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Prenatal cosmetic use may determine if a child has behavior issues

02/10/2010 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: [amazon ASIN="B001JAH2V0"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Lipgloss, cosmetics: [amazon ASIN="B000WRZSCQ"]Honeybee gardens[/amazon]

Lotion: [amazon ASIN="B0012NZ9LY"]Hugo Naturals[/amazon]

Hand and Body soap:[amazon ASIN="B001ET77YI"]Dr. Bronners[/amazon] 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

The Future of Food: VIDEO

12/02/2009 in Health | No comments

No-Impact: Baby Food Jars vs Ziplocks

10/16/2009 in No-Impact Living | No comments

Ok, for some things the handy ziplock bag is nice, but have you ever considered using a small glass jar or even a baby food jar instead?  They work great for carrying nuts in (and you can portion your food out knowing how many ounces each jar holds).

Ziplocks cost money.  Every bag you use and throw away is about 7 cents/bag.  That bag goes to the landfill and is never used again.  When I was growing up my mother used to wash ziplock bags by hand and reuse each one about 10 times before throwing it away.  I’ll give her brownie points for effort, but there is a simpler and healthier way to say goodbuy to needless plastic baggies.  Baby food jars!

Ok, so if you make your baby her own food or you don’t have a baby, you can do a few things.  Find a friend with a baby who is willing to save their jars for you.  Or, if you buy spices in glass jars, save the glass containers. When shopping at the grocer, buy products in glass containers instead of plastic (like salsa, sauces, oils, canned fruit).

Depending on the size of your baby food jar or alternative jar, you can use it for things like nuts, peanut butter on the go, dressing or oil for a salad on the go, the list is endless…

From right: 8oz baby jar with nuts, 4oz jar with walnut oil for salad, 4oz jar for all natural peanutbutter

From right: 8oz baby jar with nuts, 4oz jar with walnut oil for salad, 4oz jar for all natural peanutbutter

If your jars get too dirty to clean by hand, just boil some water and sterilize the jars and their caps for a fresh start!  (and remember to let your boiling water cool so you can give your garden or house plants a drink)

SIGG Secrets revealed, and now what?

08/26/2009 in Environmental, Health | No comments

The most recent reverberations through the green blogospheres has been the shocking news from SIGG eco bottle makers that all their bottles made before August 2008 were internally coated with a material that contains BPA.  It should be noted however that there is no study that has found these liners to leach BPA into the water.  Prior to this month, SIGG kept the contents of their bottles secret claiming an industry secret that would jeopardize their stake in the eco bottle market should they disclose their formula.  I am joining the crowd of eco buyers who feel betrayed by a company that marketed against BPA as having a water bottle that was BPA free.  They made fun of other manufactures and rode the wave of popularity because they could make a good product that wouldn’t harm us.  But alas.

My solution to this is NOT to go running to a SIGG competitor.  Instead, I will go with the tried and true, the most recycled and chemical free water bottle possible.  Glass old fashioned milk bottles, like the kind the milkman used to bring to your grandma’s door.  You can buy them online, some are recycled, some are new made from recycled glass.  They look chic and fit nicely in the fridge.  The downsides: breakable when dropped and may not fit in all vehicle cup holders.  So, if you can hang on to your bottle and put up with a minor inconvenience, you can have a cheap, recycled, chemical free water bottle.

Plastic Oceans… horrifying

05/10/2009 in Environmental | 1 comment

Ever wonder where all that plastic we use ends up?

Solution:
Recycle plastics you DO use and cut down on the amount of plastics you buy (food containers, ziplocks, waterbottles, household items, etc). Ask for paper at the grocer and recycle the bags. Buy a Sigg water bottle or Kleen Kanteen instead of wasting all those plastic bottles. Use glass dishes instead of ziplocks and plastic food containers. It is better for your health anyhow, and it saves you money in the long haul. cheers!