Join Women’s Voices for the Earth to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals

The following guest blog post is by Cassidy Randall, Program and Outreach Coordinator for Women’s Voices for the Earth


Moms know that the ads we see are often the front lines for whether a product gets bought or ignored. A large and increasing number of greener moms may read up on blogs, read reports and articles and try to look up chemical names of material safety data sheets, but not everyone does this. Many moms are still influenced by ads that say “this will get your laundry smelling like a spring breeze!” and buy the bottle—along with the messages and ads that are sold to them.

That’s why I find it so unnerving that Procter & Gamble has issued a complaint to green company Seventh Generation, asking them to take down one of their online advertisements for the inexcusable crime of talking about safety.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ ruling upholding Procter & Gamble’s claims against Seventh Generation’s commercial implies that companies can’t make claims based on the safety of their products, even though more and more research shows that consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on product safety due to health concerns.

Case in point: a recent report by EcoFocus Worldwide found that the category they term “EcoAware Moms” (more than 51 million women) have $1.45 billion in buying power, and that of the top five products that these women are buying more often, two of them are safer cleaning products: chemical-free cleaners (47%) and plant-based cleaning products (40%). You’d think companies would want to advertise the relative safety of their products to this powerful consumer group.

More disturbingly, the ruling upheld Procter & Gamble’s claim that chemicals in conventional cleaning product chemicals have no connection to a rapid increase in illnesses such as autism, ADHD, asthma, allergies, immune system deficiencies and birth defects. But scientific research continues to mount, linking chemicals in cleaning products to chronic health problems. Women’s Voices for the Earth has released three reports compiling the science on certain chemicals in cleaners and impacts to human health, finding:

• A class of chemicals called APEs are linked to reproductive harm and fertility problems.

• Phthalates are linked to genital malformations in baby boys, reduced sperm count, and increased asthma and allergic reactions in children.
  
  
• Triclosan is hormone disruption and is linked to increased risk of breast cancer.
  
• Synthetic musks are bioaccumulative, showing up in blood, breast milk, and infants, and may break down our bodies’ defenses against other toxic exposures.
  

These are just a few of the chemicals of covered in WVE reports—for more, visit the WVE website at www.womenandenvironment.org. For the past several years, WVE has reached out to all the major cleaning product companies, pressuring them to remove these chemicals of concern. Procter & Gamble has not removed ANY chemicals of concern identified in WVE reports (SC Johnson has removed 4, Clorox has removed 5, and Seventh Generation products contain none, for comparison), and has ignored WVE’s inquiries on whether the company uses synthetic musks or phthalates in their fragrances.

Procter & Gamble is the maker of Mr. Clean®, Tide®, Dawn®, Febreze®, Cascade®, Gain®, Swiffer®, and more. It seems like a company with such high-profile brands would want to advertise their safety. And if companies aren’t allowed to advertise how safe their products are, then consumers should be able to look on a product label to decide for themselves—too bad Procter & Gamble is only disclosing a few ingredients on their website, and no ingredients on product labels (as U.S. law doesn’t require ingredient disclosure for cleaners, few do). At least consumers can look on Seventh Generation product labels to see all ingredients and make a choice based on safety at the point of purchase.
The bottom line is that harmful chemicals shouldn’t be in cleaning products to begin with. Join Women’s Voices for the Earth to eliminate toxic chemicals that impact women’s health from products we use every day!


Sign our Twitter petition to the American Cleaning Institute
http://act.ly/2dc

Follow WVE on Twitter
www.twitter.com/women4earth

Join us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Womens-Voices-for-the-Earth/110000049854

If you have something to say and would like to be a guest blogger
for The Green Mamas blog, please contact us. Thanks :)

Non-Toxic Children's Art Supplies

Wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what was in your child's art supplies since, just like most everything else your child touches, some (if not most) ends up in their mouth?

For a while I thought I was doing a good job in finding and making available non-toxic choices, especially when the packaging states that the materials are as such. Yet, just like with food, if the ingredients aren't listed, how sure can I be that they are safe, toxic-free?

I went searching for some artistic mediums for my budding artists that I could be sure were safe. It took a lot of looking, but I finally found one that I love and can see the ingredients list.

Clementine Art Supplies, of Boulder, Colorado (I love that town!) is an all natural, certified non-toxic, environmentally friendly. They have a full line of natural paint, glue, crayons, markers, and modeling clay.

Which is great! My kids are begging for some clay to get their hands on. There is also a gift set that is perfect for any child, which is double-great, since I have some birthdays parties coming up :)

What favorite all natural, non-toxic art supplies do you use and love?

:)

What To Do About the Flu...

With everyone stressed out about all the hype pertaining to the various cold and flu bugs going around, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure what to believe anymore!

I know that every fall we amp up our hand washing behavior to practically obsessive and avoid hanging out with anyone who looks suspicious (aka: sick). But since you can't always tell who is sick and who isn't, in our family we also increase our probiotic intake: kefir for breakfast, a probiotic chewable for lunch. And always eat vitamin C rich fruits in mass!

The other day I saw this list of links concerning different questions that pop up concerning the flu and found the info helpful in refocusing me on what information is really important. The media would want you to worry a hole in your heart about every health threat out there! But that is a health threat in and of itself.

• Your Child Has the Flu: What's a Mother to Do?
• Are Essential Oils as Effective as Hand Sanitizers?
• Vaccinations: Why All The Fuss?
• Who Will Protect the Children?
• Your Child's First Healer
• But Is It Safe for My Baby? Medications and Breastfeeding
• Flu Proofing Garlic and Lemon Tea
• Toxic Overload: Assessing the Role of Mercury in Autism

I try to always save worrying for when the time comes to worry. And since negative vibes and worry can hurt your immune system, staying on top of your family's health should never involve running around like a crazy person.

Stay calm. Stay informed. And wash your hands.

Are Vaccines Safe?

Really...are they?

If you ask your pediatrician, more often than not, they say yes. If you ask the growing number of families opting to forgo vaccines all together, the answer is no.

But what's the truth? Is it YES or NO? Or somewhere in between?

* Are some safe? And others not? If so, which ones?

* What schedule is safe? Can I use an alternative schedule?

* And what exactly is in the vaccines? How are they made?

There are an increasing number of mothers asking these questions and more. Unfortunately, unless you have an open-minded/open-mouthed doctor, you're not going to get anything but pharmaceutical company and government scripted responses.

So then, how are we - mothers, fathers, families - supposed to make an informed decision based on informed consent when none is being given?

I came across Dr. Sear's Vaccine Book and found freedom in its pages and unbiased approach to all the questions I have concerning vax's:

• Detailed information about the ingredients in each vaccine.
• How different manufactures create their vaccines.
• Which vaccines have mercury. Which don't.
  
• Alternative vaccine schedules.
• Lists of questions to ask yourself and your doctor.
• Pros and Cons of each vaccine.

Because, let's be honest here - there are both pros and cons when it comes vaccines.

It just depends on which vaccine your talking about, which manufacturer makes it, what ingredients are in it, and in what order it's given to your child...not to mention what other vaccines should and shouldn't be given along with it.

Everyone should educate themselves about what they are injecting into their child BEFORE they get one.

And if you have questions about the H1N1 vaccine, Dr. Sears has detailed information about the ingredients and creation process of each on his website.

Check your local library for a copy of Dr. Sear's The Vaccine Book. That's where I found mine.

Read Your Labels! What to Ingredients to Avoid

If most of your time shopping is spent reading labels, you're not alone. More and more moms are wising up and informing themselves about the beneficial and harmful effects ingredients in everyday products have on their families.

You do your homework. You read your labels. But do you know which ones you should be avoiding and why?

Pull out some of the things you already own at home: shampoo, sunscreen, toothpaste, hand soap... You've checked them before, but check them again. You might need to rethink your choices and find more healthy alternatives for you and your family.

Here are some of the worst offenders in ingredients, along with what they may be doing to you and your family:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - skin irritant with mutagenic effects
  
  
• Parabens - causes breast cancer
  
  
• Propylene Glycol - alters skin structure for other chemicals
  
  
• Phthalates (aka: fragrance) - disrupts hormones; decreases sperm mobility; genital abnormalities in baby boys; linked to asthma and allergies
  
  
• Petrolatum (aka: mineral oil, Vaseline) - banned in Europe, linked to breast cancer
  
  
• Cocomide DEA/Lauramid DEA - human immune system toxicant
  
  
• Diazolidinyl Urea - human carcinogen and nasopharyngeal cancer
  
  
• Butyl Acetate - skin, eye, and lung irritant
  
  
• Butylated Hydroxytoluene - human immune system toxicant and neurotoxin
  
  
• Ethyl Acetate - linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive deformities; skin, eyes, and lung irritant
  

This short list, borrowed from the Environmental Working Group, is just the tip of the iceberg. To learn more about all the dangerous chemicals found in our everyday products - and why we should be avoiding them - go to www.ewg.org today.