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Healthy World Watch January 15th, 2010
Kathryn Meigel
Friday, January 15, 2010
Top Tips
- Manage sweat safely with these tips from the Good Guide for picking the best deodorant and antiperspirant.
- Need another reason to drive the speed limit, other than to avoid a traffic ticket? Studies show driving at lower speeds lessens your car's use of gasoline and reduces the chances of being in an auto accident.
- Greening your grocery list may seem like a difficult and expensive change in these exceedingly tough economic times. Planet Green has 9 tips to eat better without spending more (and perhaps less) than you do now!
- As the temperatures plummet in many parts of the country and we raise temperatures inside our homes, it’s important to be aware of our increased energy consumption. Here are some things to keep in mind before turning up that thermostat.
Recent Research
- Studies link phthalate exposure to attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children. Phthalates, a class of chemicals used to keep plastics soft and mixable are commonly found in personal care products such as shampoo, but also in medications, food packaging, medical devices and vinyls. Most Americans have detectable levels of the chemical in their urine, thought to be contracted through food, air, dust, and skin. In addition to ADHD, phthalates have shown to impact reproductive health.
- Childhood asthma rates increase due to vehicle-related air pollution. The Health Effects Institute study shows a “relationship” between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function as well as heart function alterations. The largest populations affected by the findings are those in close proximity to major highways, applying to 30-45% of Americans. “Despite 40 years of building ever-cleaner vehicles, we still have a vehicle pollution problem in this country,” said Rich Kassel from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
- Toxic goo tracked from parking lots into homes. Chemicals in a cancer-causing substance used to seal pavement, parking lots and driveways across the U.S. are showing up at alarming levels in dust in homes, prompting concerns about the potential health effects of long-term exposure, a new study shows.
Other News
- Avoid “cheap metal jewelry” is the advise of Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This recommendation comes as an Associated Press investigation found high cadmium levels in childrens' jewelry items imported from China. Similar to lead, cadmium hinders brain development in young children and is also known to cause cancer. This is the first time the CPSC is targeting an entire industry, rather than focusing on one particular item.
- What the EPA's "chemicals of concern" plan really means. In an unusual exercise of its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the US EPA announced the establishment of a "chemicals of concern" list and action plans that could prompt restrictions on four types of synthetic chemicals, including phthalates.
More comments:
Get Answers
View AllDo you have any ideas on how to begin addressing the issue of pesticide use on a policy level? What organizations might help us not only by sending their literature but with technical assistance?
I know there are probably a lot of alternative names for formaldehyde used in products. Do you know or have a list of the other names?
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Posted by MRochell on 01/19/2010 at 08:11 PM
Thank you, these are such helpful tips! I always learn something new here. I had no idea that people could track toxic materials into their homes from the outdoors!