Strollerderby : toxic

Leaked Minutes: BPA Makers Fight Back

Miriam Axel-Lute — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

The public health blog Effect Measure has gotten their hands on a set of leaked minutes from a meeting of representatives of industries that use the toxic endocrine-mimicker bisphenol-A (BPA) on how to counter the negative media about it.

It's rich: They figure getting a scientific spokesperson won't be possible (gee, why?), but are hoping to find a young pregnant mom to do it. They want to emphasize the loss of conveinence to poor folks and busy mothers, appeal to our desire for choices, and make us worry about losing jobs. They don't figure they can win on Facebook and complain about already having spent too much money on this.

In fact it's so rich that I have to acknowledge that while I have no reason to doubt its veracity, if I were writing a satire of how I expected such a meeting to go, it would look just like that. Only it would be shorter and less detailed.

So y'all: You are forewarned. Someone's going to try to tell you BPA is good for you and your kids. It'll be just as insincere and self-serving as it sounds.

Photo of BPA-free sippy cups CC Tiffany Washko, via Flickr.

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They Say: Pool Water's Toxic for Baby

JeanneSager — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:21:00 GMT

Nobody wants to think of their kids taking in sips full of toxic water. But a new study says all the disinfectants we've been using to keep our drinking and swimming water clean may be doing just the opposite.

The ten-year study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency found that disinfectants mixing with organic matter in our water to create "disinfectant by-products" (DBP) with some pretty risky consequences.

"Some of these are toxic, some can cause birth defects, some are genotoxic, which damage DNA, and some we know are also carcinogenic," geneticist Michael Plewa said in HSDailyWire.com.

The scary part, as we head into summer, is the significant amount of DBPs found in swimming pools, where Plewa says body hair, urine (we all know kids pee in the pool) and other bits of human mix with the disinfectants in the pool. Because poolwater is generally recycled, Plewa says the concentration of DBPs in a swimming pool is tenfold what it is in drinking water. And babies, whose parents love to take them into the pool to escape the summer heat, are more susceptible than any of us to the damaging affects of DBPs.

So what can you do? Stay out of public pools - where people are doing all kinds of nasty. Stick your kids in fresh disinfectant-free water in a baby wading pool (and keep a VERY close eye on them), and wait until scientists come up with some new wonder product. . . which they'll find out twenty years down the line also causes cancer, but hey, what we don't know won't kills us. Right?

Image: ScienceDaily

Daycare Mistakes Windshield Wiper Fluid for Kool Aid, Kids Sick

JeanneSager — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:24:00 GMT

At least once a year, we run into a story like this - somewhere kids are sickened (or worse, die) when they drink a glass of windshield wiper fluid that someone thought was a cup of nice blue Kool-Aid.

No surprise then, that it's happened again - this time daycare workers in Arkansas gave ten kids glasses of windshield wiper fluid accidentally, sending all ten kids to the hospital. The kids, ages two to six, drank about an ounce each and are doing OK (as little as two tablespoons can kill a kid) - although doctors say they want the kids to be closely monitored.

The problem here (besides the fact that they were trying to give the kids Kool-Aid, yuck) is windshield wiper fluid is brightly colored - a lot like kids' favorite fruit drinks. Open up a bottle, and it smells sweet, making the liquid all the more tempting for kids. Obviously - with this case and dozens of others - those factors play as much of a role in adult mistakes too. Apparently, in Arkansas, a daycare worker had recently been shopping, coming back with a variety of products - one of which was grabbed and put in the refrigerator. Stupid mistake, but not beyond the realm of comprehension.

Considering all the health risks - blindness, seizures, DEATH - from drinking windshield wiper fluid, when are these companies going to step up to the plate and start making a product that scares kids off? Do they really think adults are going to stop needing clean car windows all of a sudden if they make their fluid stink? Do they really need to make a TOXIC product taste good?

Or does this all come down to the money?

Image: CDX

Which Kids Shampoos Have Cancer Causing Agents?

JeanneSager — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:01:00 GMT

Manufacturers of children's bath products are the latest to earn the ire of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which accuses the likes of Johnson & Johnson, Gerber and Bath and Body Works of putting chemicals linked to cancer in products meant for children.

The CSC, which put out a scathing report last year on cancer-causing agents in lipsticks, has released a study this month dubbed "No More Toxic Tub," accusing major kids bath product manufacturers of using formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane to produce shampoos, soaps, sunscreen, bubble bath and lotions. Neither is listed on the labels, the CSC says, but actual tests of forty-eight products found trace amounts.

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies 1,4-Dioxane as a “Group B2, probable human carcinogen,” while it ranks formaldehyde as "a probable human carcinogen." According to the CSC, sixty-one percent of twenty-eight products tested contained both chemicals. Twenty-three out of twenty-eight products tested contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from fifty-four to six hundred ten parts per million. In the broader spectrum test of forty-eight products, thirty-two contained 1,4-dioxane with levels up to thirty-five parts per million.

So what should you avoid?

The products that tested positive for 1,4-dioxane include:

American Girl Hopes and Dreams Glistening Shower and Bath Wash
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (three samples)
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Sunny Orange
Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (three samples)
Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion
Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath
CVS Baby Shampoo
CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast
Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath
Equate Tearless Baby Wash
Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash
Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash
Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
Johnson’s Moisture Care Baby Wash
Johnson’s Oatmeal Baby Wash - Vanilla
L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry hampoo – Burst of Cool Melon
Mustela Baby Shampoo
Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body Newborn/Baby
Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath
Night-time Bath Baby Wash
No-Ad Sun Pals SPF 45 UVA/UVB Sun Protection
Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon
Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango
Soft & Beautiful Just for Me! No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, Children’s Super
Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo – Wild Watermelon
Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath

The products that tested positive for formaldehyde include:

American Girl Hopes and Dreams Shimmer Body Lotion
American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (three samples)
Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (three samples)
Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath
CVS Baby Shampoo
CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast
Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath
Equate Tearless Baby Wash
Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash
Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash
Huggies Soft Skin – Shea Butter
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (two samples)
L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon
Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon
Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango
Tinker Bell Body Lotion
Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath

For a look at some alternatives, SuperEco has a round-up of non-toxic kids shampoos. You're probably going to need it.

Image: OneStepAhead

Does Your Family Follow the Five Second Rule?

JeanneSager — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:22:00 GMT

I am not that parent. The one who starts shrieking when her daughter picks a piece of banana off the floor and shoves it in her mouth.

We are firmly in the five second rule camp, helped along by Amy's recent reassurance that a little dirt never hurt anyone.

Oh hush. While you're screwing up your nose in disgust, I've got news for you - I'm not alone. A survey performed by Kelton Research for Oreck (folks I'm not embarrassed to admit I'm not too familiar with) showed sixty percent of Americans eat right off the floor, following the three-second rule. I would have put that number a lot higher myself.

Maybe it was their terminology - really, have you ever heard of the three-second rule? Me neither. A 2003 survey by a University of Illinois grad student granted an extra two seconds of leeway, and rustled up ten percent more grubby Americans for a whopping seventy percent of us eating off the floor. Yum!

Of course Oreck threw this little thing together to sell more vacuums; the way they see it, if we're going to eat off the floor anyway, it might as well be clean. And did they mention their handy dandy new germ-killing product? This isn't a review - I haven't tested the thing (see above), so I can't tell you how clean it makes your floors.

I can tell you their scary numbers don't really change anything. Bacteria schmacteria. I'm hard-pressed to see how letting my daughter pick her cereal up off the floor and eat it is any worse than her drinking her own bath water (ewww, I know, we're working on that one). I find it even harder to believe that any parent out there is able to watch their kids SO carefully that they NEVER eat anything off of the floor. So go check out their ick factor if you're interested. Or would you prefer to stay in my camp for the next five seconds or so?

Image: OnNetworks

Organic Dreams or Toxic Nightmares? You Pick

JeanneSager — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

I wasn't sure if I should feel like a bad parent or a bit of a grinch when I read this New York Times piece on the plight of parents trying to green every bit of their baby's world.

Keeping this mom up at night wasn't SIDS or milk production. She wants to known what's lurking inside her son's "organic" mattress.

Breaking down the confusing world of just what qualifies as a "safe" mattress, the article explains the root of parents' fears: fire retardants used to protect families from fires in bed have been found to show up in breastmilk, and some (discontinued) foams lead to nervous and reproductive systems in animals in 2004 study. Today, the materials used to make mattresses are largely proprietary, and the term "organic" can refer simply to the use of some organic cotton in the batting. What's more, the memory foam that's purported to give you a great night's sleep is a petroleum product.

Scary stuff. Definitely enough to make you question your parenting prowess if the main criteria used for picking your kid's mattress was "will a diaper blow-out be easy to clean at 2 a.m.?" Because that, next to cost, topped my list when it came to picking my daughter's crib mattress.

To be fair, "phthalate" wasn't a buzzword in early 2005 when I registered for my baby shower. But even since it has been bandied about, I haven't rushed to her room to chuck her mattress and pile the bed with organic cotton blankets. And, frankly, after reading this, I'm no more inclined to do so.

The Times piece - like so much of what is coming out these days about toxins - makes for worthy, interesting (and in-depth) reading. But it provides no real answers. It doesn't say mattresses are good, but there's little to point to anything wrong with it either. So I'll focus my fears where I know they're founded for now - and when it comes time to buy a "big girl" mattress, I'll read up once again to see if newer news can shed light on my questions.

Image: New York Times

They Say: One in Two Hundred Kids are Vegetarian

UPDATE: Thrift Shops Won't be Affected Under New Phthalate, Lead Ban

Recall after Five People Die; Tainted Peanut Butter Blamed

Stuff Yuppie Parents Like: Overpriced Strollers

Also on Babble:

Full of Hot Air?

UPDATE: Thrift Shops Won't be Affected Under New Phthalate, Lead Ban

JeanneSager — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:41:00 GMT

After the post below - and the Los Angeles Times story that prompted it - drew a lot of attention from parents worried thrift shops were on their way to extinction thanks to the impending Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act ban on children's products that test positive for phthalates and lead, we have good news!

Thrift shops are safe!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a clarification today stating, "The new safety law does not require resellers to test children's products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold."

Stores are prohibited from knowingly sell products that don't meet the new standards, but the new ruling clears up major confusion (and major fears) for retailers. Considering how much time I spend buying used clothes to save money on my daughter's wardrobe, it put a huge smile on my face too!

The original post:

Think the answer to saving money on your kid's clothes lies in the thrift shops?

You might want to stock up fast. Because the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that will go into affect on February 10 will affect not only sellers of new products but those selling used goods too.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times last week, Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops, said the places most people go to save a few extra bucks on outfitting their families won't be able to cough up the thousands of dollars necessary for testing every product aimed at kids under twelve.

"They'll all have to go to the landfill," Meyer said.

In this economy? This is the best option out there? Thrift stores - or goodwill shops - are low-cost, sometimes free options for parents. I've found some great bargains on clothes for my daughter - clothes made by big names who might even have the money for the tests, but weren't required by law to do so when the clothes were actually made. In my rural neighborhood, most of the thrift stores are run by churches - who open the doors to families who are down on their luck because of illness, job loss or a fire, absolutely free of charge. Now, suddenly, the places that run on donations to GIVE donations, are being ordered to spend thousands that they don't have.

My biggest concerns about the CPSIA plans came after talking to moms who make and sell products online, who talked to me about possibly going out of business because the government plan is so generalized it doesn't take into account the fact that organic cotton (just an example) isn't likely to share a toxic profile with plastics anyway. The legislation calls for ALL products that could "reasonably" land in a child's mouth to be tested by an independent lab, then tagged to prove it.

If it hasn't been tested - even if there is no lead or phthalates - it will be considered toxic, and it will have to be trashed. As in sent to the landfill, like Meyer said.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is supposed to consider today an excemption for clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood, but even that won't help most thrift shops. Clothes made of cotton - but with dyes - or cotton-polyester blends will still be subjected to the (expensive) tests.

I've said it before - I'm all for protecting the kids. But protecting our kids also means protecting parents' ability to put clothes on their back and shoes on their feet. And if the thrift shops or goodwill stores have to shutter on Feb. 10, an overwhelming number of Americans suffering in the midst of a recession, won't be able to do that.

Image/Source: The Los Angeles Times

Teen Has Cancer and Lives in a Car

China Detains Dad of Baby Sickened by Tainted Milk

AAP: Delayed Vaccines Too Risky for Kids

Vatican to Women: The Pill Pollutes Environment, His Testes

JeanneSager — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:01:00 GMT

Sometimes being a Catholic is all about ducking your head in shame and saying, "this is not my life."

Because the boys in the Vatican - you know the ones, they don't have sex - have come out with another decree about the woman's body. This time, it's the way our contraceptive pill is harming everyone else, and men worst of all.

As if we didn't know already that each little round pill popped out of the foil packet was destroying the world 28 days at a time by preventing the creation of more Catholic babies, now it's apparently sending toxins out to destroy the earth via our urine. The hardest hit? The male reproductive system.

"We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill," Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations," said in the report.

Bear with me here. A report just printed in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano says the pill makes women pee toxins. Which hurt the environment. Which makes men infertile.

Ah yes, making sense now. Because as any good Catholic girl knows, it all comes back to making babies. Which is why this one and done Mom is now a casual Catholic (well, one of the reasons).

I know pointing to the lack of baby-making experience anywhere inside the Vatican is an easy mark, but that doesn't make it any less true. As long as the church wants to focus its attentions on contraception and conception rather than equality between the sexes, as long as the misogynistic approach toward women's choices remains the Holy See's holy sayings, I'm wondering how they expect to retain credibility on a global scale.

Image/Source: Yahoo

New to Birth Certificate: Does Mom Have Chlamydia?

Why They Shouldn't Eat the Snow

Vatican Issues Advice: Have Babies! Unless You're Infertile!

They Say – Most Toys Are Toxic

Brett Singer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:30:00 GMT

NYPIRG, which is an acronym for "New York Public Interest Research Group" and not an ancient Hebrew word meaning "bummer", tested a bunch of toys for toxic materials. And they found nothing wrong! Right?

WRONG.

A third of the 1,500 toys NYPIRG tested contained "'medium' to 'high' concentrations of toxic chemicals." Oh, but they didn't test any cool toys that you might actually want to buy. Right?

WRONG!

The Disney Fairies Fold Out Chair and Sleeping Pad had "dangerous levels of mercury and bromine," according to published reports.

Well I’m fine because I stick with more traditional wooden toys from brands like Melissa & Doug. Those are OK.

WRONG!

NYPIRG tested Melissa & Doug's Beginner Band Set, whose label declares that the toy wooden instruments "are handmade, non-toxic and exceed U.S. standards." Those Grinches at NYPIRG found "high levels of lead and arsenic." This toy, as well as the Disney Chair/Pad, were found on the shelves at a Toys R Us in Manhattan. Fun!

Now, I'm not trying to make light of this situation. But it really feels like the only way to fully avoid nasty substances to do is not buy anything. I mean, if you can't trust Melissa & Doug, who can you trust? (This may not be an issue, since, as Madeline put it, nobody's buying anything this year anyway.)

I should also state clearly that I am only reporting what NYPIRG found. I have no direct knowledge of the levels of toxins in any toy made by Disney, Melissa & Doug, Irving & Wendy, or any other manufacturer or individual, known or unknown, on planet Earth or planets yet to be discovered.

NYPIRG suggests that parents visit HealthyToys.org before they shop. Of course, that won't help if no one has tested the toy that you want to buy. But I suppose it's a start.

Still, I'll ask the parent gallery – when you shop for toys, do you think about whether or not they contain potentially harmful substances? For some reason I think most parents (and this is just off the top of my head, I haven't asked anyone other than me) are more inclined to avoid potentially nasty stuff in food or food receptacles, such as BPA-free baby bottles. Will BPA-free toys be next?

Source: Metro

Image: Amazon.com

Are You Cutting Back This Holiday Season?

Morning News: Congresswoman Slams Down the Phone on Obama ... Twice! (also some toy news)

Babble's Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Mini Baby Sculptures Not Edible, Selling Like Hotcakes

Make Your Own Religious Doll (maybe these are non-toxic)

Denis Leary Puts Autism Comments In Context

Autistic Girl Kicked Out Of Girl Scouts

Brain Wave Study Sheds Light On Autism

The Poison Bottle: Canada and Walmart Take BPA Off Market

Cole Gamble — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Thanks to Canada’s proposed ban on plastic baby bottles with the chemical BPA, Walmart stores have announced they look to have such bottles free from their stores by next year.

Playtex, manufacturer of baby bottles, has also jumped aboard the anti-BPA bandwagon, announcing the company will discontinue BPA products by years end.

BPA, or bisphenol A, is a common plastic component found in dental sealants, baby bottles, the liners of food cans, CDs and DVDs, eyeglasses, water bottles and hundreds of household goods. If you are not familiar with the possible dangers of BPA, check out Amy’s or Madeline's post. Among the concerns over BPA addressed in a recent report from the U.S. government's National Toxicology Program are changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty and possibly precancerous changes in the prostate and breast.

While the National Toxicology Program’s findings have found the evidence of BPA damage in animal tests to be “limited” this report states the possible effects on humans “cannot be dismissed.”

Evidence of BPA’s dangers has been around for a while, but this is the first major government initiative to get them out of circulation. How about you, have you been BPA free for a while or is this all news to you?

On a complete unrealted note, take a look at thebaby picture in this post. Are those infant's ears pierced? Who does that?

Photo: www.growingkids.co.uk

Coaches Charged In Drink-Spiking Incident

Kelly Mills — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:03:00 GMT

Sometimes you read a story and think, "Either there's waaay more going on here than anyone is saying, or these people are bizarre idiots." And sometimes you end up right on both counts. Two high school wrestling coaches have been charged with disorderly conduct for spiking a 15-year-old wrestler's Gatorade. And what's the real tragedy here? Why, three days after the coaches were sacked, the wrestling team lost every single match in the quarterfinals, because they were so distracted by the incident and the loss of their great coaches. Mmm hmm.

Okay, now wait until you hear what they spiked the drink with: A chemical that tests show could either have been polyacrylatic acid or polyacrylamide. Both are industrial chemicals used in the absorbtion of water, and if ingested as a powder, they could make a person's throat swell and make it difficult or impossible to breathe. However, if you dilute with water, they become gelatinous and are considered non-toxic. My first thought was that perhaps it was some nutty wrestler way of messing with making weight (some of 'em try and drop weight or add it to wrestle in a particular class.) The coaches lawyers' say it was a prank, but I really, really don't get it. What was supposed to happen when the kid drank it? And would anyone have been amused? Eeeesh.

New Recalls: Children's Rings and Jewelry

Karen Murphy — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:03:00 GMT

Why, oh why, do manufacturers insist on making jewelry for children that's chock-full of lead? Here's a new lineup of recalls issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission: children's "birthstone" necklace and earring sets, sold exclusively at Kmart (known for its fine jewelry) and ugly Vegas-style children's "pinkie" rings, sold at Big Lots (another fine jewelry purveyor), each bearing toxic amounts of lead. Yummy! If you own these, the CPSC advises taking the item away from your children immediately! Or sooner! And then take it to the store for a refund. Check the links for more information.

Nothing is Safe: Baby Bottles Found to be Toxic

Karen Murphy — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:37:00 GMT

So you've just thrown out your baby's plastic toys, but those bottles are safe, right? Wrong! It turns out they contain and leach out a chemical called bisphenol A which is used to make clear plastic. Five popular bottle brands were tested: Avent, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex, and ALL FIVE were found to leach bisphenol A at levels considered high enough to cause harm in numerous laboratory animal studies (sorry, mice, so sorry, but then again, thank you). Bisphenol A has been linked by scientists to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity (WTF? Does everything cause that?), diabetes and hyperactivity.

Is nothing safe or sacred? Apparently not. I think I'll go hide in a hole somewhere now. So what's a parent to do? The bottles are all poison? Even many breast-fed babies use bottles sometimes. Well, there's glass. That's still pretty safe, aside from the obvious breakage-and-stepping-in-shards factor. And there IS "safer" plastic. There's more information here at the site of Environment California, a group working to require product manufacturer labeling and reforms in chemical manufacturers' policies (but I still couldn't find which plastics were considered "safer").

Put That Toy Down! It's Toxic!

Karen Murphy — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:33:00 GMT

Ah yes, phthalates. Ya can't live with 'em, ya can't live without 'em. I can't even pronounce 'em (and when I try to, it makes me think of fellatio, so never mind). Anyway, that stuff that shall remain unpronounceable, what is it exactly? Oh yes. Chemicals. And chemicals = bad! And this stuff is in your nail polish, your flooring and your perfume, your sex toys, not to mention in your baby's toys. That he puts in his mouth. It's the stuff they mix with other plastic to make it nice and soft and pliable, and it's the stuff that was banned and then not banned in toys in San Francisco.

Although like many controversial subjects there is conflicting information about the effect of phthalates, many toy manufacturers voluntarily discontinued their usage in certain baby toys (notably rattles and teethers) way back in 1999, and these toy manufacturers have removed them from their entire product lines: Brio, Chicco, Evenflo, First Years, Gerber, Mega Bloks, and Safety 1st.