Healthy World Watch April 9th, 2010

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Healthy Child

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Top Tips

Got bugs? Use these non-toxic Top Tips for Fighting Ants and Roaches in Your Home from Green UpGrader.
Spring has sprung and it’s time to get out and garden. Make sure to invite your kids by using these 10 tips for organic gardening with children. The simple act of gardening can help children explore the natural world and even combat nature deficit disorder. Do you really want to give your kids a great toy? Let them do as children have done for millennia: introduce them to the simple pleasures of the garden.
Electronic waste is toxic! Lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants are among the substances contained in electronics. Use The Ultimate Guide to Recycling Old Cell Phones so you don’t add to this growing toxic pollution problem. The EPA estimates that only 10 percent of cell phones ever get recycled, so we need to do something different!

Recent Research

Study identifies hundreds of obscure - yet persistent - chemicals. A new study suggests that hundreds of chemicals used commercially could persist and bioaccumulate, yet next to nothing is known about their actions and levels in the environment. Predicting exposures and if and how chemicals may pose a health threat is incredibly difficult. Now, researchers propose a unique way to screen and identify chemicals that may need further evaluation and monitoring.
Lead exposure may delay puberty in boys. Boys with relatively elevated levels of lead in their blood may start puberty later than their peers with less lead exposure, a new study suggests.
FDA says studies on triclosan, used in sanitizers and soaps, raise concerns. The Food and Drug Administration said recent research raises "valid concerns" about the possible health effects of triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in a growing number of liquid soaps, as well as some clothes and toys.
Delays seen in children exposed to pesticides before birth. Children exposed to insecticides before birth through their mothers were up to two years behind in thinking, learning and memory abilities when they reached ages 6 to 8 years old, finds a study of children from northern Ecuador. They also had higher blood pressures. The results mimic those of a pilot study done by the same research group and agree with a growing body of evidence that suggests fetal exposure to pesticides during development – especially during certain windows – is of concern.

Other News

States get tough on outdoor wood furnace smoke. When oil prices climbed, more people turned to wood to heat their homes, many using outdoor furnaces that to some are air-polluting nuisances. Wood smoke is toxic, with carcinogens and fine particulates that can cause lung and cardiovascular problems.
Do you understand The Perils of Plastic? Chemicals in plastics and other products seem harmless, but mounting evidence links them to health problems — and Washington lacks the power to protect us.
When you swallow a pill, chances are you’re anticipating the drug’s effects on your body, not thinking about its final destiny. Yet the pharmaceuticals we consume, as well as their metabolites, percolate through our bodies, get flushed down the toilet, and end up in the environment. With growing concerns about contaminants, the EPA Released a Review of Federal Drinking Water Standards and Proposed New Strategy for Protecting Drinking Water.