Plastics: Everyday Use, Everyday Risk

Blogger Profiles

Plastics, Clothing & Paper

Thursday, July 03, 2008
Posted by Matthew Parker
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Have you ever stopped and thought about the amount of times you are exposed to plastics in a typical day? For most of us, the “morning ritual” may consist of showering with our favorite shampoo, using antiperspirant, checking our daily email while sipping on a cup of hot coffee (or our favorite energy drink), and packing our lunch in the most convenient plastic and Tupperware containers. Before we have been awake but one hour, we have unconsciously exposed ourselves to hundreds of plastics. But we rarely ask ourselves the question, will these common plastics have any adverse effects on our health or the health of our children? The outlook, while still somewhat cloudy, is nonetheless gravely dim. Chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics, such as bisphenol A (BPA), present in our everyday lives and activities, are shown to have detrimental effects on natural human development and growth, often referred to as endocrine disruption. Chemicals found in computer screens and car seats, shower curtains and shampoos, plastic water bottles and prophylactics are all putting us, and, more importantly, our children, at risk of developmental delays and reproductive obstacles, including, but not limited to, decreasing sperm counts and a higher susceptibility to certain cancers.

Friday, June 27, 2008
Posted by Janelle Sorensen
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A look back at health news this week. This week: updates on lead, pesticides, organic foods, allergies and pending legislation.

The Center for Environmental Health found lead in artificial turf and outdoor carpet sold by major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware. They have filed a lawsuit in California compelling manufacturers and retailers to recall the toxic turf and stop using lead in their products.
A little bit of pesticide can go a long way – causing genetic disruption for generations. Speaking at the Rodale Institute, Dr. Warren Porter cited growing evidence that extremely low doses of pesticides can impact gene expression that could cause multi-generational effects.
The USDA refuses to admit what 50 million organic consumers know: organic food is healthier. While the agencies entrusted with safeguarding our food and health pass the potato, a fast-growing body of scientific literature suggests that the connection between farm practices and the healthfulness of our foods merits attention.
New evidence blames traffic-related pollution for increasing the risk of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than fifty percent. What's more, the closer children live to roads, the higher their risk. You can reduce your own vehicle emissions (and save mucho dinero at the pump) by following these ten easy hypermile tricks.
The Kids Safe Chemical Act is still being reviewed by congress. Send your legislator a quick pre-written email to urge them to support this vital legislation. Make it even more powerful by personalizing the message.

Monday, June 23, 2008
Posted by Christopher Gavigan
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via: Environmental Working Group

The California state Assembly is considering SB 1713, a monumental bill that would ban bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disruptor, from baby bottles and children's feeding products.
There has been a political roadblock, and the bill could be killed by chemical industry lobbyists before it passes out of the Health Committee tomorrow.

But you can push it through. Click here to ask the Health Committee to support SB 1713.

Friday, June 20, 2008
Posted by Emily Lynne Ion
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Plastic bags have a pervasive presence in our everyday lives. They hold our groceries, line our trashcans, clean up after our animals, and carry our lunches to work. Once used and discarded, plastic bags disappear into land and ocean fills, and more come to take their place. But their post-consumer life has surprisingly far-reaching consequences for wildlife, the environment, local economies, and even our health.

A little-known statistic is that each disregarded plastic bag can take up to 1000 years to decompose. In fact, plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade. This means they break down slowly into toxic microscopic particles called petro-polymers. The particles contaminate soil and waterways, sometimes entering the food chain and endangering animal health and, eventually, that of humans as well.

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Posted by Janelle Sorensen
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Things are looking pretty good on the legislative front. We’ve got a long way to go, but with the continued support of parents like you, we’re making amazing strides in our efforts to make this world a healthier place.

Canada braves the ban. Our neighbor to the north reviewed 150 worldwide studies on BPA and became the first country to take a definitive position on the health risks of BPA, officially declaring it toxic to humans. The Canadian government is currently taking steps to ban the importation and sale of baby bottles made with BPA polycarbonate.
On April 1, 2008, Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire signed the Children’s Safe Products Act (House Bill 2647) into law. The Act is widely considered the country’s most strict toy safety law so far. Scheduled to go into effect in the summer of 2009, the law is intended to cut the amount of cadmium, lead, and phthalates in toys as well as children’s jewelry, car seats and other items. Learn more at SafeToys.com.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Posted by Mandy Geisler
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Shower curtains are an inexpensive and a much needed item in our bathrooms. Especially our kids love the very bright, colorful shower curtains, which makes taking a shower much more enjoyable. But don't we all dislike the smell of the new shower curtains? It even can make us feel generally sick.

The Center of Health, Environment and Justice's (CHEJ) decided to test new shower curtains to determine which chemicals are causing the intense odor.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Posted by Janelle Sorensen
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Did you know?

The "free-range" label doesn’t necessarily mean the animals went outdoors.
"Fair Trade Certified" means more than paying producers a fair wage.
Meat labeled as "natural" can contain artificial ingredients.

Consumer Reports has put together a new website to help us find out what the labels on our favorite products really mean. As the popularity of green product claims continues to grow, it’s important to know which claims you can trust and which ones you can’t. Use their search tools to get expert evaluation of labels on food, wood, personal care products and household cleaners. You can search by product, category, or certifier, and easily compare labels using their report cards. For labeling tips on buying greener products for your kitchen, you can also visit their virtual kitchen.

Visit the Eco-Labels Center today!

Monday, May 05, 2008
Posted by Jeremiah McNichols-Guest Blogger
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Lansinoh, a manufacturer of electric and manual breast pumps and pure lanolin nipple cream, and Boon, the young design house behind a stylish young line of baby feeding products, might seem like very different companies, and in many ways they are. But thanks to increasing consumer awareness about the potential dangers of bisphenol-A, they have found themselves coming perilously close to a common fate.

Thursday, May 01, 2008
Posted by Natalie Cadranel
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Please help us get toxics out of baby bottles. Sign the Petition To Get BPA Out of Children's Products Now!

The evidence is mounting. After years of concern about the safety of baby bottles, children’s care products, and other food and beverage containers that contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), the verdict is in--and it’s not good.

Yesterday the Canadian government announced it is planning to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles, and declared BPA dangerous.[1] And, earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. based National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that there is "some concern" that babies, fetuses, and children are in danger because BPA harms animals at the low levels found in nearly all human bodies.[2] Sadly, a recent study found this chemical in all five leading brands of American baby bottles.

It's enough to sink any mother's stomach.

Let's take a second to take a collective deep breath, and then mobilize for major action. Sign a petition calling for the CEOs of the leading manufacturers of baby bottles to stop the use of BPA in our baby bottles and other children’s products.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition Now!

Sign on now and we’ll send the petition to the CEOs of Avent, Disney/First Years, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex in collaboration with Center for Health, Environment, & Justice and other organizations.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Posted by Healthy Child
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Maple Grace will donate fifty percent of all profits to us from every butterfly onesie and swaddle blanket sold!

The butterfly onesie was designed through a collaboration of Maple Grace, Healthy Child Healthy World and Joan Maloney, President of Studio 318. Both the onesie and swaddle blankets are made of 100% organic cotton. The onesie features eco-friendly, non-toxic silk screening and the swaddle blankets are colored with low impact dyes free of PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) and heavy metals.

An automatic subscription to the Healthy Child Times, the Healthy Child Healthy World online newsletter with useful information to help people make responsible decisions, simple everyday choices, and well-informed lifestyle improvements to create healthy environments, will be included with each purchase.

Click here to see these items. Thank you for your support!

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