Cloth diaper online store

For all of you moms out there - or aunties, or friends, or people needing gift ideas for baby showers - there is a great little online company I just learned about recently. Cute Caboose. It's a cute website. It looks like a lot of different options - cloth diapers have come a long way! Check it out if you get a chance. And if you're an Ohio resident, you'll be supporting a local company. How great is that?

Toxic Products

Today, a colleague gave me an article he saw written by healthychild.org. "The Top 10 Toxic Products You Don't Need" is a quick read I recommend.

A few of the items on the list are no surprise if you've read previous posts on this blog. For example, number one on the list is air fresheners. Do we really need the artificial fragrances? You know that answer if you read the previous post. Pesticides are on the list - if you read my post about cotton, you'd agree with this one as well.

However, there were a couple items on the list that got my attention. Canned food. According to the article, "food cans are lined with an epoxy resin that contains bisphenol-A (BPA). Most experts believe this is our main source of exposure to BPA, which has been linked to hormone disruption, obesity, heart disease, and much more. Eden Foods is currently the only company with BPA-free canned foods (other than the canned tomatoes...)." Well, that got my attention - especially since we just came through a snow storm. What do I always make sure I have on hand in case of bad weather approaching? You guessed it: canned food.

What was another surprise on the list? Rubber duckies. Well, it really shouldn't be a surprise, it's just that I always smile when I think of those bright yellow, happy looking duckies. But guess what? I bet the one you have in your tub is made of PVC (aka vinyl) - "the poison plastic". According to the article, PVC is "banned in over 14 countries and the European Union." Have you ever looked at the little chasing arrow symbol on the bottom of your plastic bottles? PVC is the one with a #3. Have you bought a new shower curtain lately? Even stores like Target and WalMart are getting on the bandwagon and selling PVC-free shower curtains.
Finally.

The last one I'll share with you - and for the complete list, you'll have to read the article yourself - is couch cushions. You should avoid pillows and cushions "labeled as meeting California TB 117 as it is likely to contain toxic fire retardants. These chemicals migrate from the foam to dust to people. I animal research, these chemicals are associated with cancer, birth defects, thyroid disruption,reproductive and neurological disorders such as hyperactivity and mental retardation. Don't worry about increasing your fire risk, data does not show that this standard has resulted in increased fire safety."

I know it's not pleasant to think about what we are doing to our bodies and our health - sometimes without even knowing it. I mean, how many Moms and Dads out there would think twice about a rubber ducky? But, once you start ridding your environment of these chemicals, it's a very free feeling. It's kind of like the feeling you get after cleaning out a closet and purging all the items you don't need or getting rid of the clutter in your home. You feel lighter! ahhh...

Now, go take a hot shower using your chlorine filter and paraben-free soap and relax.

Fragrance in the workplace

I found a great article about fragrance in the workplace, "Fragrance in the Workplace is the new Second-Hand Smoke." You might be surprised about what is in a "fragrance," the advertising similarities with smoking, and the laws and lawsuits that are being seen in the workplace protecting people with sensitivities to fragrances. It's all a battle about indoor air quality... an article you don't want to miss!

Oh my cotton!

I love when you are skimming through a book and an interesting factoid jumps out at you.  I just got The Balanced Plate by Renee Loux from the library.  A section about cotton caught my attention quickly.  I'll start with the first fact that I read, which is actually  at the end of Loux's list.

She states:

In California, it is  illegal to feed cotton leaves, stems, and short fibers to livestock because of the concentrated pesticide residues.  Instead, the short fibers are used to make mattresses, pillows, tampons, swabs, and cotton balls.

Now, if you sleep eight hours a day, that means you spend 1/3 of your life in that bed made of all those pesticides.  (Not to mention all the flame retardent chemicals on the mattress.) Doesn't exactly make me want to curl up in my nice warm blankets with a good book -  and trust me, that's saying something!   Cozy bed?  Ew...

Using organic cotton products is better for you and the environment.  Organic cotton, according to Loux, is grown in "fields where pesticide use has been discontinued for at least 3 years to rebuild the soil fertility and safety.  No synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used to grow organic cotton."

Need more reasons to use organic cotton towels, sheets, blankets, clothes, cotton balls, and swabs?  How about these additional stats from Loux:

• 25 percent of all pesticides and insecticides used globally are on cotton - though cotton occupies only 3 percent of farmland.

• 600,000 tons of pesticides are used on cotton crops in America alone - that's 300 pounds per acre, or 1/3 of a pound of pesticides for every pound of cotton!

• An average cotton crop is sprayed 30 to 40 times per growing season.

• Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton in the United States are known to cause cancer - all nine are classified by the EPA as "Category I  and II," which are  the most dangerous of all chemicals.

• The most acutely toxic pesticide registered by the EPA, aldicarb, is standard for cotton crops.  The number of states where aldicarb is detected in ground water?  Sixteen.

If aldicarb is found in the ground water of sixteen states and it is standard for cotton crops, does that mean cotton is grown in only sixteen states in this country?  So, is it then 100 percent contamination?  Any way the percentage comes out, it's not good!

That's what that nice , cuddly, fluffy cotton sweater is doing to your land, your water, and your body.  Organic sounds worth it now, doesn't it?

Where's the proof?

I found some really interesting statements on the internet about formaldehyde and the build-up of the toxin in our bodies.  The statements claim that during the Vietnam War, the bodies of the Vietnamese dead decomposed at a faster rate than the bodies of the American dead.  Further, the statements claim that twenty years ago twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person as what is needed today... because, they infer, we are slowly embalming ourselves by using formaldehyde in everything. 

I finally tracked those claims down supposedly to a "Kay Heizer of Healthy Choices."  I then found where she claims the stats came from the National Institute of Health.  I can't find the research on the NIH website, nor can I find a website for this Healthy Choices non-profit.  Does it exist?  Who is Kay Heizer?  Are all these claims part of an urban legend?

The Bees Knees

If the skin on the bee's knees was chapped and sore, he could use Burt's Bees lotion and not harm the environment with yet another petroleum compound.  That's right, not only are Burt's Bees products paraben-free, sodium laurel/laureth sulfate free, they are also petroleum-free.  Good for you, good for the environment.  Now, that's one product that's the bees knees! 

And if you go to their website now, you can request a free sample of their toothpaste.

A Pair of Bens...

No, not a pair of Bens.  I mean parabens.  What are they, why all the hype, and why do I try to avoid them?

Parabens are used as preservatives in almost all of your cosmetics.  And when I say cosmetics, I mean your shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, toothpaste, soap, make-up, lotion... get the idea?  Go get your shampoo bottle and look at the ingredient list.  I bet you'll find some of those big words that I can't pronounce will end in "paraben."

Well, if they are preservatives, that's good, right?  Well, they are also known skin irritants (the first reason for me looking at the ingredient list), hormone disrupters, and carcinogens.  If you do much research about parabens, you'll hear about the research done where women with breast cancer were found to have parabens in the tissue.

Now, the FDA says they are used in such small quantities that they aren't harmful.  My sore skin begged to differ.

Some argue that many of the paraben items are used in a hot shower, increasing the skin absorption.  Others acknowledge that the amounts in one item may be small, but consider how many of those small quantities you use each day!  Also consider that Japan and Sweden are now banning them from all cosmetics and toiletries!

The author of this article published in a Canadian magazine sums up the chemicals pretty succinctly.

So, what are some paraben free items?  Most items will point out in large print if they are paraben-free. 

• Kiss My Face olive oil soap (I can find it locally at Kroger or Giant Eagle's Market District)

• Vanicream lotion and soap (online or have a pharmacist order it)

• Free and Clear shampoo and conditioner (made by same company as Vanicream) (found online or have a pharmacist order it)

• Renpure shampoo and conditioner  (I can find locally at Rite Aid). 

• I haven't found makeup that I like, yet that is paraben free, but you can search for Swedish make-up and buy online.

• This blog lists Tom's of Maine deoderant.  I didn't care for it when I tried it - it just felt sticky. 

• Jason has some (if not all?) hair and shampoo products that are paraben free.  (Again, I can find it at Kroger in the organic section locally).

• Burt's Bees!  - they are now announcing a toothpaste on their website!  - check out their website for info on label reading and the definition of "natural." - You may be surprised.  I use their lipstick and lip moisturizer.  Where can you find Burt's Bees?  If you ask this, you haven't been in a store lately!  WalMart, Target, Kroger, drug stores, health food stores...

If you need a paraben-free product and have trouble finding it, let me know.  I'll see what I can find.  Also, keep in mind that you can use the Skin Deep product database (link is listed in my favorite links, too) to research product ingredients.

Here's to more paraben-free products!

What about?

I said in my last post that this post would be about parabens; however, I wanted to post some thoughts and observations quickly tonight. A paraben post is coming soon, I promise. Okay,so my observations:

• Have you noticed in the malls any of those nail salons?  Have you noticed that the employees wear face masks?!  If the fumes are bad, why don't they hand the masks out to the customers, too?  Do they offer them? I wonder... 
• I know of a person that has a child with a peanut allergy.  He even reacted one time because he was riding in the shopping cart and holding onto the  handle.  A previous cart user had touched peanuts and then the handle.  Now that's another reason to wipe off your cart handle!
• If people are allergic to latex, I wonder how many businesses hand out or use latex-free pens on their counters?  I've seen some packaged and sold at the local office supply store, so that got me to thinking.  Think about the banks and restaurants where you may be likely to use the business' pen.  That would be an easy and considerate change we could all do.  And think about all the free pens we give away for marketing purposes!
• How many people have small first-aid kits in their offices - you know the small ones with a few adhesive bandages and wipes?  How many people have latex-free kits?  Now, presumable a person with such an allergy would know not to accept a bandage, but what do they do it they really need one?  Where is one to be found? 
• What kind of cleaners do you use in your office?  Are they strong industrial cleaners?  Are they really needed?  How many people off the street come into your business each day?  Could they be having a reaction and you not know it?  Are the employees having to endure toxic chemicals for over 40 hours a week? Can a few of those cleaners be changed to healthier cleaners?  Are we creating sick building syndrome by trying to kills germs to stay healthy?  Makes me appreciate my office window!
• I know a person that will have an asthma attack after a mechanic has driven his car.  You know that smell when you get back into your car after a mechanic has been in it?  Not so good for some people.  I haven't figured out an alternative for that one.  

Just some thoughts.  What have you noticed?