Healthy Child Healthy World has created a very moving video that is capable of inspiring millions of people to take action for the safety of their children.
A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.
As I have mentioned before, Cosmetics Database is one of my go-to sources for non-toxic baby products. I also use them for my own personal care products and have started switching to more conscious companies. I am still having a hard time locating any safe mainstream moisturizers with sunblock. I still use my trusty Oil of Olay, but would love some ideas on others. Sweetsation Therapy Sun*Brealla is the only one I know of that has a low rating. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.
Back on topic….Cosmetics Database/Skin Deep has joined with The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics by creating a Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Over 1000 companies have vowed the following:
- All cosmetics and personal care products made by the company anywhere in the world meet or exceed the formulation standards and deadlines set by the European Union cosmetics directive to be free of chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.
- The company will implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives within three years, and publicly report its progress in meeting these goals.
These companies are leading by example, proving to toxic giants that it is possible to make effective products without the use of toxic chemicals. Check it out and see if your favorite company has signed the pledge. I know mine has.
I just finished reading an article by healthier talk titled, Why Men Should Avoid BPA. High levels of BPA exposure can cause erectile dysfunction in men. Hmmm….Could this finally get the blue suits talking in Washington?
One our of local papers, the Reno News & Review, published The Myth of a BPA Free Diet a few weeks ago. The author, Kat Kerlin, was 6 months pregnant at the time of her experiment and it was very disheartening to read that she found it near impossible to avoid BPA in her food.
BPA is everywhere and 93% of Americans have BPA in their urine. Even if we can avoid it in our food by eating fresh, non-processed, non-packaged foods, BPA is still in our pipes and we ingest it just by drinking water. Ms. Kerlin interviewed two scientists: Steve Hentges, the executive director of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, said we should trust the FDA. He believes the amount of BPA found in packaging and food are at safe levels. On the flip side, Frederick vom Saal, a leading researcher on BPA and a biology professor at the University of Missouri at Columbia, thinks we should be very concerned and no amount of BPA in our system is safe. He believes we should be worried because we don’t know enough about BPA to really know it’s effects on our bodies. He also feels the FDA is understaffed and underfunded so testing is not at the top of their priority list.
I read the article with a lump in my throat, until the end. Even though BPA is pervasive, there are some steps we can take to reduce the levels we are exposed to:
- Invest in an inexpensive carbon filtration system. Filter out BPA before it even gets to your glass.
- Never put plastic in the microwave or dishwasher even if the container is marked safe to do so.
- Choose glass over plastic and cans.
- Look for #2 and #5 plastics. These are the least worrisome, according to vom Saal.
I am in the process of switching all my old beat up plastic storage containers to glass. I no longer drink from plastic bottles and even Matilda is building up a nice set of stainless steel drink containers. Baby steps….
I have not read, The Body Toxic yet, but it is on my list. While I watched this interview with the author, Nena Baker, I realized I need to make reading it a priority. We are surrounded by chemicals that are harming us: phthalates in rubber ducks, PVC in non-slip bath mats, and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in non-stick cookware. I am overwhelmed, but keep telling myself, “one step at at a time.”
When I began researching products for Squeaky Clean Tot, I stumbled upon The Soft Landing and it has been an invaluable resource on bisphenol-A (BPA) ever since. Alicia has just published an ebook on How to Avoid Toxic Plastics. It is a very informative read on 3 toxic plastics: BPA, Phthalates and PVC. She also gives us useful tips on avoiding the big 3 and offers some alternatives. This information can be overwhelming and scary, but if we eliminate one toxic item at a time, the task doesn’t seem as daunting. Remember, the more informed we are as consumers, the more power we have in demanding these companies make safer products for ourselves, our children and our planet.
