Hidden hazards in the nursery: flame retardants
Posted on Jan 11, 2012Popular baby products, including nursing pillows and car seats purchased in Massachusetts, contain toxic flame retardants linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and other health effects, according to a new report released today by the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States. Children and families are exposed to the compounds, called tris chemicals, when they escape from household items and contaminate house dust and indoor air.
In Massachusetts, the proposed Safer Alternatives Bill (S-2079) would replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives wherever that's feasible. The program to be created by the bill would focus on toxic chemicals used in ways that result in exposure to children or workers.
Read more...Baby's Tub Is Still Toxic; J & J announces toxics phase out
Posted on Nov 1, 2011More than two years after leading health and parents' groups asked Johnson & Johnson to reformulate its flagship baby shampoo to remove a cancer-causing chemical, the company is still using formaldehyde-releasing preservatives in Johnson's Baby Shampoo in some countries (including the U.S.), while formulas sold in other countries are free of these chemicals, according to an analysis released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (of which the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow is a founding member).
Why the double standard? Don't all babies deserve to be protected from unnecessary exposures to carcinogens? The Campaign in this release called on Johnson & Johnson to stand up and make a commitment to remove formaldehyde from all its baby products in all the markets it serves.
In response to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, Baby's Tub is Still Toxic, Johnson & Johnson has released a statement saying it is phasing out formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from its baby products worldwide. See statement.
Toxic flame retardants found in baby products
Posted on May 19, 2011 We didn't really need another reason to pass the Safer Alternatives Bill so that we can start to transition away from toxic chemicals and to safer alternatives, but this week we got one anyway.
A study of products designed for newborns, babies, and toddlers – including car seats, breast feeding pillows, changing pads, crib wedges, bassinet mattresses and other items made with polyurethane foam – found that 80% of products tested contained chemical flame retardants that are considered toxic, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Science & Technology Journal. Other retardants discovered had so little health and safety data on them it is not possible to know their effects at this time. The same flame retardants found in some of the products are also found in children’s bodies and widely dispersed throughout the environment and in food.
Read more...Food packaging as a source of BPA & DEHP exposure
Posted on Apr 13, 2011 In March the Newton, Massachusetts based Silent Spring Institute published a new study that is the first to show that food packaging is the major source of people’s exposure to the hormone disruptors BPA and DEHP, and that a fresh food diet reduces levels in adults and children by half, after just three days. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives on March 30.
BPA and DEHP are hormone disruptors—chemicals that may affect breast and other hormonal cancers, reproduction, and development. DEHP and two other phthalates measured in this study were recently banned under Europe’s REACH regulation because of concerns about reproductive toxicity.
The good news is that this study provides clear evidence that can guide solutions. The findings show that replacing these chemicals with safer alternatives would significantly reduce exposures for most people. It's a clear guideline for individuals working to protect themselves and their families from toxic chemicals.
The problem, is that it's not a guideline that everyone can to follow.
Read more...Do your homework: Get toxics out of your child’s school supplies
Posted on Aug 3, 2010 You strive to make your home a healthy and safe environment for your children to grow up in. But what about the 8 hours they spend in school each day? Unfortunately, many school supplies are composed of the poison plastic: polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This plastic can contain a toxic stew of phthalates, lead, cadmium, and organotins—it’s a recipe for disaster. To the developing body of a child, even a small exposure to these toxic chemicals can be dangerous. Studies have shown that chemicals released by the PVC life cycle are linked to learning disabilities, obesity, asthma, and even cancer. Fortunately, there are safer PVC-free alternatives to the poison plastic available.
Our partners at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) has released the 3rd annual Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies, a compilation of safer PVC-free options for your kids.
Toxic Chemicals found in bodies of Mass Nurse and Doctor
Posted on Oct 8, 2009 Earlier this year, Mimi Pomerleau and Sean Palfrey did a bold thing: they had their blood and urine tested for the presence of toxic chemicals.
Mimi is a OB nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Clinical Professor at Lawrence Memorial Regis College. Sean is professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University School of Medicine, and medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Both participated in the Hazardous Chemicals in Health Care bio monitoring project conducted by Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Each of 20 doctors and nurses around the country were tested FOR 62 distinct chemicals in six categories: bisphenol A, mercury, perflourinated compounds, phthalates, polybrominated dipheynl ethers, and triclosan. These chemicals are used in products common to the health care setting, from baby bottles, hand sanitizer, and medical gauges, to industrial paints, IV bags and tubes and stain-resistant clothing.
Read more...BPA: The Bottle Toxin
Posted on Jan 9, 2009
Why all the recent press on BPA (Bisphenol A)?
#1. Health Canada has announced that BPA is a dangerous substance.
#2. The U.S. National Toxicology Program has stated in their report on BPA that there is "some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposure."
Where do you find BPA?
BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic, which is widely used for a number of consumer products.
Read more...Toxic Chemicals in Cars and Children's Car Seats
Posted on Jul 28, 2008
Most Toxic Cars: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno, BMW 128i
Most Toxic Car Seats: Alpha Sport Vantage Booster, Britax Marathon Onyx
Today the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow & the Ecology Center released the 2nd Annual Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars and Children’s Car Seats. Over 200 of the most popular 2008- and 2009-model vehicles and over 60 children’s car seats were tested for chemicals that off-gas from parts such as the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats, and carpeting.
Read more...Milk contaminated with rGBH
Posted on Jun 23, 2008
An open letter from Judy Norsigian (Our Bodies Ourselves); Deborah Shields (Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition); Rita Arditti and Margo Simon Golden (Women's Community Cancer Project); Amy Agigian (Center for Women's Health and Human Rights at Suffolk University); and Ellie Goldberg (Healthy Kids: The Key to Basics) April, 2008
Dear Friends and Colleagues.
As health and food safety advocates, we are concerned about the use of rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) in dairy products in Massachusetts.
Read more...Fundamental Flaws
Posted on Mar 26, 2008
The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow seeks to correct 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.
Read more...