 Stories About: green living AND health AND toxics
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C6 of One, Half Dozen of the Other
Replacement for nasty chemical may be no less nasty, says EWG |
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10 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:40 PM on 10 Jun 2008 Under pressure from the U.S. EPA, eight chemical companies are phasing out perfluorooctanoic acid in nonstick, oil-resistant, and stain-resistant products -- but industry-favored substitutes may be no safer, says a new report from the Environmental Working Group. The chemical, known for brevity as PFOA or C8, has been linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and immu ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Splash Animation
On kiddie pools |
Umbra Fisk |
09 Jun 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Regarding your obsession with vinyl, as pertains to summer parenting: Greenpeace's thorough Vinyl Alternatives list indicates that no good alternatives to vinyl kiddie pools exist. Do you think it is worth it to put a huge effort into manufacturing or finding a vinyl-free backyard wading experience? I can't stop thinking about this, and think it merits faking a question. Yours as always, Umbra Dearest Me, What a great questi ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Leading to problems
Implications of the study linking childhood lead exposure and adult criminality |
Liz Borkowski |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A study just published in the journal PLoS Medicine (and written up in the L.A. Times) suggests a link between childhood lead exposure and adult arrests for violent crimes. Studying 250 adults for whom they had prenatal and childhood blood lead level measurements, University of Cincinnati researchers found that each 5-microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels at age 6 was associated with a nearly 50 percent increased risk of arrest as a young adult (the ris ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, green living, health, parenting, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Candy-shaped rat poison on its way out
EPA gives manufacturers three years to adjust to new regulations designed to protect children |
Fawn Pattison |
30 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The U.S. EPA announced today that it would be tightening up the safety requirements on ten nasty rodenticides that are blamed for poisoning around 10,000 children -- mostly black and Latino inner-city kids -- every year. Those ten chemicals will no longer be available in the form of little pellets that look like candy, and that small children are so prone to stick in their mouths. The new rules will require non-agricultural users of rat poison to use it only inside tam ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, parenting, regulation, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The Lawn and Short of It
How to green your yard -- even more |
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13 May 2008 |
From A to Green |
| One of the most enduring truisms on earth is that all you need -- aside from love, of course -- is loam. Good dirt and a few seeds can get you a plot of paradise, whether you're nursing daffodils in a window box, planting a native tree, or cultivating carrots, cukes, and Incredible Hulk-sized zucchini in a perfectly preened organic garden. Go a few steps further -- grab a rake, shovel, spade, soaker hose, hemp gardening ... |
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| Topics: advice, From A to Green, gardening, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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SKB and BPA on NPR
Everything you wanted to know about bisphenol A, in my dulcet tones |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
08 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| I was on NPR talking about bisphenol A (that nasty chemical all up in our plastics). Audio is here. I expect these questions will be forthcoming: Do you always sound a bit froggy? No, I was a wee bit sick. Do you always make up rhymes on the spot? Yes. Yes, I do. |
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| Topics: green living, health, shameless self-promotion, toxics (all these topics) |
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Tough as Nails
A five-fingered review of less-toxic nail polishes |
Sarah van Schagen |
06 May 2008 |
The Bottom Line |
| If you've ever gone in for a manicure and, getting a good whiff of the stuff, wondered what sort of chemicals create a smell like that, you've hit the nail polish issue on the head. Those tiny little glass bottles of paint that we apply so gingerly to our fingernails and toenails -- and unless you're a manicure Michelangelo, often our skin as well -- contain a long list of chemicals, some of th ... |
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| Topics: advice, green living, green products, health, shopping, The Bottom Line, toxics (all these topics) |
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Soiled Again
On lead and gardens |
Umbra Fisk |
05 May 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, In your reply to the question about pollution and rooftop gardening, you talked a fair amount about lead pollution. Since gasoline is no longer leaded, and since it's container gardening that wouldn't have any lead paint in it, and surely nobody has lead water pipes any more, why is lead even a concern? Teresa Brenham, Tex. Dearest Teresa, Our ecological history hangs around our necks like a lead weight. Still heavy after al ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, gardening, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Lipstick Bungle
An interview with Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics |
Katharine Wroth |
02 May 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Stacy Malkan. Beauty, they say, is only skin deep. But given the load of toxic chemicals in everyday products like shampoo, deodorant, and makeup, that superficial truth is still cause for concern. With increasing frequency, studies point to hidden dangers in the medicine cabinet: things like lead in lipstick, phthalates in baby lotions, aluminum in deodorant. While the am ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, grassroots activism, green living, health, interview, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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Down to the Last Drop
Nalgene, Wal-Mart back away from BPA |
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18 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:08 PM on 18 Apr 2008 Bottle manufacturer Nalgene will stop using plastic containing bisphenol A in response to concerns from the National Toxicology Program and the Canadian health department that the chemical probably shouldn't be sucked on by kids. Nalgene says it still believes its clear, hard plastic bottles "are safe for their intended use" but says it's responding to customers who "indicated they preferr ... |
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| Topics: business, food, green living, green products, health, news, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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Slurps of joy
Nalgene dumps estrogenic ingredient |
Fawn Pattison |
18 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Have you been fretting over the reports of gender-bending pollutants leaching from reusable water bottles? Finally, some good news: Nalgene is dumping polycarbonate plastic, according to a report in The New York Times today. Nalgene made its decision in response to Health Canada's announcement earlier this week that it would list bisphenol A as a toxicant. BPA is the estrogenic plastic additive that makes polycarbonate a dubious choice for food and beverage contain ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Ew, Toxins Again?
U.S. health agency says ubiquitous chemical may harm kiddos |
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16 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:24 PM on 16 Apr 2008 A U.S. federal agency has declared that there is "some concern" that chemical bisphenol A can harm the development of children's brains and reproductive systems. The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, issued a draft report following up on an 18-month review of BPA. The agency reported more concern than was suggested by its advisory panel, ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, health, news, parenting, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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If It's Broke, Fix It
EPA announces new lead standards for renovation of older buildings |
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31 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:04 PM on 31 Mar 2008 Contractors will have to train workers to follow "lead-safe work practice standards" when renovating or repairing older dwellings that house children or pregnant women, according to new standards introduced Monday by the U.S. EPA. The new requirements are an attempt to keep lead out of the bloodstreams of babes, as structures built before 1978 are likely to contain ... |
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| Topics: green building, green living, health, news, placemaking, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Ash Ask
On burning paper |
Umbra Fisk |
19 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, We heat our house primarily by wood, in an efficient, EPA-rated woodstove. My question is this: We recycle all of our paper, paperboard, cardboard, etc., but would it be better to burn it? As it is, we drive it to the recycle center, they ship it off somewhere, it is then processed, then shipped back out as a product. If we burn it, we get some heat, and ashes to spread on our garden. Which is better for paper -- recycling or burning ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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A hunk, a hunk of burnin' love
Why burning a vinyl album is a bad idea |
Sarah van Schagen |
16 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Thursday night, a group of us Grist gals headed out to The Stranger's Valentine's Day Bash -- a yearly purge for Seattle's lovelorn wherein the wronged bring in mementos of their failed relationship and host Dan Savage destroys them on stage in some sick and twisted but totally satisfying way. (Fret not, old boyfriends, I didn't destroy anything of yours ...) Weapons of choice include a sledgehammer, a power saw, liquid nitrogen, men's urinals, a high-powered blend ... |
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| Topics: advice, green living, health, music, toxics (all these topics) |
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Polyvinyl Want an Attacker?
PVC is latest target of folks concerned about toxic toys |
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13 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:57 AM on 13 Feb 2008 Photo: iStockphoto Lead-toy furor is so last year; the source du jour of parental outrage is plastic polyvinyl chloride in toys. Numerous playthings -- balls, dolls, rubber duckies, tea sets, you name it -- contain PVC, which is made with carcinogen vinyl chloride, often softened with phthalates, and frequently contains lead and other heavy metals. While the Toy Industry Associa ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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My Three Sins
On avoiding vinyl |
Umbra Fisk |
13 Feb 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Hi Umbra! I've been in denial about vinyl. Blue Vinyl, the movie, got me thinking, but unfortunately I space out and lie to myself. I even have bought those recently popular adult toys that advertise as being vinyl in large unavoidable proclamations on the front of the box and I still managed somehow to think, "It is probably a different process for toys." After reading your article about the LPs, I realized just how bad I have ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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Toxic as a Baby's Bottom
Lotioned-up babies have high phthalate levels, says study |
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04 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:58 AM on 04 Feb 2008 Photo: iStockphoto Ways to poison your kids: It's not just bottles, car seats, and toys anymore! Tots exposed to baby cosmetics -- lotions, shampoos, powders, and the like -- have high levels of toxic phthalates in their wee bodies, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. Lotion exposure led to the highest phthalate concentrations in infant urine; use of baby ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Clorox + Wal-Mart = deeelight
The latest green partnership |
Katharine Wroth |
14 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Dave posted earlier about the new green cleaning line from Clorox and his combined reaction of happy feelings and 'how will greens spin this into suckage.' But wait, it gets better: Wal-Mart is investing big time in the Clorox product line. Check this quote from a Wal-Mart press release: 'Wal-Mart's support of Green Works has significantly influenced the scale of our launch,' said Ed Huber, vice president of sales, Wal-Mart team at Clorox. 'Along with their size a ... |
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| Topics: business, consumerism, green living, health, shopping, toxics, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Do They Suck?
On Camelbaks |
Umbra Fisk |
07 Jan 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, Recently, I've started to try to avoid plastics (especially plastic water bottles). For Christmas, my brother gave me a Camelbak-type water bottle. How safe is this? I assume it's as bad as most plastic water bottles. Timothy Kearney Issaquah, Wash. Dearest Timothy, Gifting quandary alert. But does it suck? Photo: iStockphoto Not all plastic water bottles are equal. In a larger context of avoiding plastic, we may occasionally ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Chem Again
On bleach |
Umbra Fisk |
10 Dec 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Greetings, I recently was infected with MRSA. It got better. As part of my treatment I'm supposed to use bleach in my laundry and around the house to help kill the bacteria. While I'm brunette, I feel like the stereotypical blonde about bleach. What are the environmental impacts of this chemical? Thanks, Emily Indiana Editor's Note: Oh, how Umbra would love to answer this question -- but she's been kidnapped! Please donate to Grist by 11:59 p.m. P ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Toxics 'R' Us
Everyday folk found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:16 AM on 09 Nov 2007 Volunteers across the U.S. were found to have toxic bisphenol-A, PBDEs, and phthalates in their blood and urine, says a small study sponsored by a coalition of environmental health groups. The "Is It in Us?" study analyzed 35 people from seven states; while the sample size was too small to be representative of the larger population, the results were quite similar to those of a hu ... |
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| Topics: Centers on Disease Control and Prevention, green living, health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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The Age of Ban
Senate passes asbestos ban, Democrats want to rid toys of lead |
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05 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:38 PM on 05 Oct 2007 Hey, you with the asbestos-contaminated attic: The Senate has unanimously passed a measure to ban importation, manufacture, processing, and distribution of products containing asbestos. Forty other nations have already banned the cancer-causing mineral, which is found in more than 3,000 consumer products in the U.S. Speaking of things that should have happened a long time ago, Democrat ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, legislation, news, parenting, politics, toxics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Into the Drink
California may require labels on bottled water, EPA strengthens lead-in-water regulations |
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27 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:08 PM on 27 Sep 2007 Bottled-water companies would have to disclose the source of their H2O under a bill that has passed through the California legislature and awaits the pen of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill would require companies to list the minerals, chemicals, and bacteria present in bottled water, as well as whether it came originally from a well, aquifer, spring, or ... |
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| Topics: California, food, green living, health, news, regulation, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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To Freak or Not To Freak?
How four green parents deal with the plastics scare |
Katharine Wroth |
20 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Pop quiz time: plastic baby bottles are a) completely safe, or b) a risk to you, your baby, and every other living thing in the entire universe? The answer lies somewhere in between -- but you wouldn't know it from most media reports. Over the last year, countless stories have sprung up citing research about the dangers of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A leaching from clear plastic baby b ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, green living, health, parenting, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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