2012 Mom on a Mission Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest open to individuals 18 years of age or older as of date of entry and who are legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia. Contest void wherever prohibited by law, or where the registration or filing requirements of any state or local jurisdiction have not been complied with. Employees of Healthy Child Healthy World, Inc. (hereinafter "Sponsor"), Stonyfield Farm, Inc., Nordic Naturals, Inc., Nest Collective, Inc. and TLC Networks, and their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, production and promotion agencies, as well as their immediate family members and members of the same household, are not eligible. This contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations.

HOW TO ENTER: Contest begins at 12:00:01 am (ET) on December 1, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 pm (ET) on October 31, 2012. Nominations will only be accepted through 11:59:59 pm (ET) on July 13, 2012. To enter, visit http://www.healthychild.org/mission to complete the official contest entry form including the nominee's first and last name, the first and last name of the person submitting the nomination, and the email and phone number of the person submitting the nomination. If a nominee is chosen as a finalist, Sponsor will contact the person who submitted the nomination for nominee's contact information. All entrants and nominees must acknowledge receipt and acceptance of these Official Rules and all other terms and conditions governing the Contest. The individual submitting the nomination must then upload a photo of the nominee along with an essay (limited to 250 words or less) that describes why the nominee should be chosen as the 2012 Mom on a Mission.

Finalists will be chosen on a rolling basis; therefore any submission entered during the official contest dates may be chosen as a finalist at some point during the contest.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Entry is deemed completed upon submission of the essay in print or video form. Essay must be 250 words or less, and all video entries should be under 3 minutes in length. Videos and essays (a) must be the original and sole creation of the entrant, with the entrant owning all rights, title and interest in the content of the video and/or essay (b) may not infringe upon or violate any third party's rights, including but not limited to rights to or in any copyright, patent, trademark, tradename, or logo, or any rights of privacy or publicity, nor may it contain material that is or may be considered defamatory, slanderous or libelous, or portray another individual in a false light; (e) may not violate any law, rule or regulation, and, (f) may not contain any virus, bugs, or other deleterious material. By entering the competition, each entrant warrants and represents that his/her video complies with all of those conditions. Non-complying Submissions will be subject to disqualification. Entries cannot contain, the trademark, trade name or logo of any third party (but may contain the trademark, trade name or logo of the Sponsor) and cannot contain any material that is protected by copyright. Any entry, which in the sole opinion of Sponsor is deemed to be inappropriate for publication and or web/casting, will be deemed ineligible. You may enter as often as you wish, but each submission must contain a different video/essay. Uploading more than one entry does not increase the chance of winning. Once a video/essay is submitted, it cannot be changed, altered or modified. Non-complying submissions will be subject to disqualification. Submitting an entry that is copyrighted by another individual will make you solely responsible for any legal action the legal copyright holder might take against you. By entering, each entrant and nominee grants permission for any submissions made in connection with the Contest (whether video, essay, photo, and/or the name of the nominee) to be posted on the World Wide Web in connection with the Contest (including the advertising, promotion, or publicity for the Contest or otherwise, as may be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) as stated in these Official Rules. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

JUDGING: The judging of the 2012 Mom on a Mission Contest finalists will be conducted by a panel of judges comprised of representatives of Healthy Child Healthy World. The winner will be chosen by the public during a 60-day voting period at http://www.healthychild.org/mission that will commence at 12:00:01 am (ET) on September 1, 2012 and ends at 11:59:59 pm (ET) on October 31, 2012.

PRIZE: In addition to individual promotion and exposure on http://www.healthychild.org, each of the eight (8) finalists will receive a 1-month supply of Stonyfield coupons (YoBaby,YoToddler, YoKids, Oikos, Stonyfield) (Estimated SRP: $34.30); a gift basket from Nordic Naturals (Estimated SRP: $85); assorted products from Nest Collective (Plum Organics and Revolution Foods) (Estimated SRP: $125); and a Cord Winder and Finger Guard from Rhoost (Estimated SRP: $18.99). The grand prize winner will receive a six (6)-month supply of Stonyfield product coupons (YoBaby,YoToddler, YoKids, Oikos, Stonyfield) (Estimated SRP: $205.80); a 6-month supply or assorted products from Nest Collective (Plum Organics and Revolutions Foods) (Estimated SRP: $400); and a one-year supply of product, including (4) Ultimate Omega Xtra, (2) Nordic Berries and (6) Children's DHA (Estimated SRP: $260).

FINALIST/WINNER NOTIFICATION: Finalists will be chosen from among the nominees submitted and will be notified on a monthly basis by the 15th of each month through August 1, 2012. Finalists will be notified by email or telephone. All finalists will be required to respond and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability within 7 days of the date identified on notification or an alternate nominee will be selected. Finalists will also be required to submit photo(s) (300 dpi quality), a personal story of 1,000 words or less, and a video clip that should not exceed 2 minutes, telling our community why they are a "Mom on a Mission."
The 2012 Mom on a Mission winner will be notified no later than 11:59:59 pm (ET) on November 5, 2012. The winner will be required to respond and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability within 7 days of the date identified on notification or the nomination will be awarded to an alternate winner. The 2012 Mom on a Mission will also be required to host a special event in New York City on a pre-determined date (TBA).

ODDS: Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received and the decision of the judges. Entries will not be limited, except as expressly provided above. In the event that there is an insufficient number of qualified entries or if the judges determine in their sole and absolute discretion that no or too few entries meet the quality standards established to award the prizes, Sponsor reserves the right not to award the prizes.

GENERAL: This Contest offer is void where prohibited or restricted by law and is subject to applicable federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations. By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of the Sponsors, which are final in all matters relating to this Contest. Entrants and nominees consent to the use of their name, video, essay/content submission, photo, voice, and likeness for promotional, advertising, publicity or trade purposes in any and all media worldwide in perpetuity by Sponsor without further compensation to either nominees or entrant unless otherwise prohibited by law. Arrangements for the fulfillment of all prizes will be made by the Sponsor. Receipt of any prize is conditioned upon compliance with any and all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Winners of any prize(s) will be solely responsible for payment of all federal, state and local taxes. Sponsor and judges are not responsible for late, lost, stolen, damaged, incorrect, incomplete, illegible, garbled, misaddressed, or misdirected entries, misrouted or scrambled transmissions or communications, or for errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, or delays in operations or transmission of information, in each case whether arising by way of technical or other failures or malfunctions of telephone, Internet, computer hardware, software, communications devices, or transmission lines or data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry materials, loss or otherwise. Sponsor disclaims any liability for damage to any telephone or computer system resulting from participation in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with, this Contest, and Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, cancel, terminate or suspend this Contest should any virus, bug, technical failures, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor's control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Contest. In the event of any cancellation, termination or suspension, a notice will be posted and judging will take place from among all eligible entries received prior to such time. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant if his or her fraud or misconduct affects the integrity of the Contest. Entries will be considered made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. By submitting an entry in the contest, you acknowledge and agree that Sponsor shall be permitted to use your entry data for marketing purposes consistent with its privacy policy and applicable law. All entrants and nominees further agree that in the event of any third party claims, damages, losses or injuries, arising from or relating to this Contest, they will indemnify Sponsors from any and all such claims, including the attorneys' fees related thereto. By accepting any awarded prize, winner agrees to release Sponsor, its respective directors, employees, officers, and agents, including without limitation, its advertising and promotion agencies, from any and all liability, loss or damages arising from or in connection with the awarding, receipt, and/or use or misuse of any prize or any participation in any prize-related activities. Sponsor is not responsible for typographical, printing, or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials related to the Contest.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATIONS OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

WINNER'S NAME: For a copy of the winners' names, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope postmarked by November 15, 2012 to: Healthy Child Healthy World c/o "2012 Mom on a Mission Contest List," 10675 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California, 90025 or visit http://www.healthychild.org/mission. Requests will be fulfilled and the winners' names will be posted after the same has been verified. For a copy of the official rules, visit http://www.healthychild.org/mission.

SPONSOR: This contest is sponsored by Healthy Child Healthy World Inc., 10675 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90025.

No purchase necessary. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. To enter, visit http://www.healthychild.org/mission to submit the required essay or, in the alternative, a video. Contest starts December 1, 2011 at 12:01 am ET and ends October 31, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET. Open to legal residents of the U.S. age 18 or older as of entry date. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor: Healthy Child Healthy World, Inc.

January

Andrea Pett - Joseph
Los Angeles, California

Andrea is committed to bringing awareness and finding a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa or EB, a rare, painful and life threatening genetic disorder of the skin that has affected her eight-year old son from birth.

Learn more about Andrea!

 

February

Martha Sanchez
Los Angeles, California

Martha Sanchez, an activist and mother of three, mobilized her community to close a toxic manufacturing plant, learned English to attend college and pursue a law degree, and is currently working on an affordable housing project for more than 500 families that will include job training and health care.

Learn more about Martha!

 

March

Angie Nordstrum
Erie, Colorado

After learning she was pregnant on the heels of a cancer diagnosis, Angie became a mom; soon after, her son was diagnosed with life-threatening allergies. But Angie Nordstrum is a fighter, and after learning that hydraulic fracturing—also known as “fracking”—threatened her son’s school and the health of her community, she fought back.

Learn more about Angie!

 

April

Bettina Elias Siegel
Houston, Texas

Bettina Elias Siegel started a petition asking USDA to ban the use of lean, finely textured beef (commonly known as “pink slime”) in the beef destined for school food. Within nine days, the petition topped 200,000 signatures (reaching a quarter of a million signatures soon after) and effectively forced USDA to change its policy by allowing schools to choose ground beef without the ammonia-treated filler.

Learn more about Bettina!

 

May

Kiddada Green
Detroit, Michigan

Kiddada Green founded Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA), a grassroots organization that strives to curve breastfeeding rates. She's led the organization’s many accomplishments including: Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Club,  breastfeeding advocacy in the community, and outreach initiatives. 

Learn more about Kiddada!

 

Celebrating its fourth year, the Mom on a Mission campaign honors inspiring American parents who are leading the change to create healthier environments for the next generation. A finalist will be chosen every month starting in January based on public nominations, before the voting polls open to the community to name the next Mom on a Mission winner.

FPO

No one can do everything. Everyone can do something.

Those are the words that we live by at Healthy Child Healthy World, as we ignite the movement that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. And it's these parents who bring our message to life.

So now it's our turn to honor them.

Celebrating special and inspiring American parents who are dedicated to creating healthier and happier environments for children and families, our 4th Annual Mom on a Mission campaign is designed to shed light on those who put our words into action.

Nominations are now open to find eight extraordinary parents working within their communities to create healthier, happier environments for children and families. From January through August, we will select and honor a finalist each month who will enter the running to become our 2012 Mom on a Mission.

Who decides which one of these amazing contenders takes home the official title? You! In September, Healthy Child Healthy World will open the voting to the general public for two months to decide who will be the mom of the year. The 2012 Mom on a Mission will be announced in November and honored with a grand prize at a special event in New York City.

A message to all the great dads out there:

Why do we run a program called Moms On a Mission? But not Dads On a Mission? Or Parents On a Mission?

As we recognize leaders working to create a safer and healthier world, we realize dads are an important part of the solution. And we're grateful for all that dads do. But we can't ignore the facts:

• Women make more than 85 percent of household purchases for their families.
• Women control an estimated $7 trillion in purchasing power: That's half of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.
• The 83 million moms in America control two trillion dollars in purchasing power.
• Economic research found that 50 percent of women want more green choices; 37 percent are likely to pay attention to brands committed to environmental causes.

The Healthy Child Healthy World Mom On a Mission program recognizes all that mothers do to make the world a better place as women, consumers, thought-leaders, and role models for future generations.

 

Do you know a Mom on a Mission? Join us in our efforts to honor these amazing women and nominate her today!

Note: Finalists are chosen on a rolling basis, therefore nominees qualify to become a finalist anytime between January and August 2012.

Do you know a mom on a mission? Are you or someone you know helping transform the industry, getting toxic products off the shelves or educating others on how to raise healthier children? Submit your nomination! Submissions will be accepted until 11:59:59 pm (ET) on July 13, 2012. Voting begins on September 1, 2012.

*Finalists will be accepted on a rolling basis, therefore nominations could be chosen anytime between January 1 and August 1, 2012.

Learn more about our Mom on a Mission program
Rules and Regulations

Now that you've completed the nomination process, it's time to tell people about "Mom on a Mission!" If you nominated someone else, share the "You've Been Nominated" postcard on your nominee's Facebook wall or send via email. If you nominated yourself, share the "I've Been Nominated" postcard with your community. Consider it a pat on the back for all your work to improve children's health! By sharing, you'll also help us spread the word to parents across the country about what they can do to create safer, healthier and happier environments for kids.

 

    

 

If your nomination is selected as a finalist, we will contact you with more details. Please note that finalists are selected on a rolling basis, so nominees may be chosen as finalists at any time between January and August 2012.

Questions? Learn more about our Mom on a Mission program, meet our Current Mom on a Mission and feel free to email mom@healthychild.org — we'll get back to you promptly. Thanks!

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2011 Tamara Rubin

2010 Penelope Jagessar Chaffer

2009 Shelby Rodriguez

We are helping millions of parents wake up to the risks of toxic chemicals all around them and now they’re sounding the alarm to wake up their friends, neighbors, and communities. Watch to learn how they’re sounding the alarm. What will you do?

 “Making the decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”- Elizabeth Stone

You are about to embark on one of the most joyful, fulfilling, scary and frustrating journeys of life. Yes, it’s a roller coaster, but it’s the best ride imaginable.

Parenthood is about learning to selflessly protect and nurture another human being. The key word here is learning because it's definitely a lifelong learning process. But don’t worry, you'll find support along the way--including Healthy Child Healthy World. We’re here to help you protect the health of your child. Is there anything more important?

Chemicals in everyday products are increasingly being linked to things like asthma, allergies and cancer. Taking steps to reduce your child's risk of exposure to these chemicals is the same sort of better-safe-than-sorry approach as using car seats and outlet covers.

Healthy Child can help you take those steps. We investigate safer products and teach you about easy, inexpensive changes you can make at home to protect your family.

Good luck on your journey, you’re going to do great! (Seriously, if you’ve read this far, you must really care.) Enjoy every kiss and giggle, snuggle and story--every moment of the ride.

Empower Yourself Today:

• Sign-up for our weekly newsletter for the latest tips, tools and news for living healthier.
• Visit Shop Healthy to find safer products.
• Check out Eat Healthy to help you make food fast, fun, frugal and eco-friendly.
• Watch & Share our award-winning video, A Wake-Up Story, a three-minute, must-see for all parents.
• Buy our book! It’s an easy-to-read guide for the next generation of parenting.
• Take a tour of the Health eHome, a virtual experience that shows you toxic hot spots in the home and how to easily address them.
• Look up chemicals of concern in our profile library.

 

We do not allow comments that criticize others based on physical appearances or mental characteristics. We do not allow comments that celebrate the death, illness, or personal loss of any person.

This blog is “family friendly” and comments, which include offensive or inappropriate language, or considered by the blog owner and administrator to be rude and offensive, will be edited or deleted.

(III) A Comment is Conversation:

A comment which does not add to the conversation, runs off on an inappropriate tangent, or kills the conversation may be edited, moved, or deleted.

(IV) Comment Spam:

Any comment assumed to be possible comment spam will be deleted and marked as comment spam.

(V) Email Privacy:

Email addresses are required for commenting, and they are not published on the blog, nor shared. The email address may be used by a staff member to privately contact the commenter.

If you posted a comment and cannot see it on the site:

There are two scenarios under which your comment may not appear:

1. It may be pending approval. Comments on the blog are moderated BEFORE they appear on the site, and this takes time. We appreciate your patience and ask that you refrain from posting the same comment repeatedly.
2. Your comment violated the policy above.

 

Official Rules for all Healthy Child's giveaways

1. Limit, one entry per person and per e-mail address.
2. Contest open to anyone who is a legal resident and of the age of majority in the United States. Void where prohibited.
3. Chances of winning depend on number of entrants.
4. Contest subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
5. Winners will be determined by a random draw conducted by Healthy Child. A selected potential prize winner will be notified by email. If he/she does not respond within 48 hours, a phone call will be placed to the potential prize winner, if applicable, an effort will be made to leave a message. If 48 hours passes with no response from the potential prize winner, another potential prize winner will be selected.
6. All decisions made by the sweepstakes judges at Healthy Child, are final and without right of appeal with respect to all aspects of the sweepstakes, including, without limitation, eligibility and/or disqualification of entries.
7. Prizes may not be transferred or substituted for another prize (other than at the sole discretion of Healthy Child). Prizes must be accepted as awarded.
8. Healthy Child reserves the right, for any reason whatsoever, in its sole and absolute discretion, to award a substitute prize of equivalent or greater value, including without limitation, a cash reward.
9. Healthy Child reserves the right to change the terms of the sweepstakes or terminate it at any time, without prior notice if required.
10. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if for any reason the sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned or if the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the sweepstakes is corrupted or adversely affected, including by reason of tampering, fraud, technical failures or any other reason beyond it’s control, Healthy Child reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the sweepstakes, including selecting winners and/or additional winners from previously received valid entries.
11. Healthy Child is not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of this sweepstakes, including but not limited to errors in advertising materials, internet postings, these sweepstakes rules, the selection and announcement of winners and of the distribution of prizes. Healthy Child assumes no responsibility for any failure, problems or technical malfunction of any computer systems or networks, hardware, software, telephone or fax lines or other systems, equipment or facilities relating to, or used in connection with, the sweepstakes. Healthy Child does not accept any responsibility for entries/subscriptions which are lost, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered, incomplete, illegible or damaged, for any reason whatsoever.
12. By entering this sweepstakes, all selected entrants consent and agree to the use of their name, for any advertising, publicity and marketing purposes, without compensation.
13. Winners are responsible for all applicable taxes.
14. Entries submitted using any sort of automated or “bot” technology will be deleted.
15. Entries with data that is incomplete or illegible will be deleted.
16. Prizes may not be exactly as they appear in images on sweepstakes entry page.
17. Size selection for Healthy Child Products can be made by the winner. Sizes are subject to availability.
18. Healthy Child will mail the prize to the winner. Healthy Child is not responsible for prizes which are lost or stolen in the mail.
19. No refunds or exchanges.

Content goes here...

One child inspired a movement. Read her story, see what’s come from her inspiration, and meet the people who continue her legacy.

LEARN MORE:

• Our Story
• Our Mission
• What We've Accomplished

 

VOLUNTEER

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Give Us Your Greatest Gift: Your Time!

Volunteers are an essential force behind Healthy Child Healthy World. The generosity of people like you enables us to carry out our mission and educate the public about preventing toxic environmental exposures. Every year, people across the country give their time and talent to serve in a variety of ways. From helping out at the Healthy Child Healthy World headquarters to helping organize and coordinate events all over the country, we have many volunteer opportunities. Come join in and help us protect children!

If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email with your experience, availability and desired volunteer opportunity to volunteer@healthychild.org or call the Volunteer Coordinator at 310-820-2030.

Volunteer Opportunities Include:

Administrative support:
Running errands, staffing the office, proofing, word processing, and desktop publishing -- all the miscellaneous work that keeps the organization 'alive'.

Technical:
Web page design and upkeep, fixing code and adding new web programs, server/workstation installation and repair, database repair.

Development work:
Event planning, fund raising, grant writing, public relations.

Organizational:
Accounting, business management, facilitation.

Artistic work:
Graphic design and visual art both for the web site and printed material.

Languages:
Translation, interpretation.

Legal:
For anyone who is an attorney, paralegal, law student, or trained legal observer.

 

INTERN

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Healthy Child Healthy World seeks interns to support the programs, endeavors, and activities of our Los Angeles-based office. 

Some of the many areas that require support include but are not limited to: research & writing; program support; office administration; event planning; SEO, social networking, and IT.  

General Intern Requirements

• Minimum 3 months service, 10 hrs weekly; M-F but flexible between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm.
• Interest in children's health, environmental health and healthy living
• Professional demeanor
• Flexibility to work in a variety of capacities and support diverse endeavors
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently, as well as part of a team
• Ability to learn and adapt to a fast paced environment

Writing Sample

All internship candidates are required to submit a writing sample.  The writing sample should be between 300 - 500 words, and discuss a topic central to the organization's mission.  Please do not submit academic papers.  For ideas, please visit our blog for example material and subject matter. 

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should e-mail resume, cover letter, writing sample, and dates of availability to: intern@healthychild.org

We accept applications year-round based on the quarter/semester academic calendar.  Please inquire as to the number of spaces available, as it is limited.

Do you have a special skill, talent, or interest?  We welcome your ideas, so please include them in your application.

 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

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There are currently no opportunities available.

There are fundamental flaws in government policies that allow damage to our health and environment.

The result of these current policies is that toxic substances end up in our bodies without our knowledge or consent. We have seen that ignoring early warning signs can result in serious illness.

The tragic histories of lead and mercury, for example, demonstrate the harm caused when government and industry do not take action to protect public health. We have also seen that acting on early warnings can prevent widespread harm, as in the case of the drug thalidomide.

Flaw #1: Potential toxins are not usually tested for safety before use.

Most chemicals, pollution and technologies are treated as if they were safe until proven otherwise. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that drugs be thoroughly tested before they are mar-keted, the government historically has allowed chemicals that can have equally powerful impacts on our health to be released into the air and water. Approximately 80,000 chemicals are licensed for use in commerce today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that fewer than 10% of the industrial chemicals produced in the largest quantities (over one million pounds per year) have undergone even a limited set of tests to assess their health effects on humans.

Most tests look only for acute toxicity or cancer-causing properties. Potential harm to a child's nervous system is rarely investigated. In fact, as of 1998, only 12 chemicals had been tested according to EPA standards for their impact on the developing human brain. Even less is known about what happens when people and ecosystems are repeatedly exposed to more than one chemical at a time. Yet recent tests by the U.S. government have found hundreds of chemicals in the blood and urine of Americans. In addition, many of these synthetic chemicals go into products sold in stores.

While the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission frequently takes action to prevent safety hazards in products, chemical toxicity hazards to consumers are far less regulated. No pre-market safety testing or approval has been required under any federal law for chemicals in cosmetics, toys, clothing, carpets or construction materials, to name just a few obvious sources of chemical exposure in everyday life. Products like hair spray, hair dye, pacifiers, stain repellants, glues, and children's toys have been put on the market, only to be found, after decades of widespread use, to contain toxic compounds at unsafe levels.

Flaw #2: The government usually takes action only after harm is proven and widespread.

Government decisions on whether to control, limit or ban a potentially damaging chemical, technology or waste product are usually a political battle between those citizens who want health protections, the manufacturers or business proponents, and government officials. For years, business proponents such as chemical companies and other polluters have argued that government must not take action to restrict their use or production of toxins until there is definitive scientific proof of a cause and effect connection between their activities and serious health or environmental harm.

But definitive "proof" of harm is very hard to obtain with current scientific tools. The lack of scientific proof of harm is too often misinterpreted as proof of safety. When faced with uncertainty, government authorities have erred on the side of allowing harmful pollution and toxins in products. They act only after the damage is quantifiable scientifically and is widespread. We call this the "count the bodies" approach to public health protection.

Flaw #3: Certain levels of harm are accepted and allowed by government authorities.

Current environmental and chemical policies focus on establishing “acceptable” levels of harm from toxins rather than on seeking ways to prevent harm in the first place. Government regulators have set up a policy of “risk management” that includes setting standards for “acceptable risk.” For example, the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has set a standard for environmental pollution that allows an “acceptable risk” of one “extra” cancer death for every one million people exposed to one pollutant from one source.

In the workplace, the federal government standard is that one “extra” cancer death is an “acceptable level” for every 1,000 workers who are exposed to a chemical. Even worse, these “acceptable levels” are usually based on studies of healthy adult males—not children, older people, or others who are more physically vulnerable. In reality, everyone is exposed to many pollutants from many sources. The people who make these decisions may think of those numbers as mere statistics, but the result of their decisions is that real people are getting sick and dying.

Increasingly, government regulators are required to use “cost-benefit analysis” in their decision-making. This analysis assigns a monetary value to illness and death, and compares this to the cost of pollution controls or regulations. As a result, government regulators rely on mathematical formulas that are inherently biased toward short-term business costs (which can be more easily counted) and against protecting long-term public health (where costs are neither fully known nor quantifiable). If the projected cost of pollution controls is more than the value put on saving lives and protecting public health, then the pollution is often allowed to continue.

Flaw #4: Powerful special interests obstruct government action to protect our health.

Polluting industries have conducted a coordinated campaign to promote these flawed policies and to obstruct health-protective policies that would restrict their products or processes. Corporations have often used their financial and political power to block protective action by our government. For example, since the 1950’s the chemical industry has systematically blocked efforts to require safety studies on the compounds it produces.

Lobbying groups for the chemical, plastics, and oil industries have great impact on government policies and action. In order to win legal permission from government officials to pollute, companies frequently conceal, deny and downplay the potential harm to health caused by their emissions or products. Polluting corporations have insisted that the current policy of “acceptable risk” is necessary to support a growing economy. They take government regulators to court to block protective health and environmental policies. They consistently try to advance their economic interests with scientific arguments about uncertainty and lack of cause-effect proof of harm.The delays that result place our health at risk.

*Reprinted with Permission from: The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow

A FUTURE AT RISK

Our children live in a world vastly different from the one we grew up in. More than 80,000 chemicals, most of which did not exist fifty years ago, are registered for use in commerce in the United States, and approximately 700 new ones are introduced every year.1 These chemicals are used in everyday items such as food, shampoo, toys, furniture, electronics, household cleaners, and lawn care products, to name just a few. The effects of most of these chemicals on human health are unknown.

Unfortunately, comprehensive pre-market safety testing is not required under any federal law for these chemicals. We are especially at risk of exposure to the 2800 chemicals produced in quantities greater than 1 million pounds per year. Yet, of these high-volume chemicals, only 43% have been tested for potential human toxicity, and only 7% have been studied for their possible effects on child development. Even fewer have been tested for their health effects when they interact with one another, but that’s how we’re exposed to them.

What is this doing to our kids? For the most part, we don’t really know. It’s largely an unregulated experiment—and our children are the canaries in the coal mine.

Children are more vulnerable

Beginning in utero, babies and children are different than adults—they are often much more vulnerable to environmental toxins.

• Pound-for-pound, children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than adults. For example, the air intake of a resting infant is twice that of an adult4. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reported that "children in the first six months of life drink seven times as much water per pound as average American adults. Children one through five years of age eat three to four (or more) times as much food per pound body weight as average American adults."5
• From birth through childhood, children differ from adults in their ability to absorb, metabolize, and excrete contaminants.6
• Children’s bodies are rapidly growing and developing. The unique developmental stages experienced in childhood make children more vulnerable to harmful effects from exposures to certain hazards in the environment than adults.
• Children are more likely than adults to come in contact with many of the contaminants around us each day. Children play on the floor where allergens, such as dust, and heavier-than-air chemicals settle and collect. Also, young children put everything in their mouths, further exposing them in different ways than adults.

Chronic Diseases are on the Rise

More than 30 years of environmental health studies have led to a growing consensus that chemicals are playing a role in the incidence and prevalence of many diseases and disorders in our country, including:

• Leukemia, brain cancer, and other childhood cancers, which have increased by more than 20% since 1975.7
• Breast cancer, which went up by 40% between 1973 and 1998.8 While breast cancer rates have declined since 2003, a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is now one in eight, up from one in ten in 1973.9
• Asthma, which approximately doubled in prevalence between 1980 and 1995 and has stayed at the elevated rate.10,11
• Difficulty in conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy affected 40% more women in 2002 than in 1982. The incidence of reported difficulty has almost doubled in younger women, ages 18–25.12,13,14
• The birth defect resulting in undescended testes, which has increased 200% between1970 and 1993.15
• Autism, the diagnosis of which has increased more than 10 times in the last 15 years.16 According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 133 million people in the U.S.—almost half of all Americans—are now living with these and other chronic diseases and conditions, which now account for 70% of deaths and 75% of U.S. health care costs.17 Estimates of the proportion of the disease burden that can be attributed to chemicals vary widely, ranging from 1% of all disease18 to 5% of childhood cancer19 to 10% of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and neurodevelopmental deficits20 to 30% of childhood asthma.19

Precautionary Parenting

Parents take steps each and every day to prevent harm to their children. We use car seats, child gates near stairs, bicycle helmets, electrical outlet covers—the list goes on and on. We don’t know for sure that an accident would happen, but it’s just common sense to be safe rather than sorry. Reducing environmental health risks is much the same. You shouldn’t worry that a little exposure is going to permanently damage your child, but you should take precautions. Luckily, there are tons of simple, affordable actions you can take.

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something

Start out by choosing a few simple steps to take in your own home, and when they become habit, move on to a few more. Try not to get overwhelmed or neurotic, just take it day by day. Don’t add stress to your already hectic life – we all know that stress is bad for our health, too.

Also, remember that a healthy diet and regular exercise will help ensure a strong body that’s better able to fight off the effects of environmental exposures. It’s never too early, or too late, to start living healthier.

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Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans, overwhelmingly children, now face chronic disease and illnesses including cancer, autism, asthma, allergies, obesity, birth defects, ADD/ADHD, and learning and developmental disabilities.

The number gets higher each year and more parents ask WHY? Scientific evidence increasingly finds chemicals in everyday products like cleaning supplies, beauty care and cosmetics, home furnishings, plastics, food, and even toys, that are contributors to these ailments.

The good news is that parents are best equipped to “do something” to prevent harm and help their children have the healthiest and happiest life. Healthy Child Healthy World ensures parents know what they can do today.

LEARN MORE:

• Our Children’s Health
• Our Flawed System
• Work with Us
• Join the Movement

As a reflection of our mission to educate parents to protect children from harmful chemicals, Healthy Child Healthy World has always had a relationship with esteemed healthcare professionals and institutions with similar goals including:

• Dr. Phil Landrigan
• Dr. Alan Greene
• Dr. Lynn Goldman
• Dr. Leonardo Trasande
• Cedars Sinai Medical Center of Los Angeles
• The Mount Sinai Center for Children’s Health and the Environment
• The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

We’ve collaborated on developing educational materials, promoting awareness about new research and lifestyle recommendations, and connecting patients with timely information. Now, we're building on these past efforts and creating a modern, comprehensive, easy-to-use program for empowering healthcare professionals and parents during the most critical phases of development.

Why Environmental Health Education is Crucial During Pregnancy and Early Childhood

Human development is a delicate and startlingly quick process. Most women don't even know they're pregnant until they have been for a month or so, but during that short period a baby is going through some of the most dramatic changes of his or her life. Because so much is happening so quickly, these first weeks are a particularly vulnerable period in human growth. Each development relies on precise, successful development in the previous stage. If an environmental factor, such as a chemical contaminant in the mother's body, interferes with growth during a critical period of development, the child may be permanently affected.

And, while the first months are certainly the most vulnerable, this developmental process continues throughout pregnancy and into adulthood. The landslide of biological changes all build on earlier developments – there is an imminent danger here with the soup of toxic chemicals in the environment. But there is also an opportunity for getting the right information to parents at the right time – indeed what specific risks are relevant during each specific phase of growth.

Parents want this information, they want to do the right thing to protect and promote healthy child development.

Why Target Healthcare Professionals providing care for Expecting/New Parents?

• Healthcare Professionals caring for expecting/new parents are important since their patient’s developing fetuses are especially vulnerable to toxics. Expecting/new parents should avoid exposure to toxic chemicals prior to child’s conception/throughout pregnancy and early life when risk of damage is the greatest.
• Healthcare Professionals are trusted authority figures and an ideal representative to relay this important information.
• Expecting/new parents are a receptive audience for this type of information and are beginning to set up a lifetime of healthy choices for their children/families.

Learn more and get involved!

Shop Healthy gives parents answers and promotes companies with safe practices. We help consumers find the best products and services that are safe, affordable, healthy and effective. Every Trusted Partner has been carefully screened, passed our quality standards, and fully vetted through for human and environmental health. We are proud of our Trusted Partners and use their products in our homes. We hope you will too.

Read More about Our Trusted Partner Program from Carly Harrill, Strategic Partnerships Director

LEARN MORE:

• Shop Healthy
• All Trusted Partners
• Become a Trusted Partner
• Our Quality Standards

 

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Healthy Child reaches over 250,000 families new families per month. We are driven to provide the clear, accurate, thoughtful, and informative resources to our community. Our diverse programs are easily accessible on a scope of educational platforms from downloads to video. We aim to make the interaction easy, inspiring, and doable. Everyday we engage with parents, answer questions, offer advice, and learn from them too.

LEARN MORE:

5 Easy Steps

Start here with The 5 Easy Steps and discover that you can do something. Learn the uncomplicated facts, what you can do, and what is important to avoid. We then help you find the products and companies that help you create a safer, greener, healthier life.

Eat Healthy

Eat Healthy is a comprehensive, easy-to-read online recipe and healthy food guide.

Our Book

A user-friendly and practical lifestyle guide about how to reduce toxic exposure in our homes, our new book is a perfect resource of credible and easy steps to creating a healthier environment and lifestyle for all stages of parenting.

Healthy Home Party Kit

With the tools and information provided in the Healthy Home Party Kit, you can educate your family, friends, school, and community to protect children's health and development from common toxics. YOU can make a difference!

Quick Tips

Easy one-page guides that take you, step-by-step, through simple and effective prevention

Get Answers

Experts answer questions previously asked by many parents striving to create a healthy environment for their children and themselves.

Tips and Tools for Action

Never underestimate your ability to make changes in the world around you. In fact, with all the new technologies that help us connect with one another and share information, it’s probably never been easier. Still, you’ll be much more successful with a few tips and tools under your belt!

Pocket Guides

With over 10 pocket-sized guides to choose from, shopping for safe products is a breeze.

Healthy Child’s innovative initiatives ensure the right information is in the right hands at the right time. Our cutting edge strategies rely on the latest technology and the collective wisdom of diverse partnerships resulting in unparalleled influence and impact.

 

LEARN MORE:

• Empower Parents
• Transform the Market Place
• Promote Protective Policies
• Improve Preventative Health Care
• Financials

Meet our extraordinary team. Healthy Child’s Staff, boards, volunteers, and interns comprise some of the best and brightest minds fueled by pure passion for prevention.

• Staff
• Board of Directors
• Advisory Board
• Honorary Board
• Parent Ambassadors

 

Mattress Program for Hospitals: To help offset the dangers of chemicals in the lives of children, Healthy Beginnings for Babies: Free Green Mattress Program for Hospitals - A Public Service Project of Healthy Child Healthy World and Naturepedic, is giving free GREENGUARD certified baby mattresses/pads to hospitals to help babies off to a good start.

Healthcare Without Harm: Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labor unions, environmental and environmental health organizations and religious groups.

• EWG’s Cord Blood Study
• Presidents Cancer Panel Report
• CDC’s “the ABCs of a Healthy Pregnancy
• National Children’s Study
• Prenatal Exposure To Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Linked To Breast Cancer
• Raising Healthy Kids in a Toxic World - Part 1
• Raising Healthy Kids in a Toxic World - Part 2
• Chemicals in Everyday Products and Children’s Health
• A Doctor’s Point of View

 

Patient Educational Tools

• Health Child Healthy World Website: our award winning website filled with educational information and printable guides
• “Healthy Child Healthy World” Book by Christopher Gavigan: a reference guide for creating a cleaner, greener, safer home.
• Pocket Guides (downloadable)
• Fact Sheet “Creating Healthy Environments for Children”
• The 5 Easy Steps

 

Videos

• “A Wake-Up Story”
• Healthy Pregnancy

 

Interactive Tools

• Health eHome: As part of our commitment to bring you trustworthy and credible information that empowers you to maintain a healthy and safe home, we are proudly collaborating with WebMD – America’s #1 most-trusted online site for health information – to unveil our Health eHome.
  • Navigate virtual rooms of a family home
  • Explore potential dangers and how to avoid hazards
  • Learn easy solutions and new tips
  • Watch short videos and join the Blog conversations
• My Healthy 5 (brief summary and note that it is in beta phase)

 

Articles

• 10 tips for your patients to prepare for pregnancy
• Quick tips for Protecting your Baby
• Prenatal BPA Exposure Linked to Breast Cancer
• 25 Tools to Help Prevent Birth Defects
• 5 Questions with Dr. Sears about Autism
• Protecting the First Environment
• Nutrition Pleasures & Precautions during Pregnancy
• Babies and Kids more vulnerable to Environmental Toxins

 

 

We live on a planet that is increasingly interconnected. Pollution from China is carried on ocean breezes to the shores of California. Likewise, pollution from the U.S. is carried up to Canada, the Arctic, and beyond. While Healthy Child Healthy World works in the United States, we recognize that for a truly healthy world, we all need to work together.

Great things are happening all over the world. And, often, we rely on the experiences and protective policies passed in other countries to bolster our own local efforts. Here are just a very few of the organizations and initiatives we’ve been keeping our eyes on:

Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific

• National Toxics Network is a community based network working for pollution reduction, protection of environmental health and environmental justice for all.
• Safer Solutions keeping your home healthy and green.

Canada

• Toxic Nation Canadians are polluted with a toxic mix of harmful chemicals. Toxic Nation shows how your body is polluted. And what you can do to get the pollution out of you and all Canadians.
• The David Suzuki Foundation sees a future where Canadians won’t have to think twice about drinking a glass of tap water, eating food from their local grocery store, swimming in a local river or lake, or simply taking a deep breath of air.
• Ecojustice is Canada's largest and foremost non-profit environmental law organization. Much of the casework of Ecojustice aims to establish and expand healthy communities coast to coast to coast, connecting the dots that link environmental and public health and ensuring that all citizens enjoy their fundamental right to a healthy environment.
• Toxic Free Canada brings workers and environmentalists together in cooperative projects for toxics reduction and a green econom

European Union

• REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use. It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007. The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances.

India

• Toxics Link for a toxic free world

Vietnam

• Make Agent Orange History is a collaborative effort to raise awareness of the long-term impact of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam, a humanitarian concern that continues to affect millions of Vietnamese families, including children. Learn more about solutions to the problem and opportunities to get involved.

Global

• World Health Organization Children’s Environmental Health Program
• United Nations Environment Program
• Using REACH Outside Europe

 

2010 Healthy Home Party Guests, please use this survey.

Did you attend an AWESOME party? Did some materials rub you the wrong way? We want to know! If you attended a Healthy Home Party please take a few minutes to fill out this survey. Your response will provide us with valuable feedback to help make Healthy Home Parties even better. Your input is greatly appreciated.*

*Please Note: We take privacy seriously! Your answers and information are confidential.

Trusted Partners offer superior products that meet our high Quality Standards and demonstrate long-term commitment to our mission by joining our Partnership program, contributing financially, and endorsing the CERES principles.

 

National Party Week Promotional Partner

Milkshake's mission is to put 'giving back' in the context of the larger world we live in, with the ultimate goal of inspiring you to be part of all that's good.

 

Presenting Partners

A great tasting 100% natural women’s nutrition bar. LUNA is now made with 70% USDA certified organic ingredients - providing you with wholesome natural food grown in a way that is in harmony with nature. www.lunabar.com

 

Earth Friendly Products gives you an honest-to-goodness, power-packed clean – without toxins, petrochemicals, bleach, ammonia, phosphates or other harmful ingredients. www.ecos.com

 

 

Sponsors

At BabyGanics we work hard so you can play safe! Whether it’s baby-safe cleaning products without that harmful stuff or extra gentle skin care for the tenderest of spots on your little ones, we are constantly finding ways to provide healthy, safe and sustainable solutions for the growing family. www.babyganics.com

 

Belly Armor makes apparel and accessories that safely and conveniently shield everyday radiation with 99.9% effectiveness. Belly Armor strives to increase awareness and provides products to protect against the health risk of radiation. www.bellyarmor.com

 

Recommended by professionals, the Bona® System provides easy and effective hardwood floor care solutions. From daily cleaning and maintenance to dust-free sanding and waterborne finishes, the Bona® System is safe for your floors, family and the environment. www.mybonahome.com

 

With a subscription to Citrus Lane, you receive a monthly box filled with innovative and essential baby products, all tailored to the age of your child. The products selected are always healthy, natural and made of the highest quality materials. www.citruslane.com

 

CleanWell™ All-Natural Hand Sanitizers and Antibacterial Hand Washes kill 99.99% of germs including MRSA (resistant Staph), Staph, and Salmonella, but contain no alcohol or harsh chemicals. CleanWell is safe for kids, gentle, never tested on animals, and biodegrades quickly. www.cleanwelltoday.com

 

Dapple is a line of baby-safe, baby-specific green household cleaning products, specially formulated to safely yet effectively tackle the unique cleaning challenges facing parents. Dapple products use ingredients found in nature to zero in on the toughest “baby dirt." www.dapplebaby.com

 

Dolphin Organics™ is a sustainable family owned business dedicated to creating 100% natural baby care products made with the highest quality ingredients. Our fragrance free, hypoallergenic line is vegan and perfect for babies and children or adults with sensitive skin. www.dolphinorganics.com

 

EAT CLEANER is the first all-natural solution for removing pesticides, wax and bacteria from produce, seafood and poultry without altering taste or smell. EAT CLEANER also helps to extend shelf life of produce up to 200% longer and can be used to clean cutting surfaces and countertops.  www.eatcleaner.com

 

ecomom.com provides families with safe, healthy, affordable ecomom Approved products. Everything we offer has been evaluated against a set of proprietary criteria established to help make the world a healthier place. www.ecomom.com

 

ecoSTORE USA is an extension of Eco Store, a 20- year-old company founded in New Zealand by eco-pioneer and spokesperson Malcolm Rands. A group of Michigan natives now brings the same insight, passion and authenticity to the USA market. www.ecostoreusa.com

 

HAPPYBABY is committed to making baby food as healthy and delicious as homemade with the essential nutrients needed for optimal growth and development. www.happybabyfood.com

 

Nordic Naturals is committed to delivering the world’s safest, most effective omega oils. With a wide variety of flavors and formulations for adults, kids, athletes, and pets, Nordic Naturals helps people do more of what they love with those they love. http://www.nordicnaturals.com

 

Produced by family farmers in harmony with nature without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides. Our animals are raised humanely and given certified organic feed — never any animal by-products — and our pastures are certified organic. www.organicvalley.coop

 

Created by a Mom — Plum Organics believes healthy eating starts with the very first spoonful. Plum is dedicated to offering the finest, best tasting and healthiest organic foods for babies, toddlers and children. www.plumorganics.com

 

Revolution Foods is part of the Nest Collective.The Nest Collective is a company of mission-driven brands committed to nourishing the next generation with yummy, nutritious foods to establish healthy eating habits for life. www.revfoods.com

 

Safe, effective relief for all the aches, pains, and boo boos of life! Made especially for children, Topricin Junior is formulated with 15 homeopathic biomedicines that work synergistically to help heal the damage that is causing the pain - without parabens, petroleum, or other harsh chemicals. www.topricinkids.com

 

 

 

 

Let us know if you need more suggestions at partykit@healthychild.org. We're here to help!

A tight budget shouldn’t stop you from joining the movement and spreading the word! Each month, we give away Healthy Child Party kits through our Scholarship Program; please fill out this form to apply.

 

 

Some parents breathe a sigh of relief when they drop their baby off at a childcare center. Others breathe a small gasp as they stifle back tears. Either way, make sure you and your child can breathe easy by helping the facility create a healthy environment.

• Creating Healthy Environments for Children: Easy Steps for Homes, Child Care Centers and Schools is a 20-minute educational DVD which includes an informational presentation on how to protect children's environmental health, fact sheets, and quizzes for child care centers and schools, a community action guide, and more.
• Eco-Healthy Childcare Program from the Oregon Environmental Council provides tips for childcare centers, a checklist, and a list of certified centers from across the nation.

 

 

Back to Local Efforts

Changing policy at the state level is the key to national reform. In order for all states to unite on an issue, we must first make individual states hear our call for action. What are the laws in your state? A number of states have banned BPA, is your state one of them?

SaferStates is a network of diverse environmental and health organizations in states around the country working to change national chemical policy by promoting state-based reforms to protect citizens from toxic threats. The core state coalitions are:

Alaska

• Alaska Healthy Future Alliance*
• Alaska Community Action on Toxics*

Arizona

• Don't Waste Arizona
• Families Against Cancer and Toxics

Arkansas

• The Earth Cause Organization

California

• Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE)*
• Californians for Pesticide Reform
• Just Transition Alliance
• Center for Environmental Health
• Environment California
• California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
• Pesticide Watch Education Fund
• San Francisco Asthma Task Force
• World Team Now

Colorado 

• Allergy Kids Foundation
• Women's Lobby of Colorado

Connecticut

• The Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut*
• Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
• Clean Water Action*

Florida

• Earthrose Institute
• Florida Public Interest Research Group

Georgia

• Environmental Community Action
• Georgia Environmental Health Association
• Glynn Environmental Coalition

Illinois

• Environment Illinois*
• Illinois PIRG*
• Safer Pest Control Project

Indiana

• Improving Kids' Environment
• Green Cleaning Network

Kentucky

• The Kentucky Environmental Foundation
• The Kentucky Resources Council

Maine

• The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine*
• Environmental Health Strategy Center*
• Maine Association of Professional Midwives
• Maine League of Conservation Voters
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association
• Maine Parent Teacher Association
• Maine People's Alliance
• Maine Women's Lobby
• Natural Resources Council of Maine

Maryland

• Maryland Public Interest Research Group*

 

Massachusetts

 

• Clean Water Action*
• Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)
• GreenCAPE
• The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow*
• Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association
• Toxics Action Center

Michigan

• The Michigan Network for Children’s Environmental Health*
• East Michigan Environmental Action Council
• LocalMotionGreen
• Ecology Center*
• Michigan Environmental Council

Minnesota

• Healthy Legacy Coalition*
• Clean Water Action*
• Kids for Saving Earth
• Preventing Harm Minnesota
• Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota
• Indigenous Environmental Network
• Alliance for Sustainability
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy*
• Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
• Minnesota Public Interest Research Group
• Women's Environmental Institute

Montana

• Women's Voices for the Earth*

New Hampshire

• Citizens Leading for Environmental Act and Responsibility C.L.E.A.R

New Jersey

• New Jersey Environmental Federation

New York

• The Just Green Partnership*
• Clean New York*
• For a Better Bronx
• UPROSE (United Puerto Rico Organization of Sunset Park)
• WE ACT for Environmental Justice*
• Citizens' Environmental Coalition
• Great Lakes United
• New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
• New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

North Carolina

• North Carolina Conservation Network
• Environment North Carolina
• Action for Children North Carolina
• Project Safe Yard
• Toxic Free North Carolina

Ohio

• Ohioans for Health, Environment and Justice
• Ohio Conference on Fair Trade
• Ohio Environmental Council
• Ohio Nurses Assoctiation

Oregon

• Oregon Toxics Alliance
• Oregon Environmental Council*
• Neighbors for Clean Air
• Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
• River Network

Pennsylvania

• Center for Healthy Environments and Communities CHEC
• Women for a Healthy Environment

Rhode Island

• Toxics Information Project

Tennessee

• BURNT

Texas

• Texas Campaign for the Environment
• Air Alliance Houston
• Galveston Baykeeper

Vermont

• The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Vermont*
• Vermont PIRG*

Virginia

• Virgina Health and Environment Project

Washington

• Toxic Free Legacy Coalition*
• Washington Toxics Coalition*
• Chehalis River Council
• Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State
• Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition
• Earth Ministry
• PAWS
• Rainier Audubon Society
• Seattle Tilth
• Washington Public Interest Research Group

Find your state elected representatives. Project Vote Smart gives you not only contact information, but also voting records, latest speeches, campaign contributors, and more.

Make a quick call. Democracy only works if people get involved in politics and that means more than just voting. Oftentimes, it only takes 30 seconds to make your voice count. When bills you are interested in are being considered, take a moment to call your representatives and tell them whether you want them to vote for or against the bill. Find out what types of environmental health legislation are being proposed in your state by using the National Conference of State Legislators database.

We are very lucky to live in a democracy, which means any person can get involved in any aspect of government. From the tiniest town hall to the great halls of Congress, our government not only leaves its doors open to the citizens, it actually functions best when we actively engage in it.

Find your federal elected representatives. Project Vote Smart gives you not only contact information, but also voting records, latest speeches, campaign contributors, and more.

Get involved in what’s happening now:

• The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011
• Ban Poisonous Additives Act
• EPA's New Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule

Schools are our children’s second homes. The moment a parent sets foot in a school and realizes how important this place is to their child’s health and development is oftentimes the moment a community advocate is born. For parents who have taken every precaution at home, it can be a moment of culture shock. Luckily, parents and schools across the nation are blazing a green trail towards creating healthy environments for students to learn and grow in.

Healthy Schools Network is a national non-profit working to create healthier school environments for all children. They coordinate a coalition of over 400 partners, provide a wealth of information and referral services, and coordinate the National Healthy Schools Day every April. Host your own event to raise awareness of the issue and launch a local effort to improve school environments.

My Healthy School is dedicated to providing teachers, administrators, parents and students with resources on how to improve the health of schools across the country. Learn how to serve the most nutritious school food, choose the safest products inside the classroom and out, and teach students how to play an integral role in the future of their planet.

Creating Healthy Environments for Children: Easy Steps for Homes, Child Care Centers and Schools is a 20-minute educational DVD which includes an informational presentation on how to protect children's environmental health, fact sheets, and quizzes for child care centers and schools, a community action guide, and more.

The Green Flag Program is a student-led program to make schools healthier places to work and learn. This flexible three-step program will help you advance your schools environmental behaviors and become a shining example to others. Achieve recognition for all the good work your school already does, and improve your program with the support of teachers and field experts across the country.

The Green Schools Initiative works to catalyze and support “green” actions by kids, teachers, parents, and policymakers to eliminate toxics, use resources sustainably, create green spaces and buildings, serve healthy food, and teach stewardship. They are working to leverage the schools sector to transform the school environment – and the markets that supply schools – to improve health and sustainability. They advocate that school boards and state policymakers develop comprehensive action plans and build the local capacity to implement these plans. Begin with their Sample School Board Resolution: Blueprint for Healthy, Environmentally Sound Schools.

The Go Green Initiative is a simple, comprehensive program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation. Founded in 2002, the Go Green Initiative unites parents, students, teachers and school administrators in an effort to make real and lasting changes in their campus communities that will protect children and the environment for years to come.

Indoor Air Quality – Tools for Schools is the US Environmental Protection Agency’s program to show schools how to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff. Their Kit provides best practices, industry guidelines, sample policies, and a sample IAQ management plan. The voluntary guidance can save schools time and money so that resources can be directed toward educating children.

 

Back to Local Efforts

Representative Israel (D-NY) and Senator Franken (D-MN) introduced legislation in 2009 to require household cleaning products and similar products bear labels that state completely and accurately all of the ingredients of such products.

“Moms and dads have a right to know whether harmful chemicals are present in their kitchen cupboards,” Franken says. “When my wife, Franni, and I were raising our own kids, we were constantly concerned with what we used to wash their cribs, their pacifiers, the floors and surfaces they played on. This is just a commonsense measure to help parents keep their kids safe and healthy.”

Currently the law requires that product labels list immediately hazardous ingredients, but are not required to label ingredients that may cause harm over time. Harmful chemicals in cleaning products can cause asthma, skin irritations, respiratory ailments, and damage to the reproductive system and the nervous system. For example: ammonium quaternary compounds are disinfectants found in some disinfectant sprays and toilet cleaners that have been identified as inducers of occupational asthma; glycol ethers, such as 2-butoxyethanol, are solvents commonly found in glass cleaners and all-purpose spray cleaners that have been linked to reduced fertility and low birth weight in exposed mice.

While getting legislation introduced is a huge accomplishment, there is still a long way to go. A new momentum from parents needs to occur to get this bill out of committee. Review our Tips and Tools for Action for ideas on how to get the ball rolling again for product labeling!

Additional Resources:

• Read Full Text on Household Product Labeling Act
• Spread the word: share the video with your friends and family and ask them to contact their local Legislature.

 

Back to National Efforts

Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Representative Edward Markey (MA) introduced legislation in January 2011 aimed at banning bisphenol-A  from food and beverage containers. BPA is used in hard plastic bottles, food can linings, dental sealants, CDs and other consumer products, and is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. It was originally developed as a synthetic estrogen, and is now one of the most widely-produced chemicals in the world.

The legislation has re-introduced repeatedly and continues to get stuck in committee, which is not a good sign. While many pieces enter committee, few make it out. However, the good news is that many states and municipalities have taken the initiative to ban BPA, including Maryland, Vermont, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Washington State, Wisconsin, Chicago, as well as Albany County, Schenectady County and Suffolk County, New York, with other states soon to follow suit. With more states becoming BPA-free, it won’t be long until there is national ban!

Check Out the Tips and Tools for Action to find out how to make your state BPA free!

Additional Resources:

• Tell Congress to Support the Ban Poisonous Additives Act
• May 2010 BPA Study: You have a 9 in 10 chance of eating some BPA with tonight’s dinner

Back to National Efforts

We need to take action at a variety of levels and in a variety of areas to truly create a better future for children. See what you can do in your community.

• Childcare Centers
• Schools
• Neighborhoods and Cities

Never underestimate your ability to make changes in the world around you. In fact, with all the new technologies that help us connect with one another and share information, it’s probably never been easier. Still, you’ll be much more successful with a few tips and tools under your belt!

Tips:

• Play nice. No matter who you’re talking to, from a neighbor to a Senator, it pays to be diplomatic. Approach people with an open mind and be respectful of their opinions. Nobody likes a know-it-all, so offer your ideas with a bit of humility. Don’t judge, smile a lot, and be grateful for every little step that is made. Be a “helper” instead of a “nagger.” People will be much more apt to change if it feels positive. And, you’ll be more likely to create long-term allies who can continue to help make changes in your community.

• Find solutions. It’s easy to complain about problems. It’s smart to find solutions. Whatever issue you want to address, before you do anything, research solutions. Find other people who have successfully addressed the problem you want to address. Look on-line for example policies that outline solutions. Do your best to find solutions that are economically feasible. The more research you do identifying solutions on the front end, the less friction you’ll receive when you go public with your requests.

• Make your actions count. There are a ton of ways to engage with decision-makers – visits, calls, letters – but one of the most popular forms of communication these days is email. Use it right. Colin Delaney of e.politics recommends these two tips:
  • Tie your message to a specific piece of legislation or agency rule. Staff will usually sort them by bill number or rule docket number and you’ll want to make it easy on them — otherwise, you’re message may fall through the cracks. Try to put the bill/rule number and name in the subject line. General emails (”Support The Environment”) may well disappear into a black hole.
  • Edit mass messages. Congressional staff claim to take individual messages from constituents more seriously than obvious mass messages. So, make sure that if you’re using one of the pre-written emails so many organizations use these days that you take a moment to personalize it.

Tools:

• Creating Healthy Environments for Children: Advocacy Toolkit - This 8pg PDF outlines everything you need to know about contacting elected officials, writing letters to the editor for publishing your concerns in local newspapers, and many other easy ideas for spreading the word in your community. Don’t forget the companion DVD that can help you quickly educate others about children’s environmental health issues.

• Research Tools - Use this guide to find out about polluters in your community, health impacts of chemicals, and much more.

• Community ToolBox - Promotes community health and development by connecting people, resources, and ideas. While they don’t address environmental health specifically, their tools and information is entirely relevant to anyone looking to start organizing for change in their community. For example, they have an on-line guide that includes nearly 300 different sections providing practical, step-by-step guidance in community-building skills.

• Meet Up - The world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

• Social Media - Are you on Facebook or Twitter? Maybe your elected officials are too. Check with GovTwit and do a people search on Facebook. Social media is becoming a powerful tool for advocacy. Learn about it by reading “Social Media 101 for Activists.”

• Be patient. We live in a fast paced world, but it doesn’t mean things change overnight. Be prepared to push for what you want for a long time. Understand that people are busy and that elected officials and community leaders have a long, complicated list of priorities. It may take a while for yours to rise to the top. Don’t take it personally. Have patience, perseverance, and a positive attitude.

• e.politics – Refer to this great site for learning more about the craft of online political advocacy.

Americans assume that chemicals used to make ordinary products are tested for safety — but they are not. From baby bottles made with bisphenol-A (BPA) to carpets containing formaldehyde, dangerous chemicals are in our homes, places of work, and the products we use every day. With each new scientific report linking toxic chemical exposure to a serious health problem, it becomes more obvious that the law intended to keep harmful chemicals in check — the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 — is not working.

Now, we have the chance to fix this problem — and to protect future generations from serious harm. By updating TSCA, Congress can create the foundation for a sound chemicals policy that protects public health and the environment. To be effective, TSCA reform should:

• Take immediate action on the most dangerous chemicals
• Hold industry responsible for the safety of their chemicals and products
• Use the best science to protect all people and vulnerable groups

The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 can be the change we need, but without your support – industry influence might weaken the regulations and put us right back where we started.

Congress needs to hear from YOU!

Enter your zip code at Congress.org to find your representatives. Everyone has 2 Senators and 1 Representative. Put together a quick email and send to all three at once. (Maybe attach a picture of your kids to add a personal touch!) A phone call or letter has even more power. And if you can get a face-to-face meeting, you’ll have the biggest impact of all.

In a pinch, you can also send this pre-written email. (Though, take a moment to personalize it a bit or it may be treated like spam by Congressional staff.)

Additional Resources:

• Download, Personalize, and Mail a Letter to Your Representatives
• Join the “I’m Not a Guinea Pig” campaign.
• Connect with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.
• Use our Tips and Tools for Action.

 

Back to National Efforts

Even if you don’t feel comfortable quite yet rocking your neighborhood boat or shaking up your city council, you can still start laying the groundwork for future changes by starting a neighborhood group, joining your neighborhood association, or sitting in on city council meetings. Get to know the people in your community and the issues they are concerned about. Once you’ve established yourself as a friend and committed citizen, introduce your own ideas.

Use MeetUp.com to find or start a group in your area. Just enter a topic and your zipcode to see if others are already meeting to discuss the issue or to invite others to meet. Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

After you’ve made some allies, here are three ways to start creating a healthier community:

1. Reduce pesticide use by following the 10 Steps to Pesticide-Free Parks from the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, joining the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns, or by promoting a Model City-Wide IPM Policy.
2. Get your city (or Park and Rec or Libraries or any institution) to buy healthier, eco-friendly products by using the Responsible Purchasing Network, the US EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program, or a Green Purchasing Self Assessment Tool
3. Promote green cleaning with tools from the Federal Office of the Environmental Executive. They also host The Green Cleaning Pollution Prevention Calculator which quantifies the projected environmental benefits of purchasing and using "green" janitorial services and products. It is designed to forecast the environmental benefits of reducing chemical use by doing some or all pollution prevention measures typically involved in the routine interior cleaning of an office building. This tool also enables users to identify which green cleaning measures will have the greatest impact in reducing their use of hazardous chemicals and in preventing pollution.

Legislators are not mind readers and they certainly don’t know everything. They rely on you to contact them with your concerns and help educate them about issues so they can make informed decisions. Try to get in the habit of knowing who your elected officials are and how to contact them. Send letters with your concerns and thank you notes when appropriate (adding a picture or hand written note from your child adds a compelling touch).

 

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Published by International Chemical Secretariat

During the last years ChemSec has actively pushed the new EU legislation on chemicals, REACH, to protect health and the environment by raising the requirements on chemical manufactures and importers to deliver safer products. When REACH is now in place the REACH SIN List helps spurring its implementation. But REACH can also be used in NGO campaigning to help strengthening chemicals regulation in other parts of the world. To inspire and facilitate the work of other NGOs ChemSec has compiled this guide. It includes the basics principles of the new regulation, how to access substance data available through REACH, and how REACH can be used as a model to enhance national regulations.

Download guide/campaigning tool.

We are at an incredible turning point in understanding how the environment impacts children's health and development. A groundbreaking endeavor launched on January 13, 2009, The National Children's Study will follow 100,000 American children from preconception until the age of 21 to deepen our understanding of illnesses and diseases such as allergies, asthma, ADHD, childhood cancer, autism, diabetes and obesity.

The study is funded annually by Congress and will be carried out in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as a host of universities, hospitals, research centers and NGOs.

105 Study Centers have been set up across the country, guaranteeing that the children studied will reflect diverse backgrounds and situations, and thus highlight the differences that exist between groups of people in terms of health care access and disease occurrence. Overall, the National Children's Study will be one of the richest research efforts on children's health and long-term development.

Your children can’t stay in the safety of your home, under your watchful eye forever. To create a healthy environment, everywhere, we have to take action. Together, we can make the world a healthier place — just imagine what it would look like!

We want you to have the tools to make bigger changes. And, trust us, you can – just like our inspiring Moms on a Mission. We’ve been empowering people for years, and they have done some pretty amazing things. What are you waiting for?

• Tips and Tools
• Local Efforts
• State Efforts
• National Efforts
• International Efforts

 



ALERT! Help us reform the nation’s outdated chemical regulations! It’s one of the most important things you can do. 

There is a growing list of health impacts associated with toxic exposures. These are some of the more common chronic disorders.

Our health is based on the interaction between a variety of things including genetics, diet and exercise, emotional well-being, and environment. The connections between our environment and our health are often difficult to identify. Oftentimes, exposures take years or decades to manifest. Healthy Child recommends many simple steps for taking precautions to protect the health and development of children. Here, you can also learn a little about:

• The most common health conditions impacting children today, potential environmental links and some ways you can reduce your child's risk;
• How to discuss environmental health concerns with your doctor; and,
• Reliable resources to learn more.

Introduced on December 13, 2009, the BPA-Free Kids Act seeks to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) from food and beverage containers intended for children ages 3 years and under.

BPA is used in hard plastic bottles, food can linings, dental sealants, CDs and other consumer products, and is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. It was originally developed as a synthetic estrogen, and is now one of the most widely-produced chemicals in the world.

The bill would ban companies from producing these products and making them available to consumers. It would also set requirements for testing, labeling and marketing products. The bill is comprehensive, and includes penalties for violations and funding for research on the effects of the chemical.

Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the legislation. A similar bill (Senator Feinstein's Ban Poisonous Additives Act) was introduced in March of 2009. Senator Feinstein's bill is a complete and permanent ban on BPA, while the BPA-Free Kids Act only concerns children's food and beverage products.

The legislation has been sitting in committee for over a year now, which is not a good sign. While many pieces enter committee, few make it out. However the good news is that many states have taken an initiative to ban BPA. Maryland is the latest to join the ban, making it the 5th state (Connecticut, Minnesota, Washington State, Wisconsin, Chicago, as well as Albany County, Schenectady County and Suffolk County, New York), with other states soon to follow suit. With more states becoming BPA-free, it won’t be long until there is national ban!

Check Out the Tips and Tools for Action to find out how to make your state BPA free!

Additional Resources:

• Timeline on BPA
• May 2010 BPA Study: You have a 9 in 10 chance of eating some BPA with tonight’s dinner
• FDA’s updated response to BPA
• Read Full Text of BPA-Free Kids Act

 

Back to National Efforts

Find out what chemicals are hazards, if they are located in your community, and what Congress is doing to about it.

Toxics in Your Neighborhood?

• Environmental Protection Agency: My Environment
  Map environmental information for your area, including: Air Quality, UV Index, Radon Levels, Water Quality, Toxic Releases, and more.

• Interactive map of common toxics: How Toxic is Your State?

Facts about Hazardous Substances

• Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry
  An A-Z index of chemicals with risk levels, chemical properties, and a fact sheet answering frequently asked questions about each chemical.

• Environmental Health and Toxicology
  Explore their databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.

• EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
  IRIS is human health assessment program that evaluates quantitative and qualitative risk information on effects that may result from exposure to environmental contaminants. The information in IRIS is intended for those without extensive training in toxicology, but with some knowledge of health sciences.

• Pesticide Action Network (PAN)
  Search the PAN chemical database by chemical name or CAS number for information on pesticide active ingredients, breakdown products and other chemicals used in pesticide products.

See also: Individual Chemical Profiles

Legislation

• The Library Of Congress: THOMAS
  Searchable database of the text and status of all federal legislation from the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives for the current and past legislative sessions.

• Environmental Health Legislation Archive
  The Environmental Health Legislation database includes state legislation on topics such as asthma, mercury, lead poisoning, pesticides and indoor air quality.

Back to Tips and Tools

On December 3, 2009 Representative James Moran (D-VA) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced legislation to amend the Public Health Service Act that authorizes the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to coordinate and build upon the cutting-edge research related to endocrine disruption. With this authorization, we will be able to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and determine their safety.

According to the Endocrine Disruption Exchange:

Simply put, the main purpose of the program proposed in the bill is to develop reliable and reproducible methods to identify chemicals that can disrupt the human endocrine system. These protocols will:

• address the full range of possible health outcomes (including reproductive, behavioral, intellectual, metabolic, and endocrine disorders);
• be sensitive enough to detect effects at exposure levels relevant to human exposure (and not rely on the assumption that a lower dose produces less effect);
• consider the effects of exposure to multiple chemicals

An Endocrine Disruptor is a condition where the body's endocrine (or hormonal) system is altered by exposure to certain chemicals whose molecular shape matches that of certain hormones. These chemicals are able to fit into receptors on cell surfaces that are meant for hormones, which are the body's messengers. When endocrine disruptors attach to cells they may trigger undesirable behaviors in the cell or prevent legitimate hormones from attaching and delivering their signals.

We swallow, inhale and absorb through our skin, plastics, pesticides, fire retardants, exhaust fumes, fragrance and much more every day. They are in our homes and automobiles, our cleaning products, cosmetics and clothing, even in our children's toys, contributing to our continual, ubiquitous exposure to EDCs.

Check out the Endocrine Disruption Exchange for action tools and easy steps to turn this bill into law!

Read Full Text

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Free Green Mattress Program for Hospitals

A Public Service Project In Conjunction with Naturepedic

 

Today, many, if not most, baby mattresses/pads are made with polyurethane foam, vinyl (PVC, including phthalates), chemical fire retardants/barriers, and an extensive list of industrial chemicals.

Some of the suspect chemicals - like phthalates and toxic fire retardants - have been present in many, if not most, baby mattresses/pads for decades and have been shown to leach out into the surrounding air. Given that infants are uniquely vulnerable to these chemicals and they spend the majority of their time on a mattress/pad, it is imperative to provide them with safer sleeping environments. Offgassing from mattresses/pads is a primary source of chemical exposures for babies.

To help offset the dangers of chemicals in the lives of children, Healthy Beginnings for Babies: Free Green Mattress Program for Hospitals - A Public Service Project of Healthy Child Healthy World and Naturepedic, is giving free GREENGUARD certified baby mattresses/pads to hospitals to help babies off to a good start.

Naturepedic baby mattresses/pads are the only baby mattresses/pads we recommend at Healthy Child Healthy World. Naturepedic uses certified organic cotton, food-grade polyethylene for waterproofing, and fire-proofing without the use of toxic chemicals that meet and exceed all federal and state flammability standards. And they're independently tested for chemical emissions and certified to meet the GREENGUARD strict standards for children. In addition to being free of materials like polyurethane foam, vinyl, phthalates, and fire retardants, Naturepedic mattresses/pads also do not contain "bamboo" rayon, or potential allergens like natural latex (or any latex), coir (shredded coconut husks mixed with latex) or wool.

The long-lasting, high-quality Amish workmanship of Naturepedic mattresses/pads have an added plus - these mattresses/pads are made in the USA and help make a more stable economy for our children.

Naturepedic is also certified as an organic mattress manufacturer under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Inspections, analysis, and certification of the Naturepedic factory is provided by Oregon Tilth, the largest certifier of organic non-food products in the USA.

If your hospital has a nursery, birthing rooms, NICU, or other related hospital facilities, you can get free GREENGUARD certified Naturepedic mattresses/pads. Just call Program Coordinator Gloria at 213-291-8858 and 1-888-704-9305, or send her an email or letter to:

Green Mattress Program for Hospitals
Gloria MacTaggart
223 Dolphin Point, Unit 6
Clearwater, FL 33767

Thanks to Naturepedic over 151 hospitals (and counting) have received organic baby mattresses.

Healthy Child Healthy World seeks interns to support the programs, endeavors, and activities of our Los Angeles-based office. 

Some of the many areas that require support include but are not limited to: research & writing; program support; office administration; event planning; SEO, social networking, and IT.  

General Intern Requirements

• Minimum 3 months service, 10 hrs weekly; M-F but flexible between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm.
• Interest in children's health, environmental health and healthy living
• Professional demeanor
• Flexibility to work in a variety of capacities and support diverse endeavors
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work independently, as well as part of a team
• Ability to learn and adapt to a fast paced environment

Writing Sample

All internship candidates are required to submit a writing sample.  The writing sample should be between 300 - 500 words, and discuss a topic central to the organization's mission.  Please do not submit academic papers.  For ideas, please visit our blog for example material and subject matter. 

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should e-mail resume, cover letter, writing sample, and dates of availability to: intern@healthychild.org

We accept applications year-round based on the quarter/semester academic calendar.  Please inquire as to the number of spaces available, as it is limited.

Do you have a special skill, talent, or interest?  We welcome your ideas, so please include them in your application.

 

Editorial Integrity

Our mission is to bring you trustworthy and accurate environmental health information. Our daily goal is to ensure that HealthyChild.org is your practical and relevant content source for children’s environmental health information. Be aware, however, that information on HealthyChild.org or any other web site should not be used as a substitute for professional health care.

The following sections detail our content policies and procedures.

Editorial selection criteria for original content created by Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Child Healthy World creates original content based upon the following criteria:

• Relevance — Issues that could affect how you manage your own health and that of your family. Topics include coverage of breaking environmental health news; product launches, recalls, and alerts; information regarding advocacy efforts and policy changes; environmental health advisories; and expert commentary on preventing diseases and conditions and staying healthy.
• Clinical Significance — The latest medical findings published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
• Trends — Seasonal interests, such as “Summer Safety” and “Back to School Health;” public health awareness, such as “Children’s Environmental Health Month;” and emerging health trends, such as the latest in lifestyles of health and sustainability.

Our information is different

It’s more reliable. In a field often accused of providing inflammatory and inaccurate information, Healthy Child Healthy World stands out as a credible, authoritative source of environmental health news. Our editorial team and our scientific advisors represent some of the leading authorities in the field.

Editorial Integrity — Healthy Child’s educational responsibility is to make a clear distinction between news and other information, so that individuals can readily distinguish independent editorial information from paid, promotional information and other non-news content.

Editorial Independence — In its reporting, Healthy Child maintains exemplary principles of fairness, accuracy, objectivity, and responsible, independent reporting.

Healthy Child Healthy World is a 501c3 non-profit designed to provide news, information, and educational material. News content created by Healthy Child is free from influence by sponsors, partners, or other sources. Editorial staff will never be asked to perform duties on behalf of a sponsor or provide favored treatment to a sponsor or partner.

The Healthy Child staff is charged with the responsibility of providing objective, accurate, and balanced accounts of events and issues. They must diligently seek out subjects of stories or qualified experts to provide commentary, and they must also seek objective commentary or comment from a qualified spokesperson to provide balance. Material generated by Healthy Child must disclose information about financial relationships or other interests that might influence outcome of a study or the commentary from an individual.

Healthy Child Healthy World strives to provide thorough and honest coverage and share a dedication to ethical behavior and the highest professional standards.

News & Original Article Process

Our Editorial Content contains the latest information from the most important medical journals, announcements from federal health agencies, and analyses on the latest health trends. Our experienced staff talk regularly with prominent medical leaders, providing in-depth analyses, updates, and profiles that give our health news and content a perspective found nowhere else.

The Editorial staff gets its stories from an array of sources: peer-reviewed journals, conferences, federal or state government agencies, and interviews with experts. Healthy Child also believes that valuable content is available from sponsors and partners, but that such content must be clearly labeled.

Each completed story to be published is reviewed by the Senior Editor for accuracy, appropriateness of language, and proper characterization of the findings.

Licensed Content

When Healthy Child licenses health and wellness content from third-parties for publication on our site, the Senior Editor reviews the third-party’s editorial policies and procedures for consistency with the Healthy Child Editorial Policy and mission.

Not all health professionals are aware of the growing body of evidence linking common chemicals in our environment and everyday products to health and development. Still, it’s a worrisome issue and you should feel comfortable talking with your child’s doctor about your concerns. Initiate the conversation using the resources below that have been developed specifically for health professionals.

• Physician’s for Social Responsibility Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit is a combination of easy-to-use reference guides for health providers and user friendly health education materials on preventing exposures to toxic chemicals and other substances that affect infant and child health. The materials are visually appealing, practical and easy to use. The Toolkit is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) are coordinated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The PEHSU's have been developed to provide education and consultation for medical professionals, public health professionals and others about the topic of children's environmental health. There are 10 regional clinics in the US, one in Canada, and one in Mexico.
• US EPA’s Children’s Environmental Health: Online Resources for Health Care Providers were developed as an informal starting point for health care providers to learn more about pediatric environmental health.

Many parents are particularly concerned with children's vaccinations and the vaccine schedule.  We encourage parents to do their own research and discuss concerns with their pediatricians. We encourage health professionals to be sensitive to parental concerns and open to respectful dialogue.  Please read Healthy Child Healthy World's position statement on the issue of vaccines, here. 

Is your doctor already “in the know?” Maybe she’d be interested in helping her clinic or hospital go green. Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labor unions, environmental and health organizations, and religious groups. The mission is to transform the health care industry worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment.

Knowledge is power, so use the following resources to learn more about specific toxic substances or related health impacts. Just try not to get too overwhelmed or preoccupied with the details. Keep a balance between learning about life and living yours.

• Collaborative on Health and the Environment Toxicant and Disease Database is a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions. Diseases and or toxicants can be viewed by clicking on the diseases listed or by utilizing the search engine.
• Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly journal of peer-reviewed research and news on the impact of the environment on human health. EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and its content is free online.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's environmental health program covers health issues, specific toxic substances, community campaigns, educational tools, data and statistics, the latest reports, and more.

Allergies have become widespread over the past several decades. Allergic dermatitis (itchy rash) is the most common skin condition in children younger than eleven, and the percentage of children diagnosed with it increased more than 300% from the 1960s to the 1990s. (Read more.) Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is believed to affect up to 40 percent of children. Each day approximately ten thousand American children miss school because of hay fever, for a total of 2 million lost school days a year. (Read more.) And roughly 6 percent of children suffer from food allergies, according to the CDC.

Learn more about allergies using the following resources:

• National Library of Medicine
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• WebMD Allergies Health Center
• Everyday Health's Allergy Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005 6.5 million children under age 18 had asthma, an increase of more than 200% since 1980. About one in 11 school-aged children suffers from asthma, and the rate is rising more rapidly in preschool-aged children than in any other age group. Indoor air quality is a big culprit. In addition to dust mites, mold, pet dander, and secondhand smoke, air contaminants that may impact asthma include certain insecticides and chemicals in plastic, especially formaldehyde. (Read more.)

Learn more about asthma using the following resources:

• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• National Library of Medicine
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
• American Lung Association
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Everyday Health's Asthma Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

Between 3-5% of children have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and diagnoses for ADHD have jumped almost 400%. (Read more.) While this increase is in part due to better recognition and diagnosis, the epidemic must also have something to do with changes in our environments and lifestyle.

Learn more about ADHD using the following resources:

• National Library of Medicine
• Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• National Institute of Mental Health
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Everyday Health's ADD/ADHD Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

The causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are complex, obtuse, and remain largely a mystery. Yet the rates of diagnoses are sky-rocketing: over the past 20 years they have jumped 400%, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. ASDs currently affect one in 150 babies and up to 1.5 million Americans. It is the fastest-growing developmental disability with an annual growth of 10-17%. (Read more.) While there is little consensus on the causes of ASDs (in fact, the debate is very heated and contentious), there is agreement that extensive research is required to better understand it.

Learn more about ASDs using the following resources:

• National Library of Medicine
• Autism Collaboration
• Autism Society of America
• Autism Speaks
• Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• National Institute of Mental Health
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• The Nemours Foundation
• Everyday Health's Autism Hub

Please read Healthy Child Healthy World's full position statement on Autism Spectrum Disorders, here. 

Every year, one in every 33 babies (about 120,000) born in the United States enters the world with a birth defect. (Read more.) Thousands of different birth defects have been identified and birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life. (Read more.)

Learn more about birth defects using the following resources:

• National Library of Medicine
• Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
• Children's Craniofacial Association
• Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation
• March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center
• Organization of Teratology Information Services
• Save Babies through Screening Foundation

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

The incidence of childhood cancers jumped almost 27% between 1975 and 2002. Even though survival rates have increased, preventing cancer genesis in children is the optimal goal. Post-diagnosis treatments can wreak havoc on a child’s developing body, causing complications from heart problems and liver failure to infertility. (Read more.) In fact, survivors of childhood cancer have a mortality rate more than 10 times higher than the general population’s due to the long term effects of treatment. The American Cancer Society estimates that 75% of cancer is due to environmental factors (including tobacco use, diet, infectious disease, chemicals and radiation).

Learn more about cancer using the following resources:

• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• National Library of Medicine
• American Cancer Society
• CureSearch
• National Cancer Institute
• Everyday Health's Cancer Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

One in six children deals with at least one developmental disability. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Developmental disabilities are a diverse group of severe chronic conditions that are due to mental and/or physical impairments. People with developmental disabilities have problems with major life activities such as language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living. Developmental disabilities begin anytime during development up to 22 years of age and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.” Roughly 50% of these disabilities are due to environmental and social factors.

Learn more about developmental disorders using the following resources:

• Administration on Developmental Disabilities
• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Collaborative on Health and the Environment
• Learning Disabilities Association of America
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents; about 151,000 people below the age of 20 years have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset diabetes, is increasing among children. (Read more.) And, Type 1 diabetes has been a medical mystery for some time. The majority of people who develop Type 1 diabetes have no history of diabetes in their family. Researchers are working to discover what environmental factors, when combined with a genetic predisposition, might begin the chain of events that leads to diabetes. No one has found conclusive results yet.

Learn more about diabetes using the following resources:

• National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Association of Diabetes Educators
• American Diabetes Association
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
• Everyday Health's Diabetes Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

The obesity epidemic has occurred relatively quickly, just over three decades, an increase that correlates to the exponential growth in the production and use of synthetic chemicals. Many of these chemicals are better known for causing weight loss at high levels of exposure, but the very same chemicals can promote weight gain at low concentrations. (Read more.) It is certainly confusing, and we have only just begun to understand the implications.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and more than one in three American children between the ages of six and 19 are considered overweight or obese. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past two decades. (Read more.) Since overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults (80% if even one parent is obese or overweight), the prognosis for the future health of Americans is declining.

Learn more about obesity using the following resources:

• National Library of Medicine
• The Nemours Foundation
• The Obesity Society
• US Department of Agriculture
• Weight-Control Information Network
• Everyday Health's Weight Hub

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

Reproductive disorders encompass a wide range of health issues. Here’s just the tip of the iceberg of reproductive health impacts that are potentially linked to toxic exposures during critical moments of development.

• Girls get their first periods today, on average, a few months earlier than did girls 40 years ago, but they get their breasts one to two years earlier. Read more.
• The percentage of women with endometriosis reporting symptoms before the age of 15 has jumped from 15% during the early to mid-1980s to 38% in 1998. Read more.
• There has been a genuine decline in semen quality over the past 50 years as well as an increase in testicular cancer and hypospadias, suggesting a growing impact of factors with serious effects on male gonadal function. Read more.
• Approximately 10-15% of couples of reproductive age are battling infertility. Read more.

Learn more about reproductive disorders using the following resources:

• National Institute of Environmental Health Science
• National Library of Medicine
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine
• Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
• National Women's Health Information Center
• Reproductive Health Technologies Project
• Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

Learn about potential environmental links and ways to reduce your child’s risk here.

The Mount Sinai Medical Center is home to an extensive array of top-notch research centers and laboratories, where scientists and researchers work to translate the rapid advances in basic science into the innovative patient care for which they are known. The mission of the Children's Environmental Health Center is to protect children against environmental threats to health. The CEHC accomplishes this by guiding, supporting, and building the programs of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Critical Windows of Development is a timeline of how the human body develops in the womb, with animal research showing when low-dose exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals during development results in altered health outcomes. It’s an innovative tool from TEDX (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Inc.), the only organization that focuses primarily on the human health and environmental problems caused by low-dose and/or ambient exposure to chemicals that interfere with development and function, called endocrine disruptors. Learn more about TEDX and their other resources.

Additional Resources

• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Environmental Health Journal
• The Center for Environmental Oncology
• The Dierdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology
• Environmental Health Perspectives

Also check out Healthy Child's list of Research Tools: Where to Find In-depth Information About Children's Environmental Health.

Perspectives

This is a series of articles featuring contributions from members of Healthy Child Healthy World’s Science and Health Advisory Board, Honorary Board and Board of Directors, as well as prominent organizations and members of the scientific community.

• Perspectives on Dioxins
• Perspectives on Autism

Trusted Partners offer superior products that meet our high Quality Standards and demonstrate long-term commitment to our mission by joining our Partnership program, contributing financially, and endorsing the CERES principles.

 

Application process:

Step 1: To receive our partnership, please send a request to partnerships@healthychild.org

Step 2: Fill out Trusted Partner Application.

Step 3: Submit product and/or service information in order to be vetted through Healthy Child's Quality Standards. Please send to:

Healthy Child Healthy World

Attn: Partnership Program

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Los Angeles, CA 90025

Step 4: If approved, finalize partnership integration with custom elements to meet your goals and budgetary constraints.

Step 5: Activation of partnership.

 

Please send application or questions to partnerships@healthychild.org.

 

 

How Too Clean May Be Hazardous To Our Healthy

A Report by Women's Voices for the Earth.

A new report from Women's Voices for the Earth argues that it is unnecessary to disinfect one’s homes to the degree that advertisers and manufacturers would have consumers believe.

Download report.

Our judging criteria: We are seeking a heart-lifting, true story that both moves and inspires us by sharing a mother's work to create healthier environments for children and families.

Who is a candidate: Any exceptional mother (currently living in the United States) who seeks to make a difference for the better, generously gives back to others, or overcame adversity with courage.

How to enter: Only ONE nomination per person is allowed. Please enter by sending your “heart-lifting, true story” to award@healthychild.org. Submissions should be no more than 750 words long. Nomination period ends on April 30, 2011.

Spread the word by embedding our widget on your site or facebook page. Click on "Get Widget" to learn how.

Partner Guides

Mercury in Fish Guide - NRDC

Organic Essentials - The Organic Center

Organic Food Guide - Earthbound Farm

Seafood Watch Guide - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Sustainable Table - Learn good practices for sustainable and healthy eating.

A Shopper's Guide to Pesticides - EWG

Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars.

Written by Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, MPH and Gina Solomon, MD, MPH

Published by NRDC

Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on products designed to kill fleas and ticks on household pets, especially dogs and cats. While some of these products are safe, others leave harmful chemical residues on our pets’ fur and in our homes. These chemicals are highly hazardous to animals and humans, can damage the brain and nervous system, and cause cancer. A first-of-its-kind study by NRDC shows that high levels of pesticide residue can remain on a dog’s or cat’s fur for weeks after a flea collar is put on an animal. Residue levels produced by some flea collars are so high that they pose a risk of cancer and damage to the neurological system of children up to 1,000 times higher than the EPA’s acceptable levels.

Children are particularly at risk from these pesticides because their neurological and metabolic systems are still developing. They are also more likely than adults to put their hands in their mouths after petting an animal, and so are more likely to ingest the hazardous residues. We found that residues from two pesticides used in flea collars—tetrachlorvinphos and propoxur, among the most dangerous pesticides still legally on the market—were high enough to pose a risk to both children and adults who play with their pets.

Download report.

Download appendix.

Ranking Packaged Food Companies on BPA

Authored by Green Century Capital Management and As You Sow.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the epoxy lining of canned foods and beverages and in polycarbonate, a hard, clear plastic. The chemical mimics estrogen in the body and researchers have found links between BPA and numerous health problems including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and metabolic disorders.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in the urine of over 90% of Americans tested.

Consumers are paying close attention to BPA and many are advocating for the use of alternatives. State and local governments have moved to ban the chemical from certain products, and federal legislators have introduced bills to regulate or ban BPA. Alternatives to the chemical exist for plastic products and, on a more limited basis, for can linings. The baby bottle industry and packaged food companies such as Eden Foods and Heinz have already begun transitioning to these alternatives. The continued use of BPA in products where a feasible alternative exists presents both financial and reputational risks to companies in the packaged food industry.

Seeking Safer Packaging is a project of Green Century Capital Management, Inc. (Green Century) and As You Sow. The authors sent letters to 20 companies in the packaged food industry to identify the actions the companies are taking to address concerns regarding BPA. Fourteen companies replied. Company scores are based entirely on their responses to these letters.

This scorecard reviews how leading packaged food companies are responding to increased consumer and investor concern about BPA. Seeking Safer Packaging ranks companies on three factors: 1) efforts to find and implement alternatives to BPA, 2) plans to phase out BPA in products for which alternatives exist, and 3) transparency on the issue.

The scorecard is accompanied by an introduction to health concerns linked to BPA exposure, the changing regulatory climate related to BPA, and studies of companies that have voluntarily removed the chemical from their products.

Green Century and As You Sow recommend that each of the companies featured in this scorecard switch to BPA-free technologies in every product line for which they are available and actively pursue a broader range of alternatives so as to protect public health and reduce their exposure to risks associated with BPA.

Download report.

Healthy Child Healthy World is igniting a movement of parents.

• A movement that protects young children.

• A movement that creates cleaner, healthier, and safer environments.

Join us all today to receive our communications, action alerts, and trusted information.

Getting Contaminants Out of Children's Bath & Personal Care Products

Published by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to the March 2009 Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, "No More Toxic Tub."

This study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children, including baby shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions. Many products tested contained both chemicals.

Download report.

As part of our commitment to bring you trustworthy and credible information that empowers you to maintain a healthy and safe home, we are proudly collaborating with WebMD – America’s #1 most-trusted online site for health information – to unveil our ALL NEW Health eHome.

• Navigate virtual rooms of a family home
• Explore potential dangers and how to avoid hazards
• Learn easy solutions and new tips
• Watch short videos and join the Blog conversations

Visit today and open the door to your NEW Health eHome!

A Report on the Women's Reproductive Health and the Environment Workshop

Written by Julia Barrett, Shelby Gonzalez, Heather Saranties MS and Julia Varshavsky

Produced by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE)

Chemicals can impact female reprodcutive healthy by interfering with hormones that regulate reproductive system development.

A woman’s body goes through a wide range of changes throughout her lifetime. Each stage of her life, from fetal development through her post-menopause years, involves a direct relationship between her hormones and how her body develops and functions. When this relationship is in balance, it helps create the conditions for good health. When this relationship is out of balance, it can lead to a range of health problems that can be painful and devastating.

Download report.

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