To help my 30 minutes of exercise fly by when I'm at the Y, treadin that treadmill on my 5.5 incline, 15 minute jog (that part is embarrassing, but whatever) I typically hit the magazine rack. I've recently discovered this wonderful magazine donated by some kind soul called, Mothering (www.mothering.com). It is a wonderful host of sound advice, and natural alternatives to everyday living with kiddos. Being the greeny I try to be, I naturally love it. I've found wonderful products by scouring the adds in the magazine, and have obtained great advice from the articles. One article in particular that I read about three weeks ago has changed my life forever. To read THE article, you can go to http://www.mothering.com/
This article really focused on what chemicals are harmful for humans in general, but children in particular, and even more specifically, what commonly used children products these harsh chemicals are in.
The three main chemicals the article targeted, and I'm now hypo-aware of are bisphenol A (BPA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and phthalates. Let me put it simply. There is staggering research that proves these chemicals have harmful effects such as cancer, negative effects on reproductive systems in males and females, such as decreased fertility rates in females, early breast development in females. Studies have even found that exposure to these chemicals can lead to negative behavior alteration in children.
One leading reason why children are so susceptible to the effects of the chemicals is that a lot of the products that are used solely for children, more specifically infants, have these products in them. Until recently, most bottles were made with BPA, PVC and phthalates. Many still are. What is more, many of the formula containers are lined with this stuff. You hear that people? That means every ounce of food babies who are formula fed have the potential to be poisoned with this stuff! If that isn't enough, these chemicals are being found in teething rings, sippy cups, bibs, baby silverware, dishware, bathing products, and more!
16 other industrialized countries such as Greece, France and Japan have banned phthalates and PVC since 2005 due to the undeniable harmful effects it has on children, and yet, it is still legal here in the US. What this tells me is that these other countries are getting it, listening to the research, and our country just doesn't get it [yet] (I hope). The FDA hasn't even come up with what they would consider a "safe" amount of BPA exposure, so there are therefore NO regulations. Bottom line: Don't buy anything that has these plastics in them because there are no regulations for them to help keep your child safe.
This can be a difficult thing to do because it all seems so confusing, and hard to know by looking at something if it has harsh chemicals in it. Well, the easiest way to determine if it's safe or not is to look at the bottom of the container if it's plastic. A basic rule of thumb is #1 (PETE or PET) #2 (HDPE), and #5 (PP) are safe. If it has a #1, #2 they are not known to leech any products that release chemicals which cause cancer or disrupts hormones. #5 is hazardous while in production but is not known to leech any chemicals that are harmful. #5 plastic isn't accepted in recycling in as many places as #1 and #2 which is a bummer.
#3, #4, #6, #7 are all BAD. Don't go near them. They all leech toxic chemicals into our foods. Last week, as I was going through as many plastics in my kitchen that I could think of, one of the biggest shockers was my pretty pink Starbucks sports water bottle that had a #7 on it. Tossed. So sad. It's not like we have disposable money to replace everything I tossed. So, we will just go with out until we slowly build back stock of what I DID toss. Which, was anything remotely unsafe for our family because I couldn't live with the guilt of feeling like I was knowingly slowly poisoning any one of us. Dramatic, I know. Just kinda how it is in my mind.
And so, I've used three great websites to help me navigate my way through all of this.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html
This website gives detailed yet easy to understand explanations of the different numbers of plastics that you find on the bottom of all plastic products you purchase (unless it says Made in China, and for that, I have no idea how safe it is; anyone have a clue let me know..PLEASE).
www.safemama.com
This website is amazing for anyone with children. It lists items children commonly use, (sippy cups, bottles, binky, teethers, toys, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, bugspray, forks, bowls, etc) and then brands that are BPA, PVC, and phthalate free. The website is easy to navigate through, and gives easy to read lists of safe brands for each product. There are also great links to other websites that have further reading.
http://www.thegreenguide.com/
This website has a wealth of knowledge, and for that reason can be intimidating because of the pure volume of material. The section of the website I've found most helpful for, and return to regularly is the link at the very bottom called "buying guides". In this link there are easy rules to follow about how to purchase sustainable and safe products for the entire household. Anything from paint, to cosmetics, to household cleaners. Ladies, seriously, check out the "personal care" section. What I've done is typed up easy to follow guidelines for myself and put it in a wallet size piece of paper and keep it in my wallet for whenever I'm buying stuff at the grocery store. Too much to remember all the time.
The last thing I want to share is that I've read that there are retailers out there who are beginning to commit to selling PVC and phthalate free direct-to-mouth products (such as teethers, binky, bottles) for children under age 3. Some of these retailers are Target, Sears, Wal Mart and K Mart. There are also lots of companies beginning to commit to not only eliminate BPA, but also PVC and phthalate such as Chicco, (who are most commonly known for their car seats) Sassy, Brio, Evenflo, Lego, and Gerber.
It seems virtually impossible to protect our children from all of these things all the time. But, as with most large tasks, a strong commitment and marathon approach will work wonders. I'm just beginning my marathon battle against these nasty hazardous materials! Please join me in my marathon, because as I see it, two heads are better than one, and so on.
You remind me SOOOO much of myself when McRae was born (when I discovered "Mothering" mag - although I have to say, now that the kids are older...I've completely forgotten about it - but it was REALLY good). I did a sweep of things when the BPA info first came out and freaked out over microwaving plastics - so I threw out the majority of our storage things!
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit that I've relaxed over the years, but it's true. Time to get back in the swing of things because even though they aren't using sippy cups and teething rings, etc. they still are being exposed to way more chemicals than I'm comfortable with.
Good for you Camille! We've been looking at the bottoms of plastics and been buying things without all the chemicals for awhile now and I have to say its become second nature. We aren't completely 100% free of all that stuff but I even got my husband to look out for that stuff too!
ReplyDeleteI used to get Mothering too and it does have great stuff in it but I also felt like there was a this way is the best and only way tone to it sometimes. But I did get a lot of good resources from the magazine!
From Mandy actually :).I check out plastics too. The sippy cups and things for kids are a lot easer to find BPA free now. Our Govenor just passed a law that bans BPA plastics in our state. I saw it on the news a few days ago. I was also was glad to find a "non toxic" shower curtain. I should show you a magazine I get Camille, It's called Hobby Farm. They have al kinds of good articals on eating fresh and local. Good recipes and farm stuff too of course.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, what a compliment, to say that I remind you of yourself! I think you're an amazing woman,(and mama) so thank you. Now that I'm aware of all of this stuff, I don't know how I went through 18 months of mothering Morgan with out knowing about it. But, I've found that surprisingly many of his products are safe because of the brands we buy; they happened to be brands that are safe (BPA,PVC,Pthalate free). The things I'm finding I'm most worried about are items in the kitchen and bathroom. So, one step at a time I suppose is all we can do! All of this is part of what drove me to start making more of our food, which it sounds like you're doing a bit of too!
ReplyDeleteAvery, so glad you are familiar with how to read plastics! Such a valuable thing to know. I do agree about the magazine. I read an article for example about how vaginal birth was the "only" way to have children, but I had to have 2 c-sections for medical reasons. So, I take it all in stride, just like the plastic stuff.
ReplyDeleteMandy, I'd love to check out that magazine! Sounds like I'd enjoy it.I hadn't heard about that new law, sounds wonderful though because the FDA isn't regulating things and it's time people step up. I know it's been banned in several other states. That's why whole companies like learningcurve, chicco, sassy are all BPA free. Oh, the shower curtain. Yes, one of the things we need to replace too! Where did you get yours??