Living Better with Fewer Chemicals

Baby Products: What Your Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Baby

2009-02-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Baby Products: What Your Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Baby

From shampoo to diaper cream, there are many inexpensive choices for safe baby care. Your first step is to make finding baby products without synthetic, petroleum-based chemical ingredients priority number one.

Read All Labels Carefully
When looking for safer products, the most important thing to do is READ THE INGREDIENT LIST. This may sound obvious, but it is not enough to simply look at the front of a product and see that it is “New” or “All-Natural”. Such labeling is not a guarantee of safety. Look for products labeled “Organic” – this term still carries no guarantees, but it’s a great place to start, especially if you can find products with the USDA symbol of “USDA Certified Organic.” After a little practice, it will only take you a moment to be able to decide whether products’ ingredients are natural or artificial, safe or potentially harmful.

Childhood leukemia, brain tumors, learning disabilities, brain damage, depression, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and asthma are among the health problems that have been linked to early childhood exposure to these common chemicals found in commercial baby care products.

Ingredients to Avoid (or minimize)

cocmide DEA
cocmidoproply betaine
disodium or tetrasodium EDTA
dimethicon(e) also known as dimethiconol
FD&C or D&C colors
flouride
fragrance, perfume known as parfum, aroma, flavor, scent
hydantoin (MDM or DMDM) known as formaldehyde, formalin
isopropyl, butyl, benzyl, stearyl or SD-40 alcohols
MEA, DEA or TEA known as ethanolamine, mono-, di- or triethanolamine
methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben often called methylparahydroxybenzoate
minreal oil, petrolatum, petroleum jelly
PEG and PG known as polythylene glycol, propylene glycol and propylenglycolum
quaternium-15 or polyquaternium a.k.a methenamine
SLS, ALS (sodium or ammonium lauryl sulfate) a.k.a laureth, laurel (SLES)
sodium borate, tretraborate a.k.a boric acid
talc a.k.a talcum powder
triclosan a.k.a "antibacterial"
urea(s) with prefixes a.k.a midazolidinyl

Avoid Baby Powder
Almost all pediatricians will agree that drying baby with a soft towel will eliminate the need for powder. All powders coat the lungs when inhaled and present a breathing hazard for infants, talc based powders can be contaminated with asbestos and commercial powders have petrochemical fragrances added.

Avoid Baby Oil, Mineral Oil and Petroleum Jelly
Most commercial baby oils contain unsavory chemical fragrances or mineral oils containing traces of toxic chemicals and metals, so choose organic aloe vera gel and botanical oils instead.

Avoid Disposable Diapers
Choose cloth, and if you must - go with biodegradable disposable diapers. In the very least, choose chlorine-free disposables like 7th Generation. Aside from environmental concerns, when disposable diapers get wet the synthetic chemical absorbents, fragrances and dyes used to make them “pretty and smell nice” can pass into your baby’s bloodstream, cause diaper rash or chemical burns.

Avoid Baby Wipes with Fragrances and Chemicals
Buy unbleached wipes free from dyes & fragrances, made from Organic cotton if possible.

Safe Natural Ingredients for Baby Care
Botanical Oils such as jojoba, almond, coconut (not sodium laural sulfate), olive, safflower, apricot, avocado, sunflower, evening primrose or borage
Herbal Extracts like calendula found in natural diaper rash cream
Vitamins including vitamin A (retinyl pamitate), carotene (pro-vitamin A), B vitamins/pro-vitamins (pantothenic acid, panethol, insitol, biotin), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (tocopherol or d-alpha tocopheryl acetate)

Remember, great natural products usually contain vitamins A, C and E in them as natural preservatives. Grapefruit seed extract, citric acid and other antioxidants are also safer alternatives you may see in the ingredient lists of natural product lines, available on-line, at natural food stores, co-ops and some major grocery stores as well.

Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s Contain Mercury!

2009-02-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

According to the January 2009 issues of Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, the Washington Post and Envirnomental Health almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, as outlined in a new study. Mercury was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient. Samples containing mercury were of popular name-brand foods and beverages, including some made by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

How Does Mercury Get Into Corn Syrup?

The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is common.

Even though the makers of HFCS claim that it’s natural, it’s actually a highly refined product that would never exist in nature. Its manufacture involves an extensive process, one step of which is to separate corn starch from the corn kernel.

Caustic soda is used, among other things, to do this, and for decades mercury-grade caustic soda produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants has been used for this purpose.

Because mercury cells are used to produce some caustic soda, the caustic soda may become contaminated, and ultimately transfer that mercury contamination to the HFCS in your soda, salad dressing, soup, cereal, and so on.

Said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., a co-author of both studies:

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply.”

Isn’t it ironic that the Corn Refiners Association just recently spent around $30 million on an ad campaign designed to rehabilitate HFCS’s reputation as an unhealthy sweetener?

It’s going to take a lot more than a few TV commercials to explain away this latest revelation.

Why Consuming Mercury is a Bad Idea

Mercury acts as a poison to your brain and nervous system. This is especially dangerous for pregnant women and small children, whose brains are still developing. If infants or fetuses are exposed to mercury, it can cause:

• Mental retardation
• Cerebral palsy
• Deafness
• Blindness

Even in low doses mercury can interfere with a child’s development, leading to shortened attention span and learning disabilities.

In adults, mercury poisoning can be a serious risk as well, and has been linked to fertility problems, memory and vision loss, and trouble with blood pressure regulation. It can also cause extreme fatigue and neuro-muscular dysfunction, as experienced recently by Chicago actor Jeremy Piven.

Further, studies show that mercury in your central nervous system (CNS) causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems including:

• Arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies
• Tremors
• Insomnia
• Personality changes and irritability
• Headaches

• Weakness
• Blurred vision
• Slowed mental response
• Unsteady gait

To make matters worse, mercury bonds very firmly to structures in your CNS. Unless actively removed, it has an extremely long half-life of somewhere between 15 and 30 years in the CNS! What this means is that consuming mercury-contaminated HFCS is probably cumulative, with the damage adding up over time.

Mercury is Not the Only Reason to Avoid HFCS

The fact that HFCS-sweetened food and drinks may contain mercury is enough to make me avoid them like the plague. But then again, I avoided them entirely even BEFORE this news came out and I strongly encourage you to take a similar stance.

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form (soda), its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.

Among them are:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome
• An increase in triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
• Liver disease

Fructose also contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, and it leeches micronutrients from your body. Unbound fructose, which is found in large quantities in HFCS, can interfere with your heart's use of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium.

Last but not least, HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns, such as increasing your risk of developing a food allergy to corn.

Beware of Banned Food Additives in Children’s Medicines

2009-02-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

Beware of Banned Food Additives in Children’s Medicines

If you are a parent or caregiver you need to be aware of the fact that when an ingredient is banned for use in food, it is not automatically banned for use in medicine.

According to an expose’ by the British Food Commission last year, food additives that have already been banned for use in food and beverages are still used in a majority of pediatric over-the-counter medicines. Their survey found that ALL BUT ONE medicine out of 41 contained an additive that had been banned.

The additives found in these drugs included:

Synthetic azo dyes

Maltitol and sorbitol

Benzoate and sulphite preservatives

Chloroform

This is just one more reason why it’s so important to question what your doctor or any other health professional may prescribe or recommend for your child, no matter what side of the counter it comes from, as many pediatric drugs can certainly be harmful, if not downright toxic to your child’s health.

Three Things I Hate About Diet Coke

2009-02-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Three Things I Hate About Diet Coke:
Aspartame - nutrasweet the artificial sweetener is proabaly the most dangerous and toxic substance added to food on the market right now, it accounts for over 75% of adverse reactions reported to the FDA - my last blog entry gives a very detailed report of exactly what aspartame is, why it is bad, its effects, etc...
Sodium Benzoate - a preservative used in almost all sodas, is bad in and of itself but when it mixes with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), as that is addded to many sodas nowadays - produces benzene. Benzene is associated with leukemia and other cancers of the blood. Aside from soda, it is generally found in pollutants such as car exhaust fumes. Traces of the cancer-causing chemical benzene have been found in soft drinks, at levels up to eight times those allowed in drinking water. Although no more than one part per billion of benzene is allowed in drinking water, there are no legal restrictions on the amount present in soft drinks.
High Fructose Corn Syrup - Drinking high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the main ingredient in most soft drinks throughout the world, increases your triglyceride levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. These effects only occurred in the study participants who drank fructose (HCFS)-- not glucose. Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135 percent between 1977 and 2001. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only cheaper to make, it was also much sweeter (processed fructose is nearly 20 times sweeter than table sugar), a switch that has drastically altered the American diet. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.HFCS has also been linked to:
Diabetes
Obesity
Metabolic Syndrome

The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles (and if you believe the new commercials on TV put out by the corn refiner assoc). In fact, nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue but fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.To make matters worse, the corn that the high fructose corn syrup is metabolized from nearly all comes from genetically modified corn which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.

One study (dismissed by the FDA interestingly enough) involving orphans in India had the children eating GM cereal for breakfast everyday, the kid's blood was tested periodically to monitor for effects - the study had to be stopped before it was finished because shockingly - the children's blood had begun to show signs of pre-cancerous cell activity as a result of the change in diet to Genetically Modified wheat.

High fructose corn syrup is is not something that should be in your diet at all. But HFCS is the primary caloric sweetener in U.S. soft drinks. Researchers estimate that most Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS per day, while the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300. And some, they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS. Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it you need to focus your diet on whole foods and, if you do purchase packaged foods, become an avid label reader.

BUT here comes the bright side:
I know of a certain acupressure based technique that will leave you with zero desire to even look at the sugary stuff. http://www.healingwithmonika.com/

Aspartame: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

2009-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

What Is Aspartame Made Of?
Aspartic Acid (40 percent of aspartame)

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.

How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage
Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS)
ALS
Memory loss
Hormonal problems
Hearing loss
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's disease
Parkinson's disease
Hypoglycemia
AIDS
Dementia
Brain lesions
Neuroendocrine disorders

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:

"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders."

Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.
The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:
Headaches/migraines
Nausea
Abdominal pains
Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)
Sleep problems
Vision problems
Anxiety attacks
Depression
Asthma/chest tightness.

One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.

A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)

Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)
Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.

This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.

Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolised much more effeciently by rodents than by humans.

One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published the "Wednesday Journal" in an article titled "An Aspartame Nightmare." John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.

As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.

Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provid a boost to sales of seratonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.

Methanol (aka wood alcohol/poison) makes up 10 percent of aspartame
Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."

He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to "slow down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It's not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public's last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval." Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he then left for a position with G.D. Searle's public relations firm.It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans.The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.
In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable," the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).

Diketopiperazine (DKP)
DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.
G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including "clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling," and many other errors. These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had sixteen times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.

In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.

DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.

Stayed tuned to the blog for more info on how to avoid unwanted exposure to undesirable chemicals in your food, drinks, products and more...

Over 1,000 New Chemicals Introduced Every Year - What This Means For You and Your Family

2009-02-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

We live in an environment unlike any other in human history. We are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of man made chemicals and thousands more are introduced into our environment and our food chain each year. The potential for harm is staggering - it comes from the food we eat, our skin care products, insect repellents, carpeting, plastics used in everything from our homes to baby bottles. The constant barrage of information we receive from the media can be misleading and confusing and the goal of this blog is to help you find and use safer options for you and your family, and explain why it's worth the time to do so.

Luckily learning to choose which ingredients to look for and which to avoid is easier than you think! For example, a simple products like baking soda or vinegar can be an incredibly effective cleaner and is safer than commercially prepared cleaners that contain synthetic ingredients - and they are much cheaper than even the new "Green" cleaners put out by big corporations looking to profit off the steadily growing demographic of consumers who are becoming more aware of the effects of harmful chemicals.

Getting Started
Keep your eyes peeled for warning labels - these are obvious tip offs that a products has safety issues. A warning, caution or danger label is typically not voluntary - they are placed on a product only when required by a government safety regulation usually after the product has already caused harm. It is likely one or more of the ingredients, in products with warning labels, has already caused serious injury or death. Once you accustom your "antennae" to spotting caution labels, and after reading the safety concerns, you may decide to find another product with safer ingredients. Even with warning labels people falsely assume that because these common household products are readily available for purchase "they must be safe" for regular use. This is simply not true.

The following is a list of ingredients commonly found in baby products, personal products and processed foods to make products more convenient to use, better looking, smelling or tasting, and less likely to spoil (longer shelf life). It is your right to know that each and every one of these chemicals has a known or suspected health or safety concern. I recommend printing the following list and taking it with you when you shop. Childhood leukemia, brain tumors, learning disabilities, brain damage, depression, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and asthma are among the health problems that have been linked to early childhood exposure to these common household chemicals.

Ingredients to Avoid (or minimize)

BHA, BHT, sodium benzoate/nitrate/nitrites commonly known as artificial preservatives
cocmide DEA
cocmidoproply betaine
disodium or tetrasodium EDTA
dimethicon(e) also known as dimethiconol
FD&C or D&C colors
flouride
fragrance, perfume known as parfum, aroma, flavor, scent
hydantoin (MDM or DMDM) known as formaldehyde, formalin
isopropyl, butyl, benzyl, stearyl or SD-40 alcohols
MEA, DEA or TEA known as ethanolamine, mono-, di- or triethanolamine
methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben often called methylparahydroxybenzoate
minreal oil, petrolatum, petroleum jelly
MSG is monosodium glutamate known as "natural" or artificial flavoring
PEG and PG known as polythylene glycol, propylene glycol and propylenglycolum
quaternium-15 or polyquaternium a.k.a methenamine
SLS, ALS (sodium or ammonium lauryl sulfate) a.k.a laureth, laurel (SLES)
sodium borate, tretraborate a.k.a boric acid
talc a.k.a talcum powder
triclosan a.k.a "antibacterial"
urea(s) with prefixes a.k.a midazolidinyl
artificial flavors a.k.a flavor
artificial sweetners like aspartame, sucralose labeled as"sugar-free, reduced sugar"

Most ingredients in home and personal care products are not tested for safety and do not have warning labels even though they may contain ingredients that cause harm.

For more information stayed tuned to this Blog and visit:

http://www.childenvironment.org/

http://www.protectingyourhealth.org/

http://www.checnet.org/