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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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LP, I Need Somebody
On vinyl records |
Umbra Fisk |
04 Feb 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Umbra, I know that PVC is bad, and vinyl records are PVC (right?), but is there any harm in keeping the records I already have, or should I get rid of them? And if so, what's the best way to do so? I've recently been trying to phase out any "bad" plastics, including anything that leaches, and while I understand the danger of plastic leaching chemicals into a water bottle, is there anything all that bad about playing an old ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, health, music, 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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Pesticide-free produce, pesticide-free kids
Organic food reduces organophosphate exposure in children |
Clark Williams-Derry |
31 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| By now, I think most people understand that organic food is supposed to be healthier for you. But I think there are still some people who feel that the health benefits are a just a bunch of marketing hype. Well, this new study suggests that it ain't just hype -- organic produce really does reduce kids' exposure to some potentially risky pesticides. From the Seattle P-I: The peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety o ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, health, organic food, toxics (all these topics) |
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Fish tales
NYT satire gives candidates' alleged responses to the fish 'n' mercury issue |
Sarah K. Burkhalter |
27 Jan 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The New York Times has a pretty funny satirical article up about candidates' alleged responses to reports of high mercury content in New Yawk tuna sushi. Obama: 'Unlike other candidates, I have been saying since 2002 that we were headed down a disastrous road with our sushi policy. But what we need now is a president who will not use this crisis just to scare up votes. We need a president who can get past the tired, old partisan divisions that pit one kind of ... |
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| Topics: elections, fishing, funnies, health, mercury, oceans, politics, presidential race 08, 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: shopping, health, toxics, Wal-Mart, consumerism, green living, business (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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Toxics cause cancer
Pollution's effects linger, long after compounds are banned |
Clark Williams-Derry |
14 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| A new study by researchers at a British Columbia cancer agency stands as a stark reminder that, when it comes to pollution, an ounce of pollution prevention is worth a pound of cure: Researchers found people with the highest levels of a certain type of insecticide in their blood had 2.7 times the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma as those with the lowest amounts ... People with PCBs in their blood, meanwhile, had twice the risk of developing the ... |
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| Topics: health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Health for all
The environmental health/justice nexus |
Erik Hoffner |
13 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Earlier this week, I was at a unique environmental justice event in Boston. It was a meeting of grantees of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the most hopeful government agencies I've come across. One of its activities is to fund university researchers and grassroots groups which collaborate to study the environmental causes of asthma, cancers, lupus, lung disease (and more) in their home communities. Environmental health research is cri ... |
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| Topics: health, toxics, environmental justice (all these topics) |
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A Thorn in Our Sulfide
U.S. EPA considers regulating hydrogen sulfide, industry not into the idea |
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11 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:29 PM on 11 Dec 2007 It may be shocking to learn that a gas with the odor of rotten eggs is actually not good for you, but sure enough: the U.S. EPA is considering regulating hydrogen sulfide, a nasty-smelling gas that emanates from oil refineries, paper mills, landfills, CAFOs, and any other place where organic material containing sulfur decomposes. Hydrogen sulfide is known to be dead ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, jackassery, news, toxics, US EPA (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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My toxic water bottles
Ignorance isn't bliss, it's just better than knowing |
Eric de Place |
08 Dec 2007 |
Gristmill |
| It's well known in environmental advocacy that people can easily be overwhelmed by problems. They wind up feeling paralyzed rather than motivated. I've always treated this as a theoretical point about communications, but I've had to admit that I'm an example. Here's how. Mountain Equipment Co-op, (aka "the REI of Canada"), just pulled from shelves a batch of polycarbonate plastics, including those ubiquitous Nalgene bottles. According to an article in t ... |
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| Topics: health, toxics (all these topics) |
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The Sands of Grime
Waterways downstream from oil sands are full o' toxins, says study |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:46 PM on 09 Nov 2007 Fish, water, and sediment downstream from the gigantic oil sands projects in Alberta are chock-full of carcinogens and other toxins, says a new study. While the research does not make a direct link between the oil sands, the toxins, and presumed health consequences, the largely Native residents of downstream community Fort Chipewyan have long suspected that they experience high ... |
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| Topics: Alberta, energy, environmental justice, health, news, oil, oil sands, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Fume and Far Between
FEMA prohibits employees from entering toxic trailers |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:54 AM on 09 Nov 2007 Concerned about formaldehyde fumes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has prohibited its employees from entering thousands of stored trailers. And the hurricane victims living in some 50,000 trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi? Well, FEMA hasn't gotten around to seeing if those trailers are toxic yet -- last week, the agency postponed plans to begin testing -- but eh, they'll be f ... |
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| Topics: health, insanity, Louisiana, Mississippi, news, 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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Patty Ache
Asbestos legislation watered down, disappointing activists |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:08 PM on 06 Nov 2007 Public-health advocates who in June praised legislation to ban asbestos now say the version passed by the Senate last month was watered down so significantly that they no longer support it. Thanks in large part to industry lobbying, many products containing cancer-causing asbestos wouldn't be banned under the new version of the bill. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has labored for years to ge ... |
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| Topics: health, legislation, news, politics, toxics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Banana Split
Six farmworkers compensated for pesticide exposure, six cases dismissed |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:00 PM on 06 Nov 2007 Six farmworkers who became sterile after working on a Nicaraguan banana plantation three decades ago were awarded a total $3.3 million from Dole Food Co. and Dow Chemical, after a judge agreed that the corporations "actively suppressed information about" the "reproductive toxicity" of now-banned pesticide DBCP. Six other plaintiffs with a similar claim had th ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, health, industrial ag, litigation, news, Nicaragua, toxics (all these topics) |
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Leaded Gasoline Is a Crime -- No, Literally
Phasing out leaded gasoline may have reduced crime rates, says research |
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22 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:39 PM on 22 Oct 2007 Thank the Clean Air Act for significantly reducing violent crime rates in the U.S., says researcher Jessica Wolpaw Reyes. The legislation was behind the phaseout of leaded gasoline in the 1970s and '80s, which significantly reduced blood levels of the heavy metal in Americans. The arc of lead-exposure rates seems to match the arc of violent crime i ... |
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| Topics: health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Kiss of death
New report reveals lead content in lipsticks |
Sarah van Schagen |
11 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics today released a report revealing that a number of name-brand lipsticks contain lead, some at levels up to six times the FDA limit for lead in candy. |
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| Topics: fashion, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Berry Bad News
EPA approves carcinogenic pesticide |
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08 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:45 PM on 08 Oct 2007 Just when we think the U.S. EPA might have some sense, it goes and approves a carcinogenic pesticide, ignoring scientists' warnings that "pregnant women and the fetus, children, the elderly, farmworkers, and other people living near application sites would be at serious risk." As a substitute for ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide, California and Florida strawberry growers and other farmers will w ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, California, Florida, health, news, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Lose five pounds fast!
A no-makeup diet is healthier for you and the planet |
Sarah van Schagen |
06 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Did you know you can absorb up to five lbs. of chemicals every year from make-up and other "beauty" products? Yikes. A British paper presents that and other scary facts -- "the average woman eats, albeit unwittingly, five lipsticks a year, which in her lifetime is the equivalent volume of 1.5 blocks of lard" -- in a story about a pair of sisters who switch out all of their toxic cosmetics for chem-free versions and report on the differences. ... |
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| Topics: fashion, health, 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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You Missed a Spot
On household help and homemade cleansers |
Umbra Fisk |
01 Oct 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I recently moved in with my investment-banker boyfriend. So far, my efforts to teach him to have more fun with less stuff have been largely successful; however, I've hit a roadblock when it comes to his cleaning lady. My first question, Umbra, is this: what are the social and ecological implications of hiring a maid (one who commutes using public transportation and is paid more than double minimum wa ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green cleaning, health, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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DDT, Yeah You Know Me
Study suggests link between DDT exposure and breast cancer |
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01 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:04 PM on 01 Oct 2007 Women exposed to the pesticide DDT as children are five times as likely to develop breast cancer, according to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Draw your own conclusions. source: Los Angeles Times From the Archives Veg Out. Today is World Vegetarian Day. Lejeune Bugged. U.S. Navy must notify N.C.-based Marines of exposure to contamin ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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