Healthy World Watch May 1st, 2009

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Blog

Janelle Sorensen

Friday, May 01, 2009

Important Flu Tip: So-called "anti-bacterial" soaps are useless for the flu (and can contain toxic chemicals). Use a mild, plant based soap and wash your hands frequently. (Give your kids a demo on how to do it and how long.) One of the major flu transmission routes is through hand-to-nose, hand-to-eye, or even hand-to-mouth contact, so keep your hands clean. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are a good choice if you can't get to a sink. Learn more at Simple Steps.
Fave Finds

• Looking for Organic Grocery Deals? Join the recently launched online coupon community for shoppers who want to learn to go green on a budget.

• Does your iPhone speak organic? Well, it can now! Download EWG’s new mobile app so you always have their dirty dozen and fave fifteen fruits and vegetables at your fingertips.

• How to read an egg carton. Free-range, cage-free, antiobiotic-fed, organic? Things to consider when you're overwhelmed in the egg aisle.

Recent Research

• Study finds food wrapper chemical in blood. A new scientific study has for the first time found a group of chemicals used in coatings on food wrappers in human blood. Previous reports have documented low levels of certain perfluorochemicals -- those used to make commercial products like food wrapper coatings -- in the blood of the general human population. But the new study, led by University of Toronto researchers, focused on chemicals that are actually used in food wrapper coatings and other consumer products.

• Sleeping with the enemy: indoor air contaminants. New research studying household air in homes in Arizona found more than 400 chemicals ranging from pesticides to phthalates, confirming that indoor air can be heavily contaminated with pollutants. Pesticides, including diazinon, chlorpyrifos and DDT were found at surprisingly high levels, as were phthalates.