Nine Ways to Say, “Death to Household Toxins!”

Newsweek.com just published a list of nine ways to avoid household toxins recommended by Nena Baker, the the author of The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being. I haven’t read her book yet but now have it on my reading list!
The recommendations she makes include limiting use of plastic containers and canned foods, avoiding paints with VOCs, and filtering tap water. The whole list, and the reasoning behind the recommendations, can be seen in the article linked above.

Exposure to Bisphenol-A Linked to More Health Problems

The results of a new study on Bisphenol-A were reported in today’s Chicago Tribune. This study, the first to examine the effects of BPA on a large group of adults, is discussed in the upcoming Journal of the American Medical Association.  (The study results were released early since the FDA is meeting again today to discuss the safety of BPA in products that touch food.) Read more

Making Life Greener – Put Down the Plastic

Last week I posted on the latest report raising questions about bisphenol-A and mentioned that we’ve been making changes to protect our girls from exposure to this chemical. As promised, here is more about that topic.

Limiting our family’s exposure to bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, was important to us because it has been linked to several health issues. BPA mimics estrogen in the body and is a known endocrine disrupter. Increases in breast and other cancers, increases in insulin resistance, and early puberty for girls have all been associated with exposure to BPA. As I’ve mentioned before, the girls have inherited a strong family history of cancer so we want to reduce their exposure to carcinogens. Diabetes is also in their family medical history so we had multiple reasons for concern. Read more

More Questions Raised about Bisphenol-A

Today’s Washington Post reports on a new bispenol-A study. The study, conducted by the Yale School of Medicine, showed issues in brain function and moods in primates who were exposed to the chemical. Read more