blooms that kill fish and marine mammals and cause respiratory problems in humans and some domestic animals when the blooms reach close to shore. This has especially been plaguing the southwest Florida coast, from the Florida Keys to north of Pasco County, Florida.
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Automatic Dishwasher Powders
And what you may not know?

Before you wash your next load of dishes consider the following! You owe it to yourself to read this information.

Manufacturer’s Label: WARNING! (Means the product is moderately toxic-a teaspoon can harm or kill an adult.) Strong eye and skin irritant. Contains corrosive bleach that can burn the mouth and throat. Most commonly reported poisoning among young children.

From the National Poison Control Center. Automatic Dishwasher Powders contain sodium silicate and bleach. Repeated or prolonged exposure to vapors or dust can cause irritation of the lungs, CNS (central nervous system) disorders, and in severe cases can cause death. Almost all-Automatic Dishwasher detergents have phosphates in them as well as corrosive bleaches.

“Keep in mind how often dishwasher doors are opened during the process of loading after the wash cycle starts? This is only the tip-of-the-ICE BERG…continue reading.”

The Big Trouble with Phosphates
 Too much phosphorus or phosphates in the waterways—speeds up eutrophication (growth) of algae.
 One pound of phosphates can grow up from 400 to 700 pounds of green algae that can block the light from the sun to the plants on the bottom of the waterways and reduces the oxygen content in the water killing the fish and disrupting the aquatic ecosystem.

How do phosphates get into the water system?

 Un-Natural ways
Improper use of lawn and agricultural fertilizers
Domestic and agricultural sewage
Detergents that are washed down our sinks, dishwashers and washing machines

“The most prominent example in the U.S. is where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico creating an enormous “DEAD ZONE” devoid of most fish and shrimp.”

 Many states are attempting to pass legislation to regulated phosphates in detergents …unfortunately the major manufacturers have been able to keep this from happening.

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Continue to scroll down

May 7, 2003
2 On Your Side: Detergent and dogs don’t mix

GRESHAM - We have a warning for pet owners.
A woman said her dog suffered serious chemical burns from a laundry detergent most people would consider harmless.
KATU's 2 On Your Side reporter Ed Teachout has the story.
_____________
You wouldn't think laundry soap could be harmful to your pet just by getting on their skin.
But this Wednesday one Basset Hound's misadventure is a good warning to all pet owners.
Seven-year old Scarlet is recovering after getting into a particular laundry detergent that many folks have at home.
"A tremendous skin reaction over her entire bottom half of her body, you see her quiver when I touch her," said Dr. Chuck Hawkins who is a Veterinarian.
Connected to an IV, Scarlet is sedated and she hasn't eaten for two days.
"You can see where the spread marks are where the detergent had spilled. It spilled inside the cage," said Hawkins.
The bottle of liquid Tide was on the floor near the cage, somehow Scarlet got to it and got the lid off.
After perhaps hours of lying in the Tide Marci Cook found her dog bleeding and in pain.
Veterinarians aren't sure if it's a chemical burn or skin reaction.
The label's only warning is to 'keep out of reach of children and to flush with water if it gets in your eyes.'
Cook said she didn't think laundry detergent was that harmful so she didn't have it stored up high with other chemicals.
"Now I know to move it up but I think this is harmless. I use it on my clothes I didn't think this would have any impact on a dog, I mean its soap and now I know it's not like soap," said Marci Cook.
Cook said Tide hasn't given her vet any information on the chemicals inside the detergent.

"I was able to talk to a pharmacists contracted to the company but I haven't got a call back from the toxicologist at the company," said Cook.
While Scarlet rests, her owner has a message to all pet owners.
"Don't leave any chemicals or any detergent - anything on the floor where dogs can get to it. Because I don't want anyone to go through what I've had to," said Cook.
Late Wednesday afternoon the makers of Tide, Proctor and Gamble, sent KATU a written statement.

It said their safety experts have been in contact with Dr. Hawkins.
But Hawkins said a toxicologist for the company called him late Wednesday. Which is about an hour after we contacted Proctor and Gamble.

What can you do?

Though many states have instituted regulations to ban or reduce phosphates in most
detergents, dishwasher detergents seem to be the exception. During the 1960s and 1970s, when algae growth due to phosphates was a hot topic, there was a lack of safe and cost-effective alternative solutions for dishwasher detergents. As a result, regulation loopholes allowed dishwasher detergent manufacturers to continue to include large amounts of phosphates. Perhaps it seemed sufficient at the time, but populations have increased and the presence of automatic dishwasher detergents contributed from 15%-20% of the phosphorus entering a wastewater treatment plant, and eventually the environment. Yet the industry continues to unnecessarily load its dishwasher detergents with phosphates.

Some places are getting the messages. Legislation for 2004 sought to ban the use of phosphates in dishwasher detergents as well. As one Minnesota state representative pointed out, “that would mean “up to 1 billion pounds of algae from Minnesota waters that we will be eliminating.”

You can help reduce the problem of human-caused eutrophication by using detergents that are made without phosphates. When you compare phosphate-free Diamond Brite with grocery store brand dishwasher detergents—which often contain nearly 9% phosphates—it’s easy to see how you can make a difference.








Housework makes women sick
from detergents to cosmetics…Home is where the cancer is!

By Veronique Mandal Star Health-Science Reporter-Windsor Star
Thursday, September 18, 2003

Women who work in the home are at a 54-per-cent higher risk of developing cancer than career women, says Michael Dufresne, a leading researcher in environmental cancers.

Women and men who want to look good and avoid body odours are at an added risk, because of the cancer-causing chemicals in hundreds of personal care products and household cleaners.

From cosmetics and hair products to toothpaste, shaving cream, furniture polish and dishwashing liquid, the presence of carcinogens raises major concerns, said Dufresne, an adjunct and research professor at the University of Windsor, researcher for Cancer Care Ontario and a member of the Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Speaking at a Hospice of Windsor seminar Tuesday, and quoting from leading studies, Dufresne said his greatest worry is the lack of information given to the public about products they use every day.

"People are blindly being led in the use of these products. They assume they are tested and safe, and they're not," said Dufresne. "Scientists are discovering that exposure to a variety of trace chemicals over the span of a lifetime is dangerous."

According to Statistics Canada, 335 women per 100,000 will develop cancer. Forty-six per cent of Canadian women are in the workforce and the remainder work at home.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group reports that there are more than 100,000 synthetic chemicals in use. Residues of more than 400 toxic chemicals have been identified in human blood and fat tissue.

The risk for childhood leukemia and brain tumours increases dramatically in households using home and garden pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer.

Dufresne said the biggest culprit is the cosmetic industry, which does not put warnings on labels and does not list potentially harmful ingredients.

"The industry and the regulators know the cancer risks associated with cosmetics but there is virtually no consumer knowledge," Dufresne said.

"Unlike cigarettes, there are no warning labels on cosmetics and virtually no FDA regulations policing them."
“Sei BellaSkin Care and Cosmetics do not have any caustic chemicals or pthalates in them.”

Cancer-linked chemicals are found in Toothpaste, nail polish, bubbles, shaving cream, deodorant, soap, tampons, conditioner, shampoo and styling products also pose a threat.

"My own study showed that men and women think they're safer if they pay more, but there is absolutely no relationship between cost and safety."

The use of talc in the genital region has been linked to ovarian cancer.

Mouth, tongue and throat cancer has been linked to the high alcohol content (more than 25 per cent), saccharin, dyes and a chemical called PS60/80 in various types of mouthwash.

In the home, Lysol, Murphy's Oil Soap, Pledge, Tilex, Ajax, Palmolive, Joy, Chlorox Bleach, Windex, Sunlight, Arm & Hammer heavy duty laundry detergent, shout stick and liquid Spray 'N Wash are a few of the many products containing dangerous chemicals, said Dufresne.

Chemicals formed in woodsmoke from the fireplace, some burning candles, carpets and plastics, particularly plastic wrap, can also cause cancer.

Dufresne said people shouldn't panic, but wants to ensure they have information to make informed choices.

"You have to balance the risks and benefits, but ask questions first and demand answers," said Dufresne. "Just remember what you don't know can hurt you."

vmandal@thestar.canwest.com or 255-5777, Ext. 649
© Copyright 2003 Windsor Star
http://www.tribnet.com/news/nation_world/story/3934485p-3956843c.html

_____________________________________________________________________________
Toxic compounds permeate U.S. homes, scientists find

MARLA CONE; Los Angeles Times

In a study of 120 homes in Cape Cod, Mass., scientists found dozens of toxic chemicals in indoor air and dust, suggesting that exposure to potentially hormone-altering compounds is commonplace in American homes.

The scientists, in a comprehensive look at home-based contaminants, found 67 different compounds in dust and air, dominated by chemicals found in plastics, cosmetics such as nail polish, perfumes and hairsprays, and detergents. Flame retardants used in foam furnishings and insecticides were also commonplace.

The household sampling is part of a broader, decade-long study of 2,100 women that aims to determine why Cape Cod has a high incidence of breast cancer unexplained by genetic factors.

Nine chemicals were found in every house tested - six phthalates, found mostly in cosmetics and hard plastics, and three alkylphenols, including one used mostly in detergents and cleaners.

The household sampling, conducted by the Silent Spring Institute of Newton, Mass., and Harvard University's School of Public Health, provides new information that should help the government prioritize which compounds might pose a high risk. But because the compounds are ubiquitous in household products and they are rarely listed as ingredients, there is little people can do to limit their exposure except to avoid indoor pesticides.

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Birth Defects Rising In The US, Environmental Toxicity Suspected

Rates of birth defects, preterm births and low birthweight babies have been rising steadily since the mid-1980s, in spite of increased efforts at prevention. This observation comes from a study of 8-year data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control from 1989 through 1996, conducted by the Pew Environmental Health Commission at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, in conjunction with the March of Dimes.

Researchers believe that evidence is mounting that environmental factor, such as toxins in the air and water, and personal behavior, such as smoking and drinking during pregnancy, may account for the rise in birth defects and chronic developmental disabilities observed

While rates of birth defects have risen across the board, they are higher in some states, and the reason for this is not understood. Environmental toxins may cause higher rates of autism and spina bifida, or they may be the result of better reporting in certain areas, the report noted.

Tracking needs to be improved in order to better understand the role of environmental exposure in causing birth defects. More studies need to be done to determine the effects of many toxins on mothers and children, Weicker stressed.

Contaminants found in the Boise River
04/16/2002
Anna Rau
Idaho's NewsChannel 7

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey of our nation's rivers, including the Boise river, has revealed what some researchers fear could be a growing problem with a whole new set of contaminants.

The Boise River has some things in it that may surprise you - steroids, household disinfectants, deodorizers, and even hormones.
The US Geological Survey has been testing for this new breed of contaminants in dozens of rivers across the U.S. The USGS performed test on 139 sites in all, three of them on the Boise River.

City Water Quality Manager Robin Finch: “Right now, we're on the very front end of understanding what this means, USGS had to develop 5 techniques to analyze these compounds, because there were no techniques.”

USGS Hydrologist Mark Hardy: “This may be one of the biggest studies that's been done of this sort, I don't think in this country it's ever been done at this level.”
The study is uncovering some disturbing things.

Hardy: “At all of the sites, we saw some degradation product of detergents, those kinds of compounds would accompany all kinds of cleaners odor killers, we are also seeing some reproductive hormones in the water, including the ovulation inhibitors that you would see in birth control pills.”

Right now wastewater treatment plants don't have the ability to effectively filter out the new compounds. What's more, scientists aren't sure what threats the new compounds may pose.
Finch: “They remove a little bit, but they do not remove substantial amounts of those compounds.”




EPA worried as child asthma doubles
Report sees drop in lead exposure, but asthma rise a mystery

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 — Far fewer children are showing high levels of lead in their blood or the effects of secondhand smoke, a government report has found - but childhood asthma rates are doubling. The Environmental Protection Agency report also found that one of every dozen women of childbearing age has blood mercury levels that could hinder brain development in a fetus.

The percentage of children getting asthma has doubled in two decades, rising from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 8.7 percent, or 6.3 million children by 2001.

THE EPA report is the agency’s second comprehensive look at the environmental hazards to children’s health.
The sharpest drop was in the number of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood. There were 4.7 million in 1978, and about 300,000 in 2000, the report released Monday says.

It attributed most of that success to the phaseout of lead in gasoline between 1973 and 1995 and the reduction in the number of homes with lead-based paint from 64 million in 1990 to 38 million in 2000.

The number of children whose blood levels showed effects from second hand smoke declined by about one-fifth to one-half between 1988 and 2000, depending on their levels of exposure.

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said aggressive government intervention in both those areas had made “great strides to improve the environment for children where they live, learn and play.”

ASTHMA MYSTERY
But the report also found that the percentage of children getting asthma has doubled in two decades, rising from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 8.7 percent, or 6.3 million children by 2001.

Those rates, it added have a “disproportionate impact ... on minority and low-income children.”
Researchers don’t know exactly why asthma is increasing among children, but a number of factors in air quality, both outdoors and indoors, have been studied.

Those range from exposure to dust mites, cockroaches and pesticides to tobacco smoke, ground-level ozone from cars and soot from diesel engines.

EPA officials are intent on examining the role of indoor air pollutants, especially since there have been some modest improvements since 1990 in lessening the number of children exposed to outdoor air pollutants.
______________________________________________________________





March 9th 2005

Many cosmetics not tested for safety; researchers ask why
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN

The Star's Washington Correspondent
“So we're talking about over 99 percent that have never been tested.” Lauren Sucher, Environmental Working Group spokeswoman
WASHINGTON — Imagine your surprise should you reach for a familiar tube of lipstick or face cream at the drugstore and find this disturbing label:
“Warning — The safety of this product has not been determined.”
What if it's also on your shaving cream, and your hand soap, mascara, shampoo and conditioner?
Well, be prepared. Many of the cosmetics and personal care products could be wearing such a warning — required by the Food and Drug Administration — because the safety of many of their ingredients is not known.
Some of those ingredients, such as methylpentan-2-one found in nail polish, have undergone no testing at all. Others, like triethanolamine in exfoliants, are chemicals that researchers worry could be cancer-causing.
A study last year by the Environmental Working Group, a private nonprofit research center, found that cosmetic makers had verified the safety of just 28 out of 7,500 common cosmetics and toiletries.
“So we're talking about over 99 percent that have never been tested,” said Lauren Sucher, the group's spokeswoman. “They're not just products that a small percentage of the population uses. People use them every day.”
Sucher emphasized that the group is not saying the untested ingredients should necessarily be considered dangerous, just that the FDA should monitor them more closely.

Orlando Sentinel
March 04, 2003
EPA proposes cancer-risk guidelines for kids.

The government acknowledged that children face a greater risk than adults from Carcinogens.

By Stephanie Erickson
Sentinel Staff Writer

After years of study, the federal government has formally acknowledged that children need extra protection from cancer-causing chemicals found on everything from playground equipment to fruit.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed tougher
Environmental guidelines that take into account the risk children face from certain carcinogens. The guidelines could be made final later this year, bringing major changes in the regulations of certain pollutants.
The guidelines could also bring about strong recommendations for parents when it comes to keeping their children safe from certain chemicals.
Orlando-area physicians, along with the Environmental Working Group a Washington-based research and advocacy organization, said Monday that Parents can help protect their children by washing raw foods or buying organic foods that have not been exposed to pesticides and insecticides, and by washing the hands of children who have played on wood products treated with arsenic.


EPA Links Dioxin to Cancer in Humans - Post
Updated 1:08 AM ET May 17, 2000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Clinton administration will soon release a new report which concludes for the first time that the highly toxic chemical compound dioxin causes cancer in humans, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
The Post said it had obtained a draft of a long-awaited report from the Environmental Protection Agency, which dramatically raises the government's estimate of health threats from dioxin, citing new evidence of cancer risk from exposure.
The report, due out in June, notes that emissions of dioxin have plummeted from their peak levels in the 1970s but still pose a significant cancer threat to some people who ingest the chemical through foods in a normal diet, the Post said.
Dioxin comes from both natural and industrial sources, such as medical and municipal waste incineration and paper-pulp production. The chemical enters the food chain when animals eat contaminated plants. Dioxin then accumulates in the fat of mammals and fish. It has been linked to several cancers in humans, including lymphomas and lung cancer.
For a small segment of the population who eat large amounts of fatty foods, such as meats and dairy products that are relatively high in dioxins, the odds of developing cancer could be as high as 1 in 100, the Post said, quoting the report.
That estimate places the risk 10 times as high as the EPA's previous projections, according to the Post. Exposure to dioxin occurs over a lifetime, and the danger is cumulative.

Exposures to chemicals add up - Survey results
June 2004. A personal care product use survey of more than 2,300 people, conducted by EWG and a coalition of public interest and environmental health organizations, shows that the average adult uses 9 personal care products each day, with 126 unique chemical ingredients. More than a quarter of all women and one of every 100 men use at least 15 products daily. Among the findings of this survey are the following:
 12.2 million adults - one of every 13 women and one of every 23 men - are exposed to ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens every day through their use of personal care products.
 One of every 24 women, 4.3 million women altogether, are exposed daily to personal care product ingredients that are known or probable reproductive and developmental toxins, linked to impaired fertility or developmental harm for a baby in the womb or a child. These statistics do not account for exposures to phthalates that testing shows appear in an estimated three quarters of all personal care products but that, as components of fragrance, are not listed on product ingredient labels (EWG et al. 2002).
 One of every five adults are potentially exposed every day to all of the top seven carcinogenic impurities common to personal care product ingredients — hydroquinone, ethylene dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, PAHs, and acrylamide. The top most common impurity ranked by number of people exposed is hydroquinone, which is a potential contaminant in products used daily by 94 percent of all women and 69 percent of all men.
 Women use more products than men, and are exposed to more unique ingredients daily, but men use a surprisingly high number of products as well. The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 unique ingredients every day. Men, on the other hand, use 6 products daily with 85 unique ingredients, on average.
The personal care product industry's self-policing safety panel, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, approaches each safety assessment as if consumers are exposed to just one chemical at a time, and as if personal care products are the only source of exposure for each chemical considered. The panel is often wrong on both counts.
The results of this survey in combination with other studies show that people are exposed to hundreds of chemicals over the course of a day (CDC 2003, Thornton et al. 2002, EWG 2003), and that people face multiple sources of exposure from multiple consumer products for some of the common industrial chemicals used as cosmetic ingredients. Exposures can add up. The industry's panel does not consider the reality of patterns of human exposures — additive effects of exposures to multiple chemicals linked to common health harms — in declaring chemicals "safe as used" in cosmetics.
By considering the human body to be a "clean slate" free of background contamination, free of related chemicals linked to common health harms, and free of exposures from other kinds of consumer products, the industry's panel will every time underestimate the potential for a particular personal care product ingredient to harm human health.
___________________________________________________________________
Chemicals found in fabric softeners by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
by Julia Kendall

Compiled by Julia Kendall*, Co-Chair, Citizens for a Toxic-Free Marin. Phone: (415) 485-6870. Reference: Lance Wallace, Environmental Protection Agency; Phone (703) 341-7509 Excerpts from "Health Hazard Information." References: Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Provided with permission by Barbara Wilkie wilworks@lanminds.com of the Environmental Health Network (of California). [*NOTE: Julia Kendall died July 12, 1997 from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Leukemia caused by pesticide poisoning.]
Principal chemicals found in Fabric Softeners/Dryer Sheets are:
Symptoms of exposure are taken from industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
ALPHA-TERPINEOL
Causes CNS (central nervous system) disorders... "highly irritating to mucous membranes" ..."Aspiration into the lungs can produce pneumonitis or even fatal edema." Can also cause "excitement, ataxia (loss of muscular coordination), hypothermia, CNS and respiratory depression, and headache." "Prevent repeated or prolonged skin contact."
BENZYL ACETATE
Carconigenic (linked to pancreatic cancer). "From vapors: irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, exciting cough." "In mice: hyperanemia of the lungs." "Can be absorbed through the skin causing systemic effects." "Do not flush to sewer."
BENZYL ALCOHOL
Causes CNS disorders ..."irritating to the upper respiratory tract" ..."headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure."
CAMPHOR
Causes CNS disorders. On EPA's Hazardous Waste list. Symptoms: "local irritant and CNS stimulant" ..."readily absorbed through body tissues" ..."irritation of eyes, nose, and throat" ..."dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions". "Avoid inhalation of vapors."
CHLOROFORM
Neurotoxic. Anesthetic. Carcinogenic. on EPA's Hazardous Waste list. "Avoid contact with eyes, skin, clothing. Do not breathe vapors ...Inhalation of vapors may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract and loss of consciousness." "Inhalation can be fatal." "Chronic effects of overexposure may include kidney and/or liver damage." "Medical conditions generally aggravated by exposure: kidney disorders, liver disorders, heart disorders, skin disorders." "Conditions to avoid: Heat..." Listed on California's Proposition 65.
ETHYL ACETATE
Narcotic. On EPA's Hazardous Waste list. "...Irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract" ..."may cause headache and narcosis (stupor)" ..."may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and kidneys". "Wash thoroughly after handling."
LIMONENE
Carcinogenic. "Prevent its contact with skin or eyes because it is an irritant and sensitizer." "Always wash thoroughly after using this material and before eating, drinking ...applying cosmetics. Do not inhale limonene vapor."
LINALOOL
Narcotic. Causes CNS disorders. ..."respiratory disturbances" ..."Attracts bees." "In animal tests: ataxic gait, reduced spontaneous motor activity and depression ...depressed heart activity ...development of respiratory disturbances leading to death."
PENTANE
"Danger - Harmful if inhaled ...Avoid breathing vapor." "Inhalation of vapors may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, irritation of respiratory tract and loss of consciousness. Repeated inhalation of vapors may cause CNS depression. Contact can cause eye irritation. Prolonged exposure may cause dermatitis (skin rash)."
Relevant Facts:
 CNS = Central Nervous System, your brain and spine.
 CNS disorders include: Alzheimer's Disease, Attention Deficit Disorder, Dementia, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Seizures, Strokes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
 CNS exposure symptoms include: aphasia, blurred vision, disorientation, dizziness, headaches, hunger, memory loss, numbness in face, pain in neck and spine.
___________________
FACTS TO CONSIDER__________________

Proctor and Gamble spends $1,000,000 per day on advertising for Tide. Tide customers are paying for this advertising in the cost of the Tide.
Every year over 35 billion loads of clothes are washed…with more loads of dishes in automatic dishwashers.
It is estimated that each load of clothes uses approximately 16 gallons of water!

According to Poison Control, there is enough formaldehyde in most dishwashing liquids to kill a small child if they drank it.

You are paying very high packaging, shipping, handling, and warehousing costs with conventional products.


According to PETA, Proctor and Gamble kills 50,000 dogs, cats, and other animals annually, testing caustic ingredients for their products.

The EPA defines an environment as the work place or the space outside the work place, but does not include your home. There is no governmental watchdog agency looking out for the environment inside your home. It is "Buyer Beware".

Children and pets are at greater risk than adults for respiratory and other problems because airborne toxic chemicals tend to stay closer to the ground.

Women who work inside the home have a 55% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside the home.

1 out of 3 Americans are on an antidepressant.

1out of 3 Americans will get cancer. 1 in 6 Americans are Diabetic. 70% of all Americans either have or will have osteoarthritis. Over half of the men in any given room will have trouble with their prostate. Incidents of glaucoma and macular degeneration are growing rampantly.

Bobbi McCaughey of Iowa used Melaleuca's patented Vitality Pack ($22.96 per month) with her Doctor's permission, as her prenatal supplements and gave birth to 7 babies and they all lived. Her body was not depleted in the process.

It takes 70 plates of commercially grown spinach today to equal the nutritional value of 1 plate of spinach 50 years ago. The FDA now recommends that all Americans take supplements.

The number of prescriptions written by Doctors has doubled since 1989.

________________________________________________________________________

Male fish becoming female?
Researchers worry about estrogen and pollutants in the water
By Tom Costello
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:31 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2004

BOULDER, Colo. - Researchers in Colorado have made a startling discovery. Fish, apparently male, are developing female sexual organs. Scientists believe it's the result of too much estrogen in the water and they're finding estrogen in rivers across the country.
In Colorado's rivers and streams, scientists are waist-deep in ritual of the season, using electric currents to stun native fish to the surface where they're measured and checked. But what they discovered in the white sucker fish has got even veteran scientists concerned.
"I've done a lot of studies throughout my career which extends back to 1973," says research associate John Woodling. “This is the very first time that what I've found scared me."
"This fish has characteristics of both male and female," says Dr. David O. Norris of the University of Colorado, Boulder.
And scientists have found lots of them in three Colorado rivers, all of them downstream from sewage treatment plants.
In the Boulder Creek, female white suckers outnumbered males five to one and 50 percent of the males also had female sex tissue.
Researchers say the cause is too much estrogen in the water, a natural female hormone that is found in every sewer system. But also, they say, certain chemical compounds in detergents and soaps can mimic estrogen.
Barbara Biggs, of Denver's largest sewage plant, says most of the nation's sewage plants simply can't remove all the estrogen in the water.
"We're concerned about the effect on aquatic life, but we're also concerned about our ability to actually treat for these estrogens and estrogen mimickers," says Biggs.
Estrogen mimickers are believed to be caused by chemicals called nonylphenols, found in everything from paints and rubber to cosmetics and plastics. They are considered a possible cause of kidney, eye, liver and reproductive problems.
Study says Prescription Meds Polluting Waters

Findings presented at the first major American symposium on pharmaceuticals in water, held as part of the American Chemical Society's spring national meeting in San Francisco last week, said that water pollution by drugs "is a newly emerging issue," according to Christian G. Daughton, a symposium co-organizer and chief of environmental chemistry at the Environmental Protection Agency's National Exposure Research Laboratory in Las Vegas. EPA scientists examining the sludge from a U.S. sewage-treatment plant 20 years ago found that the incoming sewage contained excreted aspirin, caffeine, and nicotine. At about the same time, the cholesterol-lowering drug clofibric acid turned up in a groundwater reservoir being used by the Phoenix, AZ area. The drug had entered with treated sewage, which the city had been using to replenish the aquifer. Experts at that time didn't pay attention to the finding. It should have been a wake-up call, experts now argue, because if clofibric acid could pass through a sewage-treatment plant and percolate through soil unscathed, so could a host of other drugs.

Now new studies by Chris Metcalfe of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, reports finding a broad mix of drugs, including anticancer agents, psychiatric drugs, and anti-inflammatory compounds. "Levels of prescription drugs that we have leaving sewage-treatment plants in Canada are sometimes higher than what's being seen in Germany," he says.
Preventing Harm


This report examines the contribution of toxic chemicals to neurodevelop-mental, learning, and behavioral disabilities in children. These disabilities are clearly the result of complex interactions among genetic, environmental and social factors that impact children during vulnerable periods of development. Toxic exposures deserve special scrutiny because they are preventable causes of harm.
1. An epidemic of developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities has become evident among children.
 It is estimated that nearly 12 million children (17%) in the United States under age 18 suffer from one or more learning, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.
 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to conservative estimates, affects 3 to 6% of all school children, though recent evidence suggests the prevalence may be as high as 17%. The number of children taking the drug Ritalin for this disorder has roughly doubled every 4-7 years since 1971 to reach its current estimate of about 1.5 million.
 Learning disabilities alone may affect approximately 5-10% of children in public schools.

 The number of children in special education programs classified with learning disabilities increased 191% from 1977-1994.

 Approximately 1% of all children are mentally retarded.

 The incidence of autism may be as high as 2 per 1000 children. One study of autism prevalence between 1966 and 1997 showed a doubling of rates over that time frame. Within the state of California, the number of children entered into the autism registry increased by 210% between 1987 and 1998.
These trends may reflect true increases, improved detection, reporting or record keeping, or some combination of these factors. Whether new or newly recognized, these statistics suggest a problem of epidemic proportion.

2. Animal and human studies demonstrate that a variety of chemicals commonly encountered in industry and the home can contribute to developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities.

Developmental neurotoxicants are chemicals that are toxic to the developing brain. They include the metals lead, mercury, cadmium, and manganese; nicotine; pesticides such as organophosphates and others that are widely used in homes and schools; dioxin and PCBs that bioaccumu-late in the food chain; and solvents, including ethanol and others used in paints, glues and cleaning solutions. These chemicals may be directly toxic to cells or interfere with hormones (endocrine disruptors), neurotransmitters, or other growth factors.





Report targets toxic risks to children

UR doctors, others hope it will serve as pediatric desk reference
Donna Jackel - Staff writer

(April 20, 2004) — When it comes to the risks children face from environmental hazards, health professionals, researchers and environmental activists agree on one thing: There are too many unanswered questions.
Children are more vulnerable than adults to toxic substances, yet they are exposed to thousands of chemicals that have never been tested for effects.
To help pediatricians better help their patients, the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Academy of Pediatrics have joined forces to produce a comprehensive collection of scientific papers on how fetuses, children and adolescents react to various environmental hazards. The 200-page supplement, with articles by more than 40 experts on such hazards as mercury, secondhand smoke and pesticides, is in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Several drugs likely to leave environmental traces

By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK, Apr 11, 2002 (Reuters Health) - Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anticancer agents and antimicrobials are the classes of drugs most likely to be found at "toxicologically significant" levels in the environment, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Padma Venkatraman presented her team's work Wednesday evening at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Orlando, Florida.


You are going to buy theses products anyway! So, why not buy better, safer & healthier products for less cost? Now, if you need even more reasons to change the products you are currently buying, here are 28 REASONS TO CHANGE PRODUCTS
If you need more read "A Consumers Dictionary of Household Yard and Office Chemicals" By Ruth Winters.

1. Isopropyl Alcohol poisonous, toxic & carcinogenic
2. Isopropanol poisonous, toxic & carcinogenic
3. Benzol - (benzene) poisonous, toxic & carcinogenic *
4. Chlorine poisonous, toxic & carcinogenic
5. Phenol highly toxic & highly carcinogenic
major killer in the U.S.
6. Ammonia highly toxic & carcinogenic *
7. Halogenated hydrocarbons highly toxic & carcinogenic
8. Aromatic amines carcinogenic
9. Amino Azobenzene carcinogenic
10. Methylene Chloride poisonous, toxic, birth defects & carcinogenic
11. Perthloroethylene poisonous, toxic, birth defects & carcinogenic
12. Sodium Nitrite carcinogenic
13. Toluene toxic & carcinogenic
14. Xylene toxic & carcinogenic
15. Isoamyl Alcohol toxic & carcinogenic
16. 4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene carcinogenic
17. Diethylene Glycol poisonous
18. Diethyl Ether poisonous
19. Sodium Hydroxide causes lung damage & destructive effect upon tissue
20. Sodium Hypochlorite (bleaches) poisonous & toxic
21. Borax toxic
22. Hydrochloric Acid poisonous toxic
23. Phosphorus highly poisonous & toxic (explosive)
24. Dichlorine monoxide extremely toxic
25. Chlorine monoxide extremely toxic
26. Chlorine dioxide extremely toxic
27. Chlorine hex oxide extremely toxic
28. Chlorine heptoxide extremely toxic

Reducing the exposure to carcinogens is one of the "Major Recommendations for cancer prevention." ……..The American Cancer Society.

Charles Jacobson, Compliance Officer of the US. Consumer Product and Safety Commission in the area of toxic chemicals, said, "If every carcinogenic ingredient was banned, there would be hardly any products on the market.” This above banning would not affect any of Melaleuca's products even if that statement were extended to include products that were poisonous and or toxic.

Are you troubled by respiratory problems, liver damage, kidney problems, chest pains, rashes, dizziness, convulsions, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, fatigue, headaches, nervousness, nausea, drowsiness, irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin or cancer ?

It is likely caused by the "SEA OF CHEMICALS YOU ARE LIVING IN”!
Use Melaleuca Products and live a healthier life...

How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?

 Formalin
 Methanal
 Methyl Aldehyde
 Methylene Oxide
 Oxymethylene
 Bfv*
 Fannoform*
 Formol*
 Fyde*
 Karsan*
 Methaldehyde
 Formalith*
 Methylene Glycol
 Ivalon*
 Oxomethane
 Formalin 40
 Formalin
 Formic Aldehyde
 Hoch
 Paraform
 Lysoform*
 Morbocid
 Trioxane
 Polyoxmethylene
* denotes trade name

 The following products are just a few that are so toxic that they should be disposed of in a toxic waste dump:

 floor care products
 furniture polish
 window cleaners
 bug spray
 nail polish remover
[Source: Water Pollution Control Federation]

 Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion, however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

 Government regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following should be removed from your house immediately:
 “Do not induce vomiting”
 “Corrosive – rinse from skin immediately”
 “Harmful or fatal if swallowed”
 “Call physician immediately”
 “Warning!” (may mean that as little as 1 teaspoon of product can harm or kill adult)
 “Danger!” (means that as little as 5 drops can harm or kill an adult)

 Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:
 central nervous system damage
 pneumonia
 respiratory tract infection
 heart-rate irregularities
 skin irritation
 kidney and liver damage
 numbness
 vomiting
 and can be fatal

 Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products:
 air fresheners
 aftershave
 bronchial mists
 chloroseptic throat spray
 deodorants
 feminine powders & sprays
 hair spray
 decongestants
 mouthwash
 aspirin
 solvents
 acne medications
 antiseptics
 calamine lotions
 cleaning products
 detergents
 furniture polish
 hair setting lotions
 lice shampoo
 polishes
 cold capsules
 all-purpose cleaners
 aerosol disinfectants
 anti-itching lotions
 carnex
 cosmetics
 disinfectant cleaners
 hand lotions
 lip balms
 sunscreen and lotions
 insecticides
 cough syrups
 … just to name a few

DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN PHENOL?

Please contact the person who gave you this document if you would like to find out about a SAFER ALTERNATIVE

Total Wellness for Your Home

The Wellness Concept

Melaleuca’s Home Hygiene products work together synergisticaly to eliminate toxins, contaminants and impurities in your household environment. These versatile cleaners are safer, easy-to-use and effective under all cleaning conditions.
Melaleuca takes a proactive stance in producing innovative, environmentally sensitive products. We focus on environmental issues and place earth-friendly formulas at the forefront of our development process.
As we move into the 21st century, Melaleuca is determined to remain the industry leader in meeting the unprecedented consumer demand for products that are environmentally responsible.
Here are just a few of the environmental/household wellness features you will enjoy:

Concentrated Formulas
Loaded with cleaning ingredients –Melaleuca does not ship water.

Less packaging and solid waste
Lasts longer; less product shipped cross-country (saves gasoline)
Fewer trips to the grocery store for you (saves gasoline)

Biodegradable
Home Hygiene products are designed for safe disposal as well as superior performance. All of the cleaning agents in Melaleuca are designed to be friendly to the environment.

Phosphate-Free
Not a single Melaleuca product contains phosphates. Phosphates can cause unnatural algae blooms in lakes and streams, suffocating aquatic plants, animals and fish.

Naturally Derived Ingredients
Various products contain naturally derived ingredients that are friendly to the environment.
Coconut oil surfactant bases
Sugarcane surfactant bases
Baking soda
Citric acid solvents
Natural essential oils

Melaleuca Oil
The “Wonder from Down Under” ingredient that launched one of North America’s
fastest growing companies.
 One of nature’s most powerful solvents
 Penetrating power to deep clean
 An air-freshening aromatic and surface antiseptic

Responsible Packaging
Home Hygiene containers are as “eco-smart” on the outside as they are on the
inside – a good example of small features making a big difference.
Shorter, stockier containers are more efficient to manufacture and deliver
100% recyclable containers
Sleeve labels easily slide off for “pure” plastic recycling
No aerosol containers

No Animal Testing
Melaleuca’s Home Hygiene System contains safe, effective ingredients that have
not been tested on animals.

Ingredients We Don’t Use
Melaleuca chooses not to use cleaning chemicals which pollute the air and water during manufacture, use or disposal. We prefer to use solvents rather than caustics – to put dirt into suspension rather than eat it away. We feel that what we choose not to put in our products is just as important as what we do put in.
No Ammonia
No Phenols
No Formaldehyde
No Solvent detergents
No Abrasives
No Phosphates
No NTAs

Made in the USA Quality
American jobs, American pride, and American quality!

NOTE: Although all Melaleuca products are safe for their intended use, they are not meant to be taken internally or rubbed into eyes.

www.saverisbetter.com/freedon

Licensed from Woman’s Day Is That Plastic Container Safe?

Our homes are full of plastic, and the kitchen is no exception. The problem: Chemicals in plastic containers and other kitchenware may leach into the foods or drinks that they're holding. Scientific evidence suggests that some of these chemicals may be harmful to people, especially infants and children.

The two best-studied offenders are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. BPA mimics estrogen and has been shown to disrupt hormone and reproductive system function in animals. Research by the National Toxicology Program found a moderate level of concern about its "effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children." Phthalates have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and have led to malformations in the male reproductive system in animals. Studies in humans have found associations between high phthalate exposure and a variety of health concerns including low sperm quality, high waist circumference and insulin resistance.

Researchers are still debating whether phthalates and BPA actually cause these health problems and, if so, how much exposure is necessary to trigger them. While these issues are being figured out, some experts recommend taking a preventive approach: "Minimize contact of food with problematic plastics as a precautionary measure to protect your health," suggests Rolf Halden, PhD, adjunct associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Here are six simple tips for reducing your exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals in plastics.

1. Know the code. Look on the bottom of your plastic to find the recycling symbol (a number between 1 and 7 enclosed in a triangle of arrows). The code indicates the type of plastic you are using and can give you important clues about safety. "We generally say 1, 2, 4 and 5 are considered to be the safest," says Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group. Try to avoid using plastics with 3 or 6, as these leach chemicals that may be harmful. Number 7 is an "other" category that includes BPA-containing plastics called polycarbonates. These plastics, which you should avoid, will have the letters PC printed underneath the 7.

2. Reconsider the microwave. Heat can increase the rate at which chemicals like BPA leach from plastic. Containers labeled "microwave safe" have been tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found to leach extremely small amounts, which the FDA has determined to be safe. However, some experts advise people to keep plastic out of the microwave altogether. "I don't microwave anything in plastic," says Lunder. "It's really easy and fast to put my food into a ceramic or glass container and heat it that way." And never put plastic wrap on top of your food in the microwave, since it can melt. Use wax paper or a paper towel instead.

3. Use it for its intended purpose. Plastics that are designed for single use should only be used once. "Plastic breaks down over time," Lunder explains. "Some aren't designed to withstand heating and cooling." Most plastics with recycling code number 1 are intended for single use, such as disposable water bottles. And that takeout container from six months ago? Toss it. In general they're fine for refrigerating leftovers, but aren't designed for heat exposure or long-term use.

4. Wash by hand. Only put plastics into the dishwasher if they have a dishwasher safe label. If you want to be extra-cautious, wash all plastics by hand or use only glass and ceramic plates and dishes. In the dishwasher, plastics are exposed to detergents and heat, which may accelerate the leaching of BPA from food containers.

5. Do not freeze. Only put plastics in the freezer if they have a freezer-safe label. Freezer temperatures can cause plastics to deteriorate, which increases the leaching of chemicals into the food when you take containers out of the freezer to thaw or reheat.

6. Don't panic. Cutting down on exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in plastics can benefit your health. But as Dr. Halden reminds us, "Many things in your life pose a much higher risk than exposure to plastics, such as smoking, poor diet and even driving a car."

***********************
We also have alternatives for safe products in the home that really work. Visit: www.saferisbetter.com/freedon and see why we have a passion to have save products in our homes. Your family is so worth it!

How to Detoxify Your Home

How to Detoxify Your Home
The products you use every day could be impacting your family's health.
By TVOParents.com

We’ve talked a lot about taking care of our external environment, but there are things you can do for your internal environment as well.

Take a closer look at the chemicals you use every day to make your life hassle-free. The recent decision to pull plastic baby bottles off the shelves frightened many parents and showed all of us that the products we rely on to make our lives easier may not be healthy for our families.

If they're available on the market, don’t assume they’re safe:

What’s the big deal, we wouldn’t be allowed to use these if the government didn’t think they were safe, right? Wrong.

The Toronto-based group Environmental Defence tested five families across the country for 68 chemicals. They found 46 known toxic chemicals in the blood of these families. In many cases, the toxins were higher in children than in adults.

They found 38 carcinogens, 23 hormone disruptors, 12 respiratory toxins, 38 reproductive/developmental toxins, and 19 neurotoxins in their volunteers. Read the report.

Fe de Leon from the Canadian Environmental Law Association, says, “We don’t know what’s in the various products that we are being exposed to on a daily basis. We’re getting evidence that there are problems and certainly the way that the regulations are implemented doesn’t adequately deal with toxic chemicals that we already know about.”

So where should you start to detoxify your home?

Get rid of the worst offenders:

PFOA (pentadecafluorooctanoic acid), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption. Some of these chemicals do not break down at all, ever. They are in the air we breathe, our food, our homes and our workplaces. Major lawsuits have been won against the manufacturers using these chemicals in other countries and some companies in the U.S. have been forced to phase out their use in the next decade. They are found in:

* Non-stick pans (brands such as Teflon, Dupont, T-Fal, Silverstone)*
* Stain-resistant clothes
* GORE-TEX
* Microwave popcorn bags
* Fast food containers
* Fire fighting foam
* Candy wrappers
* Pizza boxes

The solution? Chuck your non-stick pans and buy stainless steel or cast iron ones that require elbow grease to keep clean. Buy cotton, hemp or bamboo fabrics that are not treated with stain-resistant chemicals.

* Many people believe that if their non-stick pan is not scratched, it’s safe. Not true. Toxic cancer-causing fumes are released into the air when the pan is heated at high temperatures.

Pitch the plastic:

Bisphenol A is the real baddy here and it’s not just found in baby bottles. Take a look at the hard plastic bottle you might use when you work out. If it has the recycling # 7 on the bottom, it may contain bisphenol A. Throw it out.

Bisphenol A is also found in the lining of metal food cans, plastic wrap and dental sealants. It is a hormone disruptor that has been linked to birth defects, reproductive problems, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

What should you do?

* Do not heat plastic if you must use it.
* Do not put plastic in the dishwasher.
* Microwave food in non-plastic, microwave-safe containers.
* When microwaving, cover food in paper towel rather than plastic wrap.
* Use glass baby bottles.

Clean green:

You may have a shiny, clean, germ-free home but the cleaners you are using to get it that way could be dangerous. Why not try some greener solutions?

Here is a list of products that you can use:

* Good old vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner. Mix one cup with one cup of water and clean away.
* Baking soda is great for getting rid of odours. Leave an open box out and it will absorb odours.
* Castile soap is soap made with vegetable oil and can be mixed with vinegar and water to clean wood floors.
* Instead of bleach, use a ½ cup of borax in the wash to get those whites whiter
* Check out more recipes to clean green.
~~
Conclusion:

The bottom line is we need to be more aware of the products our families use every day. If you're unsure about the safety of products in your home, try greener alternatives. Also, call on the government to take action.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a link to this article, go to:

http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/family-relationships/articles/parenting/tvo/4019

We have a great site where we give yout he ABC's on toxins:
To find out more about the products that I prefer:

http://www.saferisbetter.com/freedon

So Why Are Most Shampoos a Waste of Money

Why Most Shampoos are a Waste of Money
http://www.howlifeworks.com/health_beauty

It’s the dirty little secret shampoo companies don’t want you to know—when you wash your hair with one of those nutrient-rich shampoos, most of the nutrients and active ingredients in the product don’t actually end up in your hair, they wind up down the drain… along with all the money you spent on the shampoo.

Why does this happen? Because the shampoo molecules they contain are too large to penetrate the cells of hair and more importantly the tiny hair follicles where our hair actually grows. They sit atop the follicle until we wash them away.

Why is that a problem? Think about it this way—if you wanted to fertilize a plant, where would you pour the fertilizer? On the leaves? Of course not! You’d pour the fertilizer on the root and the soil where it’s needed most. Our hair works basically the same way—if you want to treat your hair right, you need to treat the roots.

But if regular shampoo can’t penetrate the hair follicles where our roots grow, what are we supposed to do?

Fortunately, a California company called Kronos decided to tackle this problem. Their team of researchers designed a more-effective hair care system —one that contains tiny microscopic spheres so small that they penetrate hair follicles and deliver nutrients to where they’re needed most. They call it “T-Sfere Technology”.

Once they had solved the delivery method dilemma, they turned their attention to formulating ingredients that targeted the 5 most significant signs of damaged hair:

1. Thinning hair that lacks volume
2. Dry, frizzy, unmanageable hair
3. Limp lackluster hair
4. Damaged hair with split ends
5. Hair with poor color retention

Does it work? Check out the results from the product’s clinical testing. In a recent study, the Kronos system was shown boost hair volume and body by an unprecedented 96%; increase hair hydration by 91%; improve luster and shine by 96%; reduce split ends and breakage by 96%; and virtually eliminate color fading for up to four weeks. It’s rare that a shampoo can provide so many amazing benefits.

Already, Kronos has quickly become one of the most talked about hair care systems out there. It was recently featured on the Today show and was rated the #1 Overnight Hair Treatment product by The Good Housekeeping Institute.

Since Kronos is still relatively new, the company is offering a limited amount of free trials of its 2-piece introductory kit, just so new customers can see the results for themselves before deciding whether or not they want to pay for their products.

Wow interesting facts. Thanks "Howlifeworks .com"

FOR SAFER PRODUCTS TO USE VISIT: WWW.SAFERISBETTER.COM/FREEDON

Let us help you make a smart shopping decision and rid your home of toxic products

Kindest Regards Liz

The chemical bisphenol, effect on the body politic

BPA: Surprisingly strong effect on the body politic

Posted on June 17, 2010 — Bookmark and Share

Magnifying Glass GirlLindsay Dahl, Deputy Campaign Director

It’s hard to pronounce, and even harder to find on a product label, yet the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has become a household word. BPA comes up in casual conversation: Have you switched out your water bottles yet? Do I really have to live without canned green beans? So how did this obscure chemical become one of today’s most potent symbols for the perils of modern life?
Unhappy accidents

It all started with a series of lab accidents in the 1990s. Like the dirty work station that produced the unsightly fungus we now call penicillin, these accidents helped scientists realize that BPA in plastic objects does not stay put – it leaches out of its original container. And that changed everything. These lab accidents launched hundreds of studies into the effects of BPA, the ubiquitous chemical now linked to everything from cancer to infertility to obesity.

Here are a couple of examples:

* In 1993, a group of cancer researchers at Stanford University found that a mysterious estrogen was altering the breast-cancer cells they were studying. They were baffled, but eventually traced the reaction to the BPA-laden plastic flasks they were using to sterilize water. This discovery launched further research into how very low doses of BPA could disrupt hormones and lead to things like miscarriage, erectile dysfunction, breast cancer, and heart disease.
* In 1998, Patricia Hunt, a geneticist then working at Case Western Reserve University, noticed a confusing change in the eggs of the female mice she was studying. Why were 40% of the eggs abnormal—instead of the usual rate of 1% to 2%? Hunt’s team solved the mystery when they realized the plastic mouse cages were melting a little during the washing process, releasing BPA into the cages (and the bodies of the mice).

The dose makes the poison?

Just as researchers did not know the extent to which BPA could leach out of a plastic flask or mouse cage; they also did not understand how much havoc a tiny dose of BPA could cause. Starting in the mid-1990s, researchers realized that lower doses were potentially more dangerous than higher doses, disrupting hormone development in mice. In short, previous standards for measuring BPA safety were next to worthless.
Enter the baby bottle

Many of our coalition partners have been tracking the expanding body of research and growing concerned about BPA. Through a combination of old-fashioned grassroots organizing, media outreach, and getting in touch with online parenting sites and mom bloggers, people started paying attention.

Realizing their painstaking efforts to ‘shop smart’ were inadequate, parents started demanding change from their elected representatives.
BPA struck a nerve on parenting websites, where people gathered to discuss important decisions like, which car seat is safest? These careful parents were shocked when they discovered the baby bottles and sippy cups they had been handing their children were laced with a hormone-disrupting chemical. Realizing their painstaking efforts to ‘shop smart’ were inadequate, parents started demanding change from their elected representatives.
States take the lead

Last year I worked in Minnesota with a diverse coalition called Healthy Legacy, to pass the nation’s first restrictions on this nasty chemical. The bill, phasing out BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, was the first nail in the coffin for the pervasively used chemical. Shortly after, Connecticut, Washington, Vermont and more passed restrictions on BPA. Here’s a complete listing of states that have put restrictions on BPA.

Baby bottle manufacturers quickly understood that BPA was the kiss of death, and changed their formulas.
Baby bottle manufacturers quickly understood that BPA was the kiss of death, and changed their formulas. Thanks to those early activists and angry parents, it’s hard to find a baby bottle or sippy cup in any state these days that doesn’t have a label saying ‘No BPA!’
Beyond the baby bottle

BPA is just one of thousands of toxic chemicals that our nation’s weak laws don’t protect us from, but its story illustrates our government’s failure to keep up with the times. It’s not just the FDA or the EPA — it’s the whole system.

BPA is found in hundreds of common products, like plastic water bottles, canned food, infant formula, wine bottles, beer cans, receipt paper and yes, toilet paper. There’s no simple route to routing BPA from our lives — the products listed above are actually regulated by different federal agencies; so if we regulate BPA canned food (FDA), we can still be exposed to it from a paper receipts (EPA).

People just want to be able to buy food, drinks, toilet paper and the like knowing they are free of BPA and other harmful chemicals.
I don’t know about you, but the majority of people I talk to don’t think or care about what products fall under what federal agency. People just want to be able to buy food, drinks, toilet paper and the like knowing they are free of BPA and other harmful chemicals.
Congress takes action

The state leadership on BPA had several good effects — most important, it set the stage for serious Congressional action.

Two important bills are working through Congress and we need you to contact your federal delegation today to support these measures.

1. On April 15, 2010, Congress unveiled strong legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. The long-awaited, landmark legislation would overhaul the way the federal government protects the public from toxic chemicals like BPA.
2. Senator Feinstein has introduced an amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act, which would phase-out BPA from food and drink containers. Congress needs to know you support this important legislation.

Here’s the silver lining: because of the uproar over BPA, people from communities all over the nation have discovered that the products they use every day are made with chemicals that have not been tested for safety. And once people come to that realization, they are no longer willing to live with the status quo. How about you?

*******
Thank you Lindsay for the great information:
To get safer products in our home please visit
www.saferisbetter.com/freedon and see what we do to keep our families safe from harmful toxins.

Environmental Safe Products: Think Eco-Fashion Means

Environmental Safe Products: Think Eco-Fashion Means
http://www.saferisbetter.com/freedon

Think Eco-Fashion Means

Think Eco-Fashion Means Birkenstocks? Think Again.
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Today at 2:38am

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Mommy Greenest:

I’ve always been a bit insecure in the butt department. Not that my posterior is particularly gigantic, but in the words of the fashion magazines that I devoured as a teenager, this was my “problem area.” I’ve long outgrown those mind-warping glossies and accepted that not all of us are long, lanky and lean—no matter how many hours we spend on the treadmill. But when I find a pair of jeans that lengthens my legs and minimizes my rear in the miraculous way that only good denim can, I wear them. And wear them. And wear them, until the thighs are threadbare and the hems tattered. And then I start looking for a new pair to replace them, because by this time the manufacturer has certainly stopped making the style I love, and any remnant pairs have probably been chopped up and made into eco-friendly home insulation.

Which brings us to today. The thighs of my favorite Levi’s are so thin, I’m afraid they’ll split when I bend down to pick up the Barnacle (read: Baby). So I’m on the hunt for a new pair. And given what I now know about denim…

* Most denim is made of cotton, which is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world and accounts for 25% of all pesticides used in the U.S., according to the Sustainable Cotton Project.
* It takes about two-thirds of a pound of pesticides to make enough cotton for one pair of jeans. (Put a pound of flour in a bowl for a scary visual on that one.)
* Pesticides like diuron and acephate used in cotton production are considered carcinogenic by the Environmental Protection Agency (not the most alarmist of organizations).
* Cotton production introduces these chemicals into the water table and food chain.
* 67 million birds die each year from pesticide poisoning; the chemicals have also been linked to mutant frogs found with extra legs and eyes.

...I’m going to want it organic. But all the sustainability in the world won’t make me squeeze into pants that make my butt look big. I tried on a pair of Linda Loudermilk’s ridiculously soft organic denim jeans last week, but they made my thighs look like sausages and gapped at the waist. Obviously destined for the long-and-lean category.

I’ve always been a Levi’s girl, but their organic cotton “green tab” line is so difficult to find. They seem to have phased them out online, and even at the Levi’s store, only a few styles are available at a time.

I’m heartened by the fact that oh-so-popular J Brand has introduced their eco-friendly Green Label and am heading off to the nearest haute boutique to try on a pair. After all, if I’m only buying one pair of $200 jeans every three years, that breaks down to just about twenty-two cents a day!

In the mean time, I’m just really, really careful when I bend down.

P.S. Some more eco-fashion facts to consider:

TRASHION

The average American throws out 68 pounds of clothes and textiles every year, only to have 2.5 billion pounds of the stuff diverted by the American textile industry for repurposing. Me? I’m recycling my denim into shorts, a skirt or, at the very least, patches. Because my new jeans are sure to wear thin someday. And I’ll definitely need something to shore them up while I search for a new pair.

COTTON-FREE ZONE

Most clothing is made of cotton, which is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world, accounting for 25 percent of all pesticides used in the U.S. according to the Sustainable Cotton Project. It takes an astounding one-third of a pound of pesticide to make one t-shirt and two-thirds to make a pair of jeans.

Dump a pound of flour into a bowl and keep that visual in mind the next time you go shopping—it’s easy to avoid conventional cotton when you’re searching for updates. Loyale Clothing makes amazing tops and dresses in organic cotton, plus the most perfect little black dress in environmentally friendly silk which will get you through a season’s worth of dinner parties. In the jeans department, Del Forte offers au courant styles in organic denim, manufactured under fair trade standards. Doucette Duvall’s little “green” dresses are made from rescued remnant fabrics and Viridis Luxe creates to-die-for hemp/ cashmere sweaters, perfect to layer up this Spring.

THE TRUTH ABOUT BAMBOO

Another cotton alternative is bamboo, which is a fantastic source for material because it’s totally sustainable–meaning it can be grown without chemicals and with a minimal impact on the earth. However, there are some downsides to bamboo productions. First, it’s currently grown primarily in China, and increasingly as a forest-clearing mono crop, which decreases biodiversity and can lead to an increase in pests—plus, the transit to production and sale in the U.S. is fossil fueled.

Bamboo can be mechanically processed without the use of chemicals into a soft, linen-like material. But chemical processing is less labor-intensive—and cheaper—which means most manufacturers working with the stuff use this method. Unfortunately, there has also been some question about the safety of the sodium hydroxide (or, lye) that’s predominantly used to “pulp” the bamboo from a fiber to a fluff that can be woven into textile.

Currently there is really no way to know exactly how bamboo fabric has been manufactured—unless it’s part of the designer’s marketing plan. However, the actual cultivation of the stuff is a clear environmental winner when compared to cotton. Conventional cotton is clear-cut at time of harvest, meaning the bare earth during that time is releasing more carbon into the atmosphere. In contrast, bamboo grows just like grass, sending up shoots continually, and is harvested in the same way–just like you mow your lawn. Plus, bamboo absorbs five times as much green house gases and produces 35% more oxygen than the equivalent amount of trees. No wonder the pandas are happy!

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SHOES

Greening your closet doesn’t stop at your ankles—the next time you reach for a pair of leather boots, think about the impact of the estimated 225 toxic chemicals used its tanning process. Yet vintage can be a little more challenging in the footwear department. Because most shoes mold to their wearer’s feet, it can be difficult to find pre-worn that fit right.

With so many faux leathers and suedes out there, it’s easy to eliminate leather completely from your footwear repertoire. Look for shoes made from dioxin-free polyurethane (a slightly more environmentally-friendly option that PVC) or natural elements like hemp. Kailia and Charmone both manufacture completely vegan shoe lines in artisan factories in Italy, and the drool-worthy hemp Nadia Ankle Boot from Sui Generis by Beyond Skin made sweatshop-free in Spain.

If you do plan to buy new and still want to wear leather, look for shoes made from so-called “eco-leather,” which is basically leather tanned without heavy metals like chrome, from reputable companies such as El Naturalista, Coclico and PURE by Rickard Shah, which also utilize eco-elements like recycled elements and packaging.

Oh and about those Birkenstocks, the symbol of social consciousness since 1966: They’re eco-leather, and the company uses every ounce of its scraps, and recycles the cork from the soles. Plus, with the right outfit, today’s Birkies can look downright chic!

Mommy Greenest is the brainchild of Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, a mother of three who reduces, reuses and recycles with her family in Los Angeles, CA. The site puts a voice—and a face—to the idea of gently persuasive, living-by-example, never judgmental, eco-friendly parenting. Rachel also publishes EcoStiletto.com, which dishes out daily eco-friendly fashion, beauty, lifestyle and celebrity advice to help shrink your carbon footprint from a ginormous boot into an oh-so-slender stiletto.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

image courtesy of bsdfm / CC BY-SA 2.0

Formaldehyde Study links to more common cancers

Formaldehyde Study links to more common cancers
Updated 5/12/2009 5:20 PM | Comments 54 | Recommend 15 E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this
Nakeva Narcisse and daughter Asanta Mackey, 5, sit in their FEMA trailer in Port Sulphur, La., last May. Asanta has a persistent cough. Doctors fear tens of thousands of children were exposed to dangerous levels of the cancer-causing formaldehyde in the post-Katrina FEMA trailers.
Enlarge image Enlarge By Mario Tama, Getty Images
Nakeva Narcisse and daughter Asanta Mackey, 5, sit in their FEMA trailer in Port Sulphur, La., last May. Asanta has a persistent cough. Doctors fear tens of thousands of children were exposed to dangerous levels of the cancer-causing formaldehyde in the post-Katrina FEMA trailers.

ONLINE RESOURCES

• National Cancer Institute formaldehyde fact sheet

• Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' full report

• Organic Consumers Association

• Personal Care Products Council

• Formaldehye Council, Inc., blog

CONSUMER TIPS

Avoiding controversial chemicals at the supermarket could be a daunting task, the report says. None of the baby bath products tested in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' new report list formldehyde and 1,4-dioxane on their labels, since they're formed as manufacturuing byproducts and aren't added intentionally.

The group says consumers can look out for ingredients that are likely to contain either of the chemicals, though, including: peg-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea and sodium hydroxymethoylglycinate.

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
New research raises additional concerns about the harmful effects of formaldehyde, a common chemical found in everything from plywood to nail polish, car exhaust and cigarette smoke.

Formaldehyde has long been linked to rare tumors of the nasopharynx, which includes the back of the throat, which affect about 2,000 Americans a year, according to the American Cancer Society.

KIDS: Formaldehyde found in 23 of 28 tested bath products

The new study — the largest to date on workplace exposures — provides further evidence linking formaldehyde with cancers of the blood and lymphatic system. These cancers are far more common, affecting nearly 140,000 Americans a year.

In the study, scientists from the National Cancer Institute followed 25,000 workers for a median of 42 years, estimating the amount of formaldehyde to which each person was exposed on the job. Among other things, scientists compared workers' "peak" exposures to formaldehyde, or the greatest single dose they might encounter at one time.

Workers with the highest peak exposures were 37% more likely to die from any blood or lymphatic cancer, and 78% more likely to die from myeloid leukemia — a cancer of the white blood cells — compared to those with lowest levels, according to the study, published online today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Highly exposed workers also were nearly four times more likely to die of Hodgkin lymphoma, which affects immune cells, the study shows. This study is the first to link a chemical with an increased risk of death from Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the NCI.


The overall risk of death from these cancers was relatively low, causing only 319 of the 14,000 deaths during the study, says author Laura Beane Freeman, an NCI scientist.

More than 2 million Americans are exposed to formaldehyde in the workplace, the study says.

Freeman says her study doesn't allow her to estimate the risk of formaldehyde exposure to the general public.

But the cancer society's Elizabeth Ward notes that exposure to formaldehyde, which can seep out of wood and other products to pollute indoor air, is "ubiquitous."

Dangerously high formaldehyde levels have been found in trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Gulf Coast residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A March report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, an environmental advocacy group, also found formaldehyde in more than 80% of bath and shampoos tested.

The Environmental Protection Agency listed formaldehyde as a "probable human carcinogen" in 1987. In 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer went further, classifying formaldehyde as a "known human carcinogen" based partly on research suggesting a link to leukemia.

The study's authors acknowledge that they don't know the mechanism by which formaldehyde might cause leukemia. Authors do note, though, that people exposed to formaldehyde have higher rates of chromosome abnormalities in their lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights infection.

A spokesman for the Formaldehyde Council, an industry group, noted that the study is not considered definitive and has several limitations.

In a statement, the Formaldehyde Council said the National Academies of Sciences, which advises the government, should launch a thorough study of the chemical's safety. The council added that formaldehyde doesn't pose a risk to the general public: "Knowledgeable scientists familiar with the vast research database on formaldehyde agree that at the low levels of the chemical to which people are normally exposed, either through internal or external sources, there is
essentially no risk."

Know your abc's on Toxins in the Home.
Let us help. www.saferisbetter.com/freedon