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Hundreds of Toxic Chemicals Found in Babies umbilical chords

February 12, 2010 in Health | No comments

EWG performed a study on chemicals found in newborn’s umbilical chords.  Among the compounds found in the tissues samples were BPA, Teflon, flame retardant found in couches and bedding, the total number of toxic chemicals was 232.  Many of the chemicals found in the babies umbilical chords were components of make up and personal products that women continue to use throughout pregnancy.

The EWG put out a list of ways to avoid the most harmful toxins during pregnancy (as always).

From MNN:

“A two-year study, commissioned by eco-nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) and Rachel’s Network, studied the umbilical cord blood of 10 American babies of African-American, Asian, and Hispanic heritage born between 2007 and 2008 — to find 232 toxic chemicals. According to Alex Formuzis, EWG’s director of communications:
Among the substances newly discovered, in addition to BPA, included a toxic flame retardant chemical (tetrabromobisphenol A) designed for computer circuit boards, chemicals used in synthetic fragrances (galaxolide and tonalide) for common cosmetics and detergents, and a member of the notorious Teflon chemical family (perfluorobutanoic acid) that helps make non-stick, and grease, stain and water-resistant coatings for a number of everyday consumer products.”

Prenatal cosmetic use may determine if a child has behavior issues

February 10, 2010 in Health | No comments

When a women is pregnant, the makeup she wears, the deoderant she uses and the lotions she uses may effect her baby’s behavior later down the road.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that high levels of phthalates found in a women’s blood during pregnancy directly correlate with behavioral issues in their child at ages 4-9 years.

Phthalates are non-organic chemicals used in lotions, makeup products, soaps, nail polish, perfumes and shampoos.  “Phthalates are part of a group of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, that interfere with the body’s endocrine, or hormone system.”1 Phthalates is also known as BPA when used in plastics.

Children whose mothers tested with a high level of Phthalates in their blood during pregnancy consistently reported behavioral issues in their 4-9 year olds associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder and ADHD.

To avoid phthalates in personal care products, buy only all natural products and read the ingredients.  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient or have never heard of it, look it up on the EWG website before buying.  Most Phthalates in personal products are called one of the following:

BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate)

DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate)

“fragrance” is another ingredient to avoid.  If a chemical blend is a trade secret, manufactures are not legally required to disclose the contents on the lable.  They simply denote this as “fragrance”, which likely contains parabens or phthalates.

The best paraben free products to replace your most common personal care products are:

Deoderant: Crystal Salt

Toothpaste: PerioBrite

Shampoo and Conditioner: Hugo Naturals

Lipgloss, cosmetics: Honeybee gardens

Lotion: Hugo Naturals

Hand and Body soap:Dr. Bronners or find home made soaps from your local farmer’s market.

Nail polish: just don’t use it!  Nail polish is basically paint that you absorb through your skin.

Learn more: The Do-Nothing Method to Healthier Skin ::   BPA powder on your receipts?!

References:

1. Science Daily

Having troube getting pregnant? Your bed may be to blame.

February 8, 2010 in Health | 1 comment

Recent studies have linked high levels of PBDEs in women’s blood to a difficult time getting pregnant.  PBDEs are a type of flame retardant found in fabrics, furniture and mattresses.  They are most prevalent in foams.

PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are a class of organobromine compounds that became commonplace after the 1970s when new fire safety standards were implemented in the United States. The flame retardants are used in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets, plastics and other common items in the home. - Science Daily

It is not clear how PBDEs interfer with fertility, but reserach has suggested they effect hormone levels.  Household dust from foam, couches, curtains, sheets, and mattresses is the main culprit for human absorbtion of PBDEs.  Tempurpedic beds do not contain PBDEs

Read more: Non-stick pans wreak havok on your Thyroid

Things made with OIL – how dependent are you?

February 3, 2010 in Health | No comments

Thinking about putting in some new carpeting?  How about some balloons for the next office party, or candles for a romantic evening with your partner?  Has your child ever eaten a crayon?  All these things and more are made with, you betcha: OIL.  Toothpaste, Vitamin Capsules, Hair Coloring, Nail Polish and Hand Lotion are the most disgusting ones on this list…

You may also be interested in The Do-Nothing Method to Healthy Skin

Learn more about the harms in:

What is really in Cool Whip?, Teflon, Deoderant, Parabens in PapSmears, The Future of Food, Spray-on Sunscreen, Folic Acid Overdose, Toxic Cosmetics, Organic Toothpaste, Mercury in your Mascara and Lead in your Lipstick, Corn Syrup, Nail Polish

Mid-life crisis or not?

January 29, 2010 in Health | No comments

When people approach the age of 40 they excuse themselves on a mid-life crises venture, feeling the need to blame the desire for change on the number of years they have been alive. But why does this mentality persist when people live to be 90 or 100 (provided they lead a healthy lifestyle)?  Modern medicine, safer public practices and a better understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle have helped humans lead longer, healthier lives.  Is a mid-life crisis warranted?

Decades ago when people were expected to live maybe to 60, 70 if lucky, buying a sports car or changing directions was seen as a last ditch effort to enjoy life before kicking the bucket.  Today however, the 30s, 40s and 50s are the prime of life.  Why are they the prime of life? Professor Strenger explains:

Most people make many of their most important life decisions before they really know who they are… By age 30, most Americans have already married, decided where to live, bought their first home, and chosen their career. “But at 30, people still have the better part of their adult years ahead of them,” Prof. Strenger says. - Science Daily

If our major life course is decided when we have not formed our mature selves, it is no wonder that many people feel they need a major life overhaul in their 30s and 40s.   Each person’s experiences, accumulation of knowledge, and social encounters shapes our personality and opens us up to ideas and paths that we may not have encountered before.  When you were 18 or 19 you may have been pressured into deciding a career path for the rest of your life.  Perhaps when you graduated college, you married your high school sweetheart or college partner without dating much to get an idea of what you really needed in a partner.  These early decisions when we barely know ourselves can backfire on us later in life, causing us to be miserable and regretful.

We should all take the chance to reinvent ourselves, especially at age 30.   Perspectively, life has just begun and the real YOU has just recently taken shape.  Change careers, go back to college, move far away, get in the best shape of your life, pick up a sport you’ve always wanted to try, whatever it takes to make you happy.   Why?  Because this day will never come again and if you lead a healthy life, you may be living whatever path you set for yourself for another 70 years.  Continue to reinvent, change and challenge yourself.

Non-stick pans wreak havock on your Thyroid

January 25, 2010 in Health | 2 comments

Recent studies link a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to human thyroid hormonal imbalances and diseases.  PFOA is found in the coatings of non-stick cookware, stain resistant carpeting, upholstery and clothing.  The most common way PFOA makes its way into the human body is by eating foods cooked in non-stick cookware or foods that touched non-stick coatings on fast food wrappers and styrofoam packaging.

Science Daily reports:

The researchers found that the individuals with the highest 25% of PFOA concentrations (above 5.7ng/ml) were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease than individuals with the lowest 50% of PFOA concentrations (below 4.0ng/ml). The most specific analysis included 163 women and 46 men who reported having current thyroid disease and who were taking thyroid medication at the time the blood samples were taken.

What is the moral of the story?  Organic, all natural carpet, or just cut out the hairy stuff altogether.  Get natural, organic furniture, not stuff made out of synthetics and PFOA.  But more importantly, replace all non-stick cookware with stainless steel, woods and metals without the teflon coatings.  Your thyroid will be much happier and more easily regulate your metabolism and mood without a bonbardment of PFOA.

Yum, chemical soup in your dental products

January 4, 2010 in Health | No comments

So why should we care about 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate ?  For starters it is found in some hair products and denture/dental products.

It is in so many products despite it’s ability to cause cancer in lab rats and toxicity of the human digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems.

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate is a metal chelating agent extracted from coal tar. It has been used in a wide variety of products, from “bag balm” for cows to cosmetics and drugs, for its ability to inhibit the growth of imidazolidinylurea microbes. 1

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate

The compound was previously used a preservative in cheese until it was deemed “harmful if swallowed” by the FDA, which has since banned it from all foods. 2 At some point in it’s history it was used as a pesticide, but is not considered obsolete. 3

A 2001 document on the effects of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate on livestock prepared for the USDA by the Organic Materials Review Institute states that “Although it is not generally reported as a carcinogen or teratogen, a test of the food additive formerly used as cheese preservative (8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate) found tumors in the bladder, brain, and uteri of rats and mice when administered intervaginally.” 4

According to the EWG, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is considered a moderate health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system even in low exposure.  It’s use in cosmetic products is either prohibited or strictly limited in most major countries.  Finally, there have been no studies on the long term effects when left on the skin and absolutely no studies done on how much is absorbed into the bloodstream 5

Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2. FDA

3. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_regulatoryINT.html#WHOObsolete

4. SkinDeep and OMRI NOSB Tap Materials Database

5. EWG

A New Years Resolution to Healthy Armpits

January 2, 2010 in Health, Product Reviews, Sustainable Living | 1 comment

This December I read an article on Treehugger.com addressing healthy armpits.  Armpits are a common conundrum among health nuts like myself who have decided not to use deodorizers with chemicals and metals in them.  So many armpit products today advertise as an “antiperspirant”.  But do you really know why they work or how?

Metals that exist in most antiperspirants like Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY actually react with your skin to close the sweat pores so that you are unable to sweat from your armpits.  Aluminum Zirconium is a metal that is a human nervous system toxicant.  This metal is the most common ingredient in antiperspirants like Axe, Dove, Secret, etc.  These products often also contain fillers like PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BHT, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE , and PPG-14 BUTYL ETHER. The EWG states that these ingredients are known to cause “neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), enhanced skin absorption, contamination concerns, occupational hazards, biochemical or cellular level changes.”

Do you know what you are smearing under your arms each morning?  Check your label and consider an alternative.

The only product out there that does not contain harmful substances and actually works is called Crystal. Instead of forcing sweat glands shut with a toxic metal powder, Crystal uses natural salts to kill the bacteria that eat your sweat and exude that awful stink you are trying to get rid of in the first place.  Get rid of the bacteria producing the smell, don’t force your skin to swell shut preventing natural sweat.

My favorite Crystal product is the “original” stick.  It is actually a rounded piece of salts rock that you apply right after showering when you arm pits are still damp from the shower.  I have been using it for a month now after previously having settled for another all natural stick that just masked oders.  There is no smell!  Even after a hard workout at the gym, I smell good.  Amazing!

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