Help a Fisherman Out: #CitizenGulf National Day of Action
What are you doing Wednesday night? If you happen to live in DC, San Francisco, L.A., Santa Monica, San Jose or any one of the 19 cities listed here, think about joining a Citizen Gulf meet-up to mark a National Day of Action to help Gulf fishermen and their families impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster.
Most importantly, you can kick in one of the $10 (or more) donations that are needed to raise $50,000 to help Gulf Coast fishing families recover from the disaster.
You may have heard that the Government has declared the Gulf waters open for fishing. (Kind of like they declared the air around Ground Zero safe to breathe. Remember that?) Many fishermen aren’t buying that line either…They haven’t gone back to work because they don’t want their kids or yours or mine to suffer the ill effects of eating seafood contaminated with the dispersants and oil that’s accumulated in the Gulf. (I still stick with what the experts at TedXOilSpill had to say on the matter, as I blogged here. Bottom line: no one knows the impact, and we won’t know for years).
Where will your money and time go? To efforts like the After School Assembly program run by Catholic Charities.
“After School Assembly has proven to be a family strengthener. When children are educated and cared for in a safe and no-cost environment, it reduces the stress of the parents and the stress on the family. Because we consider the oil spill to be an economic mental health crisis, we are trying to help families through many varied services.”
I just made my donation, and I’m sorry to report that the fund raising efforts aren’t exactly zooming along. Just four people have donated. Yes, I know it’s back-to-school time. (I saw the crowds tonight at the Bethesda Staples, where I was crowned “Mayor.”) Sure, you’re packing for a last minute beach vacation. But it takes 2 minutes …I timed it.
C’mon. Help out. Donate now.
Thanks!
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (0) |@GreenMoms Take On Cosmetics: Safe or Unsafe? And Should We Support the Safe Cosmetics Act?: It’s the Green Moms Carnival!
We’ve got a wonderful round-up of posts from members of the Green Moms Carnival, women who have been following the debate about cosmetics ingredients for years, and have interesting stories to share.
Let’s start off with Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse. Diane blogs “evidence is emerging that the cumulative use of these products may be contributing to asthma, the onset of puberty in girls as young as three years old, and even the feminization of baby boys. Because cosmetics, soaps and shampoos are washed down the drain, they get into our water system, where they’re wreaking havoc on wildlife. And what about their relationship to breast cancer?”
But Diane doesn’t leave us hanging – she gives three common-sense ways we can reduce our exposure to the potential risks of cumulative exposure to low doses of chemicals.
Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish tells the story of why she tried to get away from a cute seat mate on a recent flight. “His Axe cologne, or whatever heinous product he was wearing, made my eyes water, nose itch, throat close up, and left me with a throbbing headache.”
That’s something I’ve experienced as well. Once you stop using synthetic fragrances, it’s hard to even be around them. A walk down a grocery store aisle – or a whiff of last year’s BlogHer room drops – can leave you feeling miserable.
Lisa from Condo Blues recounts an interesting discussion with a research scientist from a personal care company.
“One of the biggest secrets about what chemicals (or not) is in a product is what makes up the product’s fragrance,” she notes. “Last summer, I had the chance to talk to a representative from a large personal care company. She claimed that even her company didn’t know what was in the fragrances of their products because they buy the fragrance from a special fragrance house that has a super secret formula and ironclad nondisclosure agreement that says the fragrance house won’t tell the company what’s in the signature scent of their brand of shampoo.”
Katy at Non-Toxic Kids makes a case for showing The Story of Cosmetics to friends who may be unfamiliar with the battle for safer cosmetics. As she puts it, “Why should you care? There is a growing body of research showing links between many of the chemicals in our personal care products and serious diseases and conditions. Chemicals like triclosan, phthalates, parabens are in most cosmetics. Phthalates are often labeled as “fragrance”. Triclosan is labeled as an “antibacterial.”
And no one is looking at their synergistic effect on our bodies, especially those who are developing and growing at rapid rates: our children. The companies who make these products are using many chemicals that have never been independently tested for safety. That’s right, never.”
Linda from Citizen Green presents a well researched post that follows-up on Katy’s assertion. As Linda blogs, “Only 11 percent of the 10,500 ingredients in personal care products have been assessed for safety by the cosmetics industry.”
And that’s the reason Deanna of Crunchy Chicken blogs, “Make sure you start checking your product labels!”
Karen of Best of Mother Earth pulls no punches when she asks, “How can cosmetic companies like Estee Lauder raise funds for cancer research and produce products with carcinogens in them? Shouldn’t they start in their own back yard and produce a safe cosmetic in the first place?”
I always especially enjoy the contributions of our Carnival members from outside the United States. In Amber’s post at Strocel.com, Story of Cosmetics: Canadian Edition, she blogs about the situation in Canada – how in some ways it parallels the situation in the US, and yet how there are subtle differences. For example, Canadian cosmetic makers are required to list ingredients – “but not all of them.” Huh? So what good does that do? But Amber’s main message is one that is universal:
“But we must recognize that the beauty industry is trying to sell us stuff, just like any other industry that markets consumer goods. They want us to believe that we are flawed and need their stuff. If we aren’t concerned about the state of our skin or the shininess of our hair, we’re not going to shell out for products to fix them. Even initiatives like the Dove Movement are marketing campaigns aimed to make us feel favourable towards a certain brand.
My daughter Hannah is 5 years old. I don’t want her to feel that she needs to coat herself with stuff to be OK, and I especially don’t want the stuff she coats herself with to contain toxins. That’s why I want to see change in the cosmetics industry.”
I always see myself in Micaela’s (aka Mindful Momma’s) posts. Maybe it’s because we have kids around the same age, and while we are passionately committed to living sustainably, too often our lives intersect with the real world of Toys R Us and Pokemon.
In her post, “Maybe I Just Bought the Wrong Stuff,” Micaela blogs, “In The Story of Cosmetics, Annie Leonard comes out and says what a lot of us might be thinking when it comes to buying cosmetics and personal care products: “maybe it’s my fault…maybe I just bought the wrong thing”…meaning it’s our own damn fault for buying personal care products loaded with toxins and petroleum products…because we didn’t take the time to research the hell out of them before we went to the store.
I’m telling you – that is often how I feel. And it’s very frustrating.”
Frustrating? Lisa from Retro Housewife Goes Green goes even farther when she blogs, “I don’t know about you but I’m pissed off at the amount of work I have to do to keep myself and my family safe from cancer causing chemicals. We need to change the whole system and work together to demand safer cosmetics.”
I’m with Lisa – the whole system needs to change, and in my opinion, that includes regulation. But I’m not so sure the Safe Cosmetics Act is the answer. Check my post out here, where I blog about what I’ve learned in two years of following these issues – the things people inside the industry have told me – and my surprise and concern about the backlash opposition to the Safe Cosmetics Act that is being led by small, independent cosmetics makers.
Jennifer Taggert of The Smart Mama (and an attorney) voices her concern that the Safe Cosmetics Act may mean for small businesses. Jennifer has a unique take on this, and her full post is worth a close read. Here’s an excerpt:
“I bring the CPSIA up after watching The Story of Cosmetics because well intentioned legislation can go badly wrong.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t urge you to understand what it is you are buying. To adopt the precautionary principle in your purchasing decisions.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t think we should advocate for sensible legislation and regulations.
But that’s it – the legislation and/or regulations must be sensible. And that is hard to do. The devil is in the details. Overbroad legislation has unintended consequences and collateral damage.
As said by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis:
The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.”
What do you think?
Leave a comment and let us know!
And did you know you can get ALL of our posts pushed out to you via Twitter? Just follow us here: http://www.twitter.com/GreenMoms
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Green moms, Organic Personal Care Products, Organic Product Needs, Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (7) |My Story of Stuff: The Stuff Industry Insiders Have Told me About the Battle over Safe Cosmetics
For two years I’ve been blogging about whether we really need government regulation of the chemicals commonly used in both personal care products and household care products.
I’ve not just been blogging, as I’ve shared here, but asking questions of just about everyone I’ve come across who has a connection to the chemicals and personal care industries.
I first went directly to the source. But Johnson & Johnson – who spends millions “courting bloggers” according to this Ad Age article – wouldn’t answer my questions about chemicals reform – even after a phone conversation, email, and a blog post. (Maybe they’ll answer my questions next week, when I see them at BlogHer).
And the industry council, The Personal Care Products Council? They wouldn’t talk either.
So I asked a professor of environmental science about the issue. “It’s bad,” she said. “Really bad. Nobody really knows what the impact is of all these chemicals.”
I stood up at the annual meeting of the Soap and Detergent Association and asked my questions. All I got in return was a bunch of non-answers from a lawyer who was clearly trying to evade the issue. It was frustrating, and it caused my skepticism to grow.
I asked the chemicals industry consultant who sat across the aisle from me on a long plane ride. Just like the professor, he acknowledged that the industry really doesn’t know the cumulative impact, but it didn’t look good. They could go with other chemicals, but they’re more expensive and it’s a cumbersome process to change.
“Why don’t they resolve it within the industry and avoid regulation?” I asked. “The regulatory process is just a waste of tax payer money. Industry could do a better job of fixing the problem anyway than via government oversight.”
“I tried to get them to do that,” he said. “But they’re afraid of litigation. If one company admits that there’s a problem with their ingredients, the lawyers will come after them.”
Here was a guy who was clearly frustrated – and disgusted.
The fact is, there’s no incentive to find out what the cumulative impact is of repetitive exposure to everyday chemicals. There’s disincentive.
The introduction of the Safe Chemicals Act purports to change that. Its supporters tied the launch to the debut of a controversial new video by Annie Leonard of “Story of Stuff” Legend. In just 10 days, it’s already racked up nearly 200,000 views.
But just like the truth, the stories I’ve been told are not all one-sided.
There was the brilliant toxicologist who spent 30 minutes with me, discussing the issues in the clear, straightforward way that is common to really bright people who can distill an issue down to its simplest elements.
He denied that his company made one version of product for sale in the EU, where chemical laws are tougher, and a different version in the US.
He also railed against the EWG, saying that their database distorts science and scares people (essentially the same arguments the formaldehyde lobby made on my blog, but stated in a much nicer way!)
And he’s not the only one. Quietly, even organic and natural beauty advocates say the same thing.
Has the EWG stretched their case to make a point? Perhaps.
But would we have come this close to having government re-examine the safety of our everyday products were it not for the efforts of the EWG? Of course not.
Just five days ago, a rebuttal was posted to The Story of Cosmetics. Far from 200,000 views, The Critique of The Story of Cosmetics has attracted just 12,750 views. But of course I watched it just to see if it answers my questions.
It didn’t. Never does the critic address the central issue at stake: what is the impact of the cumulative exposure of these chemicals?
I read the response issued by the Personal Care Products Council to the Annie Leonard Film. It doesn’t address the issue either.
And now I feel confident I know why.
They just don’t know.
It’s not how business works. Each company is worried about its own products – not the interaction of their products with others.
So what can a consumer do?
1. Use fewer personal care products, particularly if you’re pregnant or someone who may wish to become pregnant (or impregnate someone! – yes, chemicals like phthlates have been linked to decreased sperm count). Avoid personal care products for infants and young children.
2. Consider products that can be used for more than one purpose. (Guess what? Most of the “special uses” are all about marketing anyway!)
3. Think organic and natural (yes, I realize they contain chemicals, but not the types of chemicals that are linked to hormone disruption).
It’s all very confusing. And to make things even more so, a coalition of independent cosmetics makers (you know, the sweet ladies who sell natural and organic make-up on Etsy and at the local fair) have come out in opposition to the Safe Cosmetics Act. They’re concerned that the bill’s requirements will put them out of business. While the supporters of the SCA dispute that, it’s easy to sympathize with these women. After all, it wasn’t long ago that the government made a mess of CSPIA legislation, driving similar small businesses (consignment shops and the like) out of business.
Thanks for reading this far! A long post I know, and without all the links, which I’ll add in shortly!
I want to hear your thoughts as well. What do you think about the debate over cosmetics and the SCA?
This post is for the Green Moms Carnival on Cosmetics, to be hosted here at OrganicMania.
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
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Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (12) |10 Things I Learned (Or Was Reminded Of) at TedXOilSpill
Yesterday I attended an amazing series of lectures by some of the world’s foremost experts on marine biology, alternative fuels, and more….People from California, New York, Boston, and elsewhere converged on the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in DC for TedxOilSpill. Running from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (and with a cocktail party still going strong when I begged off just before 9 p.m.), TedxOilSpill was a revelation. You can watch the videos as they’re uploaded here, read the #TedXOilSpill tweetstream or just check out my list below of the top 10 Things I learned (or was reminded of) at TedXOilSpill.
1. Women are brave. It was a female scientist – Dr. Susan Shaw – who said she was told she was crazy to swim in the Gulf. She wanted to know the impact of the oil on marine life. The impact on her? She got sick. Her throat felt like it was “on fire.” After a few days, she was fine. Unfortunately, the fish don’t get a chance to climb out of the Gulf’s waters. They won’t recover so easily. Instead, Dr. Shaw predicts a dire future for marine mammals exposed to so much oil: “chemical pneumonia,” liver and brain disease, tumors, lesions, and other horrible afflictions. If you want to watch one TedxOilSpill talk, I suggest you watch Dr. Shaw. (She speaks at 56:30).
2. Truly, no one has any idea of the impact of the dispersants used in the Gulf. Dr. Shaw said the toxicologists are going crazy trying to figure it out. Part of the problem is that industry is not required to disclose what is IN the dispersants. She showed the ingredients list the scientists finally obtained: full of “derivatives” and “distellants” – meaningless terms designed to protect trade secrets. Dr. Carl Safina demonstrated what happens when you mix a dispersant with oil and water: everything became a cloudy soup. The implication was clear: putting dispersants in the Gulf is only making things worse. No longer floating on top of the water, the oil is mixed throughout, along with chemicals of unknown origin, with unfathomable impact on marine life.
3. The environmental field is a broad one. I was surprised that with all the focus on chemicals, not one speaker mentioned that NOW is the time we can do something about the over-use of untested and unregulated chemicals by supporting overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Learn more here. The non-profits advocates fighting for TSCA reform – Healthy Child, Healthy World; Moms Rising; Environmental Working Group, and the broad-based Safer Chemicals Coalition -have been focusing on outreach to Moms, but the overuse of chemicals impacts us all. It’s time to call your Congressional representative. NOW.
4. Bad news about the environment and its impact on animals is usually underestimated. A chart showing the fall-out estimated from the Exxon Valdez was superimposed on a chart showing what actually happened. Suffice to say: not a pretty picture. (Some species, like the killer whales, never recovered.)
5. Did you know that 30% of all species of wildlife are expected to be extinct in the next 30 years? And that estimate was made BEFORE the oil spill.
6. I was reminded that the oil platform exploded on Earth Day. Talk about irony.
7. Not all biofuels are created equal. Remember the furor over corn-based biofuels? Algae provides another option for biofuel, and it doesn’t require the use of arable land or potable water.
8. I keep hearing that electric vehicles will only be good for short trips. Not true. The Tesla can go 244 miles on a single charge. Sure, most of us can’t afford it, but Tesla Motors is using Tesla Technology to develop other, less expensive models such as a sedan, the S Model.
9. We all know it’s not just about the animals. It’s not just about the fish. It’s not just about the fishermen, or their way of life. Or the culture in the Gulf. But did you ever think of the history that lies at the ocean floor? I heard an AU professor tell us, with a catch in his voice, about the shipwrecks that will be decimated by the oil.
10. Christen Lien has composed (or more accurately) is composing an instrumental piece inspired by her visit to the Gulf. Listening to it, you can almost hear the animals crying for help and the oil rushing in. Viola, harmonica, synthesizer….it is incredible music. Her performance capped the end to the conference.
And do you know what? I really learned MORE than just these ten things…but that’s a post for a different night!
I’d love to know what you learned…or what you think about all this…please leave a comment and share!
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (2) |Green Moms Carnival is Up!
Head on over to Fake Plastic Fish, that great blog about living life with less plastic, to see the amusing compilation of “day in the life” posts that Beth put together. I learned a lot, and I’m sure you will too!
Lynn
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (1) |Partying Like It’s 1999
Despite the melancholy of my earlier post about Taking Stock prior to my college reunion, the fact is: I had a blast.
I danced the night away, closing down the first night’s party at 4 a.m., with a few of my sorority sisters and fraternity pals swirling around nearby.
Not bad for a gal who hasn’t stayed up that late in more than a decade!
I was so proud of that crazy accomplishment – I told everyone – and when Sigma Nu’s undisputed King of Late Night Partying anointed me “best dancer,” I beamed all weekend long.
Looking at the older reunion classes, I knew the day would come when staying up till 4 a.m. would be out of the question. The first 25 years, gone by so fast! Our 50th reunion will be here tomorrow. Better to dance now, while we can.
And the serious questions I mulled over in my earlier blog post? When they came up, they led to interesting discussions, just as they always do.
Even “the titans of industry” from my class reached out, offering great business advice when I asked their thoughts. One old pal invited me to meet him at the Capitol Hill Club, also known as the National Republican Club. I laughed, telling him that if I happened to see a Republican Senator there, I might just button hole him to talk about TSCA reform. And he smiled, saying, “That’s okay, Lynn Anne.”
That’s what old friends and reunions are for. Reconnecting. Reminiscing. Reflecting.
And partying like it’s 1999.
If you can go to your reunion, go.
Unfortunately, concerns left many of our classmates at home. As one high school classmate put it, “I heard the same excuses over and over again. I’ve gained weight. I got divorced. I was laid off. I’m bald.”
“Hey,” he laughed with a dismissive wave of his hand, “We all have!”
Or, as I put it, “Or at least, one out of the four!”
Life can be hard at times. But the party goes on. We’re still here, and that’s worth celebrating.
So go back to your reunion. And if you go, be sure to let me know what it was like!
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (1) |Taking Stock
There are moments in life that cause us to stop. To think. To reflect. It can be a life altering event like a birth, a death, or a divorce. Or it can be something simpler, but in many ways just as profound: a meeting with old friends. A peek back at life the way it used to be.
This afternoon, I’ll leave my husband and two munchkins behind – (hope he’s remembering my Stay at Home Spouse Survival Tips!) – to attend my 25th college reunion at Lehigh University.
It’s hard to admit that the years have gone by so quickly, but it’s true. I still remember, as a young child, hearing the “old folks” around me say, “Life goes by quickly.” It didn’t seem possible then, but like so many things in life, only now do I know the elders were right.
Twenty five years ago, I was a scholarship kid, scared to death that I would lose my scholarship if I flunked Statistics or Advanced Calculus. (I never worked so hard for a D+ in my life!) I was worried about paying back my student loans – (I did so early) – and I wondered if I would ever meet the right guy. (It took 18 years of dating experience and a Strategic Plan to Meet a Man, but I finally did!)
I was so busy serving on a million class committees that sometimes it was hard to get my class work done (kind of like how this blog and my online activism with @GreenMoms interferes with biz dev work for my business). Some things never change!
I wanted to explore the world (22 countries down, 180 or so to go!), make some money (Nasdaq 5000, easy come, easy go), and live an interesting life.
I didn’t expect my life to now be so consumed by environmental concerns.
Online, my friends’ beliefs are well known. It’s easy to complain about the evils of bottled water with bloggy friends like Beth of Fake Plastic Fish or Diane of Big Green Purse.
In real life, it’s far trickier. Those big chemical companies fighting full reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act? They recruit from colleges like Lehigh, and from MBA programs like Georgetown’s. (Hoya Saxa!)
In “real life,” many of my oldest and dearest friends aren’t working for NGOs, showing up for Capitol Hill testimony, or demonstrating in the streets.
Instead, they’re working hard for those same companies we like to challenge in the green blogosphere. I know what it’s like. I’ve worked in marketing and PR for Fortune 500 firms.
They don’t want to question. They want to believe.
But I know from experience that face-to-face, those differences will melt away. I’ll smile with a skeptical twinkle in my eye, refer them to the EWG’s Skin Deep Database, and agree to provide some questions they can forward to their colleagues. I don’t want to put my friends on the spot. They’re my friends after all, and it’s a party.
And then I’ll think, and reflect, on all that’s changed in 25 years.
What about you?
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (3) |Thinking Again About a Hybrid or Electric Car? You’re Not the Only One
It seems like an eternity ago that decisions to purchase hybrid and electric vehicles hinged mainly on considerations like fuel economy, the price at the pump, and the age and condition of your existing car.
The Gulf oil spill disaster changed all that.
Nothing in recent memory has so powerfully seared into our collective consciousness the need to reduce our dependence on oil.
Wildlife is dying.
The ocean is suffering.
Read this moving blog post by Larry Schweiger, President of The National Wildlife Federation.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
With this as the backdrop, I hate to confess, I have my own oil addiction. I don’t own a hybrid. One of our Subarus is eleven-years-old, and still in excellent condition. Our other Subaru is newer, and we bought it out of brand loyalty – the first one kept us safe after a deer crashed into our windshield when I was pregnant with Boo.
Subaru, when are you introducing hybrids or electric vehicles?
I’m in the market for a hybrid or electric car now. (Guess I should have really made the Volt test drive that Chevy invited me to!)
What about you?
This is a post for the Green Moms Carnival on Transportation, hosted by Big Green Purse.
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Product Recommendations, Uncategorized | Wordpress Comments (12) |You Can Vote for the Future: Tonight Till Midnight EST
Friends, please take 2 minutes NOW (or before midnight EST) to go to
http://bit.ly/Vote4Green (a link to the White House website) and cast a “5″ vote for EnvironmentalCharter High School in LA.
Why? The voting closes tonight at midnight EST and Environmental Charter High is the only “green” high school among the six finalists competing to win President Obama’s Commencement Challenge.
I’ve been privileged to get to know some of these students through my work with my client Green My Parents. They are incredible, amazing kids who are leaders in building a brighter, greener future for all of us.
Here’s how they tell the story (from White House site):
ECHS is alive. We’re blocks from the world’s most congested freeway, yet we step onto campus with fruit trees and a running stream of reclaimed water, which was once asphalt, and we know we’re in an environment designed to envision a better life. As freshmen evaluate community health, sophomores debate the sustainability of progress, juniors examine the American dream, and we ask, “How are we powerful?” In our urbanite amphitheatre, we showcase art, host composting workshops, and train freshmen for success at ECHS. We give tours and present solutions and best practices, so 98% of us feel comfortable public speaking. With more graduation requirements than schools nationally, we pack our schedules with AP and college courses and exceed service requirements. ECHS is challenging; but, we thrive – we’ve learned education is empowerment and graduation is a milestone on our journey to a better world. We are 68% Latino, 20% African-American, 78% low income. Arriving 2.5 grade levels behind peers in math and English, by graduation we outperform national averages. 92% of us were accepted into universities in 2009 and most are first in our families to attend. We’re prepared to redefine the American Dream, rewrite our futures and heal our planet.
Go. Now. Vote. Please:
Thank you so much.
(And obviously, if you’re on Twitter or Facebook, please spread the word – hurry!)
Lynn
Popularity: 1% [?]
Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (1) |A First Look at What the New Safe Chemicals Act May Mean for Parents: It Won’t Be an Immediate Panacea
This morning, the Safe Chemicals Act, long awaited legislation to reform the nation’s outdated chemicals law, The Toxic Substances Control Act, was introduced in Congress. This came in response to years of lobbying by environmental health watchdogs like the Safer Chemicals Healthy Families Coalition; Healthy Child, Healthy World , The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and The Environmental Working Group; physicians like Dr. Alan Greene; authors like Stacy Malkin of “Not Just a Pretty Face,” Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse, Jennifer Taggert of The Smart Mama’s Green Guide, and Nena Baker of “The Body Toxic,” and yes, activists like Moms Rising and bloggers like my Green Moms Carnival friends.
It was just a year ago this month that the Green Moms Carnival bloggers were taken to task by the chemical lobby and others for our “hysterical” reaction to finding out that our favorite baby bath products contained probable human carcinogens. Some of us, like Sommer of Green and Clean Mom, who hosted the Toxic Tub Carnival, were even attacked by other Mom bloggers for being so rude as to question those companies that market baby products with 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde.
But in the end, all of our probing, phone calling, and blogging contributed to the consumer outrage that led retailers to pull BPA-tainted products and state legislators to restrict the use of harmful chemicals in common everyday items. Now, with today’s introduction of the Safe Chemicals Act, we are a huge step closer to an even safer marketplace.
But don’t celebrate just yet – this bill’s not a panacea. I still foresee the most diligent among us dutifully consulting databases to figure out which products are safe to buy. Incredible, isn’t it? That’s because the bill regulates the EPA, not the FDA – which regulates 1,4 dioxane, as J&J explains on their website. And because the bill doesn’t mandate that the EPA look at multiple exposures, as the esteemed National Academy of Sciences has recommended. It just “allows” it to do so.
But for those of us who are still waiting for our simple questions about chemical reform to be answered? Well, today we got some answers. Here’s what I asked and here is the response from Dr. Alan Greene, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, author, Raising Baby Green (and every green Mom’s favorite twitter buddy):
OrganicMania: “My readers are particularly interested in probable carcinogenic compounds like 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde which are commonly used in infant and childrens baths. Given that there are 80,000 chemicals in the market today – and some of them – like asbestos – are very directly linked to deaths, how likely do you think it is that specific action will be taken against the use of 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde in terms of being classified as most dangerous?”
Dr. Greene “1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde would meet a a number of the criteria for prioritization. A safety determination will be made early in the process relative to 1,4 dioxane. Formaldehyde might also get expedited action.”
At that point, Dr. Richard Denison, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, noted that the FDA has jurisdication over formaldehyde, not the EPA. (But I knew this, thanks to The Smart Mama.) As Dr. Denison put it, “EPA must have authority and the mandate to look at all uses of chemicals under another agency’s jurisdiction.”
I then went on to ask about multiple, cumulative exposures. Because how are those little babies being exposed to neurotoxins? Its likely through the chemical-laden creams, lotions and potions that the average American woman slathers over her body every day. And as The Smart Mama has blogged, the industry would like us to believe that “just a little bit of carcinogen is okay.”
How to tackle that issue? It’s far trickier. As Maureen Swanson of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, said, “We would like to see strengthened language that would direct the EPA to go by the National Academy of Science’s recommendation on looking more closely at cumulative exposures. It is mentioned in the bill, but they are not directed to adopt those recommendations. How do we enact real reform to make a real difference in our products and in our health risks?..I totally agree..there are a lot of different chemicals which can interfere with the thyroid, and the thyroid gland impacts brain development. It is essential to work on the science, to get stronger language directing EPA to use those recommendations, and to make clear that both versions of the bill define the safety standard and to require they at least take into account aggregate and cumulative exposures. “
Dr. Greene then jumped in to explain, “It’s left to the EPA to flesh out, and there’s no immediate change on that because there’s not science to deal with it {multiple cumulative exposures}. But by requiring the EPA to take those factors into account, we have a structure that moves us forward far beyond where we are now.”
So what can you do?
First, support this bill. It’s the best we’ve got, and it’s the best we’ll get. Pay attention to the debate raging in the mainstream media and at action sites like Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, the Environmental Working Group’s Kid-Safe Blog, and Healthy Child, Healthy World.
And remember, as you start talking up the Safe Chemicals Act, don’t let anyone accuse you of being a hysterical mom. Or you’ll have to answer to:
Tiffany of Nature Moms , Jennifer of The Green Parent, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish Katy from Non-Toxic Kids, Micaela from Mindfull Momma, Alicia from The Soft Landing, Anna from Green Talk , Christine Gardner of moregreenmoms, Alline of Passion for Green Business , Diane from Big Green Purse and one of Glamour Magazine’s 70 Eco Heros, Jess from The Green Phone Booth, MaryAnne at EcoChild’s Play and Not Quite Crunchy Parent, Karen from Best of Mother Earth, Katherine from the Safe Mama, Sommer of Green and Clean Mom, Jennifer aka The Smart Mama, and of course, me, Lynn from OrganicMania.
Oh, J&J? No need to answer those questions now. I got my answers today.
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
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