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Author |
Published |
Section |
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, special series, toxics (all these topics) |
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Two Words: No Plastics
A guide to buying non-plastic baby products |
Katy Balatero |
20 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Worried sick about plastic -- or even feeling a teeny bit queasy? Here are a few alternatives for common baby items, and resources for where to buy 'em. (And don't forget, you could always make your own.) Squeaky clean and PVC-free. Photo: iStockphoto Bathtubs Non-plastic baby tubs seem to be hard to find; probably the best you can do here is to use a nylon mesh sling or recyclable polypropylene Tummy ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Lead-ers of Tomorrow
Lead levels in toxic toys were off the charts |
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19 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:04 AM on 19 Sep 2007 In reaction to the recent lead-painted-toy recalls, no doubt some laissez-faire non-parents shrugged it off -- when pretty much everything is tainted with toxins, what's a little lead in paint? Except that, well, it was more than just a little lead. Some of the toys recalled by Mattel this summer contained 180 times the legally allowable level of the heavy metal, while some kids' jewelry sold by ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Sex Education
A primer on chemicals, fertility, and reproduction |
Emily Gertz |
18 Sep 2007 |
Grist Feature |
| Illustration: Keri Rosebraugh Feeling unusually infertile lately? You're not alone: according to a December 2005 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 12 percent of American couples reported having a hard time conceiving a child and bearing it to term in 2002, up 20 percent from the 6.1 million couples reporting such "impaired fecundity" in 1995. Although the re ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, parenting, sex, special series, toxics (all these topics) |
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That's it. Now I am angry
Cats are the canaries of PBDEs |
Eric de Place |
16 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is my cat, George. He is fat and grouchy, but I love him. He likes to sun himself on the patio. This is a link to Sightline's research on PBDEs, toxic flame retardants. A couple of years ago, we conducted a study of PBDEs and found high concentrations in the breast milk of nursing mothers throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was bad news. And what's the connection to George? Well, new scientific research shows that PBDEs are making house cats sick. ( ... |
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| Topics: animal welfare, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Prints: Not Charming
Laser printers can emit high levels of unhealthy small particles, study says |
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02 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Prints: Not Charming Laser printers can emit high levels of unhealthy small particles, study says Remember how computers were going to usher in the Paperless Office? We so should have done that. An Australian study has found that many laser printers emit high levels of small particles that can be harmful to human health, with the highest-emitting machines rivaling the small-particle pollution of ci ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Airing on the Side of Caution
Chemical dangers to air-breathing animals overlooked, researchers say |
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13 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Airing on the Side of Caution Chemical dangers to air-breathing animals overlooked, researchers say A new study in Science says regulators have overlooked the effects that thousands of chemicals could have on air-breathing organisms. Such as, for instance, people. In general, regulators study how chemicals accumulate in aquatic-based food chains; they look at how toxics dissolve in water and ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Spit on Polish
Community advocates focus on dangers of nail salons |
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27 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Spit on Polish Community advocates focus on dangers of nail salons They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and the rising tide of eco-awareness is now lifting ... nail salons. The fume-filled shops are getting attention from groups eager to expose their health risks, which can include cancer and birth defects. The U.S. EPA has given two Seattle-area nonprofits a $100,000 grant for a three-year "Toxic Beau ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, Seattle, toxics (all these topics) |
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Drugs busted
Communities taking action for clean water |
Erik Hoffner |
22 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Communities around the country are getting wise to the threat posed by the common practice of flushing old drugs, which inevitably end up in rivers after passing straight through sewage treatment facilities, feminizing fish, mutating frogs, and worse, probably. One recent effort in coastal Maine collected hundreds of pounds of drugs for proper disposal, but this impressive total was crushed by another grassroots 'clean sweep' that collected over a ton of pharmaceutic ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, toxics, waste, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Pun in the sun
EWG takes a look at how sunscreens stack up |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As the summer sun starts to heat up in Seattle, I've been wondering what sort of environmentally sound sunscreen options are out there to protect my pale, pale flesh from certain scorching. I considered writing to Umbra under a pseudonym to get an answer, but the Environmental Working Group jumped on the subject before I could with their new guide to both the efficacy and the environmental health cred of more than 780 different sunscreens. Sweet.In their databas ... |
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| Topics: green living, green products, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Trouble With a Capital B
Chemicals play a big role in breast-cancer cases, says report |
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15 May 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Trouble With a Capital B Chemicals play a big role in breast-cancer cases, says report You know how Tammy Wynette said sometimes it's hard to be a woman? Well, it just got harder: a new report finds a potential link between breast cancer and 216 chemicals, including 35 common air pollutants and 73 food or consumer-product ingredients. Racking up evidence from hundreds of existing lab tests, researchers concluded that en ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Fat rats may be evidence that we're all doomed
Are our standards for exposure to toxics all wrong? |
Kate Sheppard |
12 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| An intriguing new study published recently on Environmental Health News challenges the long-held assumption on which all regulatory toxicology testing is based, and poses new questions about what -- and how much -- of certain toxic substances merit 'OK' exposure. Toxicology tests are usually performed by giving subjects (usually rodents) high doses of a substance and monitoring the biological response. The assumption has long been that what these high doses do to ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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How Much Wood Could a Wood Check Chuck?
California restricts formaldehyde in wood products |
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27 Apr 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| How Much Wood Could a Wood Check Chuck? California restricts formaldehyde in wood products It may be a land of earthquakes, smog, and drought, but California's doing something right. In the latest in a string of forward-thinking green policies, state air regulators passed restrictions on formaldehyde in wood products that are the restrictiest in the world. "There is no safe threshold for this carcinoge ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Message on a Bottle
On aluminum bottles |
Umbra Fisk |
04 Apr 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Umbra, Are aluminum bottles safer than Nalgene bottles? I'm looking at getting Sigg bottles for my self, wife, and son. Vendor agnostic, are the materials used by aluminum-only vendors safer than those that incorporate Lexan? Chris Webber Seattle, Wash. Dearest Chris, I swear, I pick questions and only then do I notice that yet again I have chosen one from Seattle. It is not a conspiracy. I just wanted a question to go with our r ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Healthy cars
Also known as bikes |
Sarah van Schagen |
20 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Is your car safe?I'm not talking seat belts and air bags. Nope, I'm asking about that new-car smell. Take a big whiff, and ask yourself again: Is your car safe? What you smell may be part of a toxic soup of chemicals off-gassing from parts like the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, and seat. These chemicals can include bromine, chlorine, lead, and other toxins that contribute to a litany of health problems ranging from decreased fertility to liver, kidney, th ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Meany in a Bottle
Baby bottles found to leak chemicals, California may ban them |
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01 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Meany in a Bottle Baby bottles found to leak chemicals, California may ban them Most parents discourage their kiddos from ingesting known toxics, so a new study from green group Environment California is a bit of a bummer: when run through a simulated dishwasher 50 to 75 times, name-brand baby bottles leach the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in levels that have caused reproductive abno ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, health, news, parenting, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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