Since I lost my mother to breast cancer at the age of 18, I have usually spent Mother’s Day outdoors in one of her favorite spots, reflecting on what an amazing human being she was, and creating intentions for the coming year around how to live my life in a way that would make her proud.

We don’t know what caused my mom’s cancer and like most of the 1 in 8 women diagnosed, she had no family history of the disease. However, a growing body of evidence is linking the epidemic of breast cancer, and other health problems, to our exposures to toxic chemicals—particularly early life exposures.

This Mother’s Day will be an especially important one for me. This year, for the first time, I will be celebrating Mother’s Day as a mom to my daughter Sylvie.

Like most new parents, my husband and I have worked hard to ensure our little girl has the best start on life we can give her. And, like many of your reading this blog, we’ve worked to keep toxic chemicals—from cancer causing formaldehyde in baby shampoo to hormone disrupting phthalates in diaper cream–away from her little body at this incredibly important time in her development.

This is easier said than done.

Take a walk down the children’s products aisle at your local drug store and you’ll see dozens of items – shampoo, sunscreen, bubble bath – marked “gentle,” “for sensitive skin,” or “no tears.” These labels are there to assure parents that the personal care products we put on our children’s bodies are formulated especially for kids.

Many parents assume that if a product is marketed to or for children, it must be safe.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Major loopholes in the law make cosmetics and body care products among the least regulated consumer products on the market today; in fact, the vast majority of the approximately 12,500 chemicals used by the $50 billion beauty industry have never been assessed for safety. It’s perfectly legal for cosmetics and personal care products to contain chemical linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental harm, hormone disruption, asthma and other adverse health effects. Some of these chemicals don’t even appear on product labels so even the most well informed consumers can’t protect their families.

American consumers use an average of 10 personal care products each day, resulting in exposure to more than 100 distinct chemicals, and potentially dozens of hidden ingredients. Toxic cosmetic ingredients are ending up inside our bodies, our breast milk and our babies, and these chemicals also go down the drain and pollute our waterways and drinking water. Toxic exposures from personal care products add to our daily dose of hazardous chemicals from air, water, food and other consumer products.

And the cosmetics industry is now targeting tween girls with its products—girls who are hitting puberty at younger and younger ages, which can contribute to their risk of developing breast cancer later in life (among other health problems).

Fortunately, for the first time in 30 years, in response to public outcry around formaldehyde in hair products and baby shampoo, mercury in face cream, and lead in lipstick Congress is paying attention to cosmetics safety.

The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011, would give the FDA the authority and resources it needs to ensure that cosmetics are safe by: phasing out the worst chemicals in cosmetics that can cause cancer or reproductive harm; requiring companies to be transparent and honest about what’s in their products; and establishing a strong safety standard to make sure decisions about ingredient safety protect the most vulnerable populations –babies, children, pregnant women and workers.

Unfortunately, the titans of the cosmetics industry are also hard at work fighting common sense laws that would keep toxic chemicals out of everything from bubble bath to lipstick.

“The Cosmetic Safety Amendments Act of 2012,” a bill written by the Personal Care Products Council, a trade association that represents the big multinational cosmetic companies, was recently introduced into Congress. This is a classic Trojan horse – it may sound like a step forward on the surface but the “fine print” inside the bill would allow industry to continue placing profits over public health—putting into law the current system that allows the industry to “self-regulate” the safety of cosmetics.

So what’s a mom (or dad) to do?

A growing number of companies are paying attention to the demand for safer products. You can vote with your dollar to buy safer products for your family or make your own safer products.

But ultimately we can’t shop our way out of this problem.

This Mother’s Day, let’s make our moms proud and protect the health of our kids and our kids’ kids by passing REAL reform that will clean up the products we use on our babies and our bodies every day.

Please write your member of Congress today and demand meaningful reform of our broken cosmetics safety laws.
Read more: http://www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/050912_this_mothers_day_clean_up_the_toxic_cosmetics_aisle/#ixzz1ulvHMlov

Reference: Lisa Archer, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

It’s that time of year when your kids want to play outside during the long, sunny (hopefully!) afternoons and evenings after dinner. If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard or shared neighborhood playground, now is a good time to make safety improvements.

Is there arsenic in your wood?

When it comes to playground safety, many people think about kids falling from play structures or getting fingers pinched in moving pieces. Even before the kids step onto the playground, you should first make sure the play structure itself is safe. Wood structures built before 2005 are likely to contain arsenic, which leaches out of wood for years after installation.

Arsenic-treated wood kills insects and fungi that cause rot. Unfortunately, the arsenic also comes off on children’s hands, exposing them to unsafe levels of the human carcinogen.

The presence of arsenic in the wood means it’s also likely that there will be arsenic that has run off from rain and been absorbed in the soil around the play structure.

To be sure your play structure is safe, follow these tips from our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home and by the Environmental Working Group:

1. If you suspect your wood structure is made from arsenic-treated wood, order an arsenic test kit from Amazon.
2. If your structure is made with arsenic-treated wood and you can’t replace it, seal it with semitransparent water-based deck stain at least once a year.
3. Replace high use areas of the structure, like hand rails or steps if you can’t replace the whole structure.
4. Make sure kids wash their hands well after touching arsenic-treated wood and don’t ever allow kids to eat on the structure.
5. Check your outdoor furniture and deck to be sure they aren’t made from chemically –treated wood.
6. Don’t burn or power wash the wood; washing can release the arsenic and other chemicals to create a toxic mixture.
7. Don’t sit under or store things under arsenic-treated wood structures; keep your kids and pets away from the soil, which is contaminated from water runoff.

Safe Sandboxes

Some sand used in sandboxes contains a form of asbestos; the most dangerous sand is made from crushed quarry rock. River or beach sand is the safest sand to use for kids’ play areas.

Protect your child’s health by following these easy tips:

1. If you’re buying sand, call the manufacturer to find out the source of the product. Also, look for the California Proposition 65 Warning. The State of California requires a warning label on play sand containing crystalline silica.
2. Call your local park and recreation office to find out where they get their sand. Do the same with your child’s school and/or child care facility.
3. If you’re unsure of the type of sand, be sure to supervise children to make sure they are not putting their hands in their mouths or throwing sand (which kicks up the finest dust particles).
4. Wash your child’s hands after playing in sand.
5. If you have a sandbox, keep it covered when you’re not using it to keep animals out. (You don’t want them “doing their business” where your child plays.)

Remember that the most important thing is that kids get outside and play. Concerns about safe wood and sand are real, but it shouldn’t prevent kids from having fun.
REFERENCE: Margie Kelly, Communications Manager, Healthy Child Healthy World

Read more: http://www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/043012_how_to_make_kids_playgrounds_and_sandboxes_safer/#ixzz1u6buAs5O

The FDA Rejects BPA Ban in Packaging

Late in the day last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)announced that it would not place on ban on BPA in packaging because there wasn’t enough scientific evidence that it harmed humans. We wonder whether they’ve missed the volumes of studies finding BPA associated with some cancers, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive disorders. Manufacturers are moving away from the chemical even without FDA action. Last month, Healthy Child Healthy World and the Breast Cancer Fund announced that Campbell’s Soup was moving away from BPA in its cans, in part due to dropping consumer demand and public campaigns to eliminate BPA from foods targeted at kids.

Despite the FDA’s decision, concerned parents are vowing to reject BPA in products.Lori Popkewitz Alper, a blogger at Groovy Green Livin’ and a Healthy Child Healthy World Parent Ambassador told ABC Nightly News, “Moms are powerful. We’re not going to buy your products made with BPA. We’re not going to stand for it. It’s not fair. We’re talking about our children.”

Thanks to Lori for speaking for moms everywhere.

Toxic Flame Retardant Banned in New York

Last month, New York state banned TCEP, a toxic flame retardant chemical. The chemical joins TDCP or “Chlorinated Tris” which banned from children’s pajamas after the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission found it carcinogenic in the 1970s. As we reported previously, these chemicals keep popping up in other children’s products like nursing pillows and car seats—where they’re still legal to include.

Strawberry Fields Forever—Pesticide Free?

Also in California, on March 20th, the news broke that the Arysta LifeScience had decided suspend sales of the pesticide methyl iodide—the equally toxic replacement to methyl bromide—which was primarily used on strawberry fields. The Monterey County Weekly reported that earlier that month, California Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Brian Leahy announced a $500,000 grant to the California Strawberry Commission toward research on farming with peat moss and rice hulls, rather than pesticides.

Victory Against Genetically Modified Food!

We are so proud to stand in partnership with the Just Label It campaign, which sponsored the petition telling the FDA to put a label on genetically modified foods. Passing the 1 million signature mark made history; never before have so many people petitioned the FDA on an issue. We are grateful to all of you in the Healthy Child Healthy World community for supporting right to know what’s in our food so we can protect our kids’ health. Thank you.

Increasing Rates of Autism Reported by Centers for Disease Control

Last week it was reported that 1 in 88 children has some form of autism spectrum disorder, an increase of 78 percent in the last decade, according to CNN. The total number of US kids with autism numbers about one million. Boys outnumber girls with autism, with 1 in 54 boys on the spectrum. Environmental causes of autism are the subject of scientific inquiry, including two large studies by the National Institutes of Health. Healthy Child Healthy World Scientific Advisor Dr. Philip Landrigan is conducting a study about the impact of chemicals in the environment on the developing brain, exploring the possible links between toxic chemicals and autism and other diseases. Dr. Landrigan told New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, “If babies are exposed in the womb or shortly after birth to chemicals that interfere with brain development, the consequences last a lifetime.” We will continue to follow this story that affects so many children and families.

Cosmetics Industry Bill Would Make Things Worse

Our friends at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported the cosmetics industry dominated the first Congressional hearing in 30 years about personal care products and cosmetics safety. In essence, the industry is seeking to enshrine the status quo, which would make the current dangerous situation even worse by failing to protect the health of all of us who use personal care products and the workers who use products daily at nail and beauty salons. Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund wrote, “Essential public health protections could be set back another 70 years if industry gets away with writing its own laws that put industry profits over public health and handcuff states from taking action to protect people.” Stay up to date on the latest by visiting the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Lead and Cadmium Found in Jewelry

A recent HealthyStuff report found that 59% of cheap jewelry sold at stores like Forever 21 and Target contained one or more chemicals—including lead, cadmium and arsenic—considered to be health hazards, Time reported.

Healthy Child Launches Toxic-Free Necklace

And finally, a shameless plug for our new necklace, which launched this week bearing our motto, “no one can do everything; everyone can do something.” Crafted from recycled metals, it’s only $40 in our Shop to Give section and 100% of profits go to Healthy Child Healthy World!

Photo courtesy Manchester-Monkey / CC BY 2.0

Read more: http://www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/040312_bpa_flame_retardants_toxic_jewelry/#ixzz1suITKHbf

Reference:  Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Executive Director/CEO, Healthy Child Healthy World

Parents of children with autism are learning that food choices can help their sons and daughters become healthier and reach their full potential. In addition to traditional behavioral therapy and other pharmaceutical treatments, pediatricians, researchers, and nutritionists increasingly recommend that parents implement autism diets, autism-specific nutrition, and specialized supplementation.

Even television’s respected Dr. Oz recently said, “Some of the most promising treatments for autism come from changing the foods that the child is eating.”

The term “recovery” is best explained by organizations such as Autism Research Institute (founded 1967) and Generation Rescue. The word conveys the healing possibility for these children–to reach their potential of health and happiness. Actress Jenny McCarthy’s analogy aptly explains, while you can’t be cured of getting hit by a bus, you can recover. Children have, and are, recovering from autism.

Pursuing recovery is not about “curing” autism; it’s about believing in and taking action toward healing and improved health.

Doctors now recognize that the bodies of children with autism are unique and require very specific care, including special enzymes for digestion, medical treatment for yeast infections and other common conditions found during testing, attention to digestive issues, special dietary requirements (autism diets), nutrient and fatty acid supplementation, behavioral therapy, and more.

The outdated model sees autism as a “mysterious” psychiatric disorder that begins and ends in the brain–and reports that little can be done to impact its effects. But parents are not waiting for answers from a mainstream medical system that holds an antiquated perspective of their child’s condition.

Through the breakthrough work of the Autism Research Institute a more appropriate “whole body disorder” (the brain is affected by the biochemistry generated in the body) perspective of autism has emerged.

When seen as a whole body disorder, parents and physicians are more likely to identify the physical symptoms of autism that often get overlooked including diarrhea, constipation, bloating and GI pain, inflammation, and frequent infections. With this broader comprehension it becomes apparent that there is a great deal that can be done to address these challenges. Step one is to take charge of diet.

When parents correctly implement specific autism diets, improvements in gastrointestinal problems (including diarrhea and constipation), language, learning, focus, attention, eye contact, behavior, sleep difficulties, toilet training, and skin rashes/eczema have been observed. Parents around the world are beginning to share their stories of healing. Since every child is unique, improvements will vary. 250 MATHIS FERRY ROAD, STE 101 | MOUNT PLEASANT, SC 29464 | 843 884 4466 WWW.ECOHEALTHWELLNESS.COM

It’s important to understand that these diets are customized food-focused strategies of nutritional intervention for autism. Going from not considering the impact of food intake (standard American diet) to giving specialized attention (nutrition centered diet) is the key to promoting systemic healing through autism diets. All autism diets involve the removal of problematic foods and substances, and the addition of easier to digest nutrient dense foods.

Certain food substances, such as gluten (wheat) and casein (milk) are known to be problematic for many children with autism, and should be avoided – and other foods rich in healing nutrients are beneficial when added to children’s diets. Attention to these factors is intended to help balance biochemistry, affect systemic healing, and provide relief of autism symptoms.

For many children with autism, nutrient deficiencies, chemicals in foods, imbalanced biochemistry, and digestive problems can play a significant role in their physical conditions. Their physiological and behavioral symptoms may stem from, or be exacerbated by, impaired digestion and GI health. Altering food choices positively affects these processes and helps improve symptoms.

There are several diets that are used by parents, autism nutritionists and pediatricians. These diets include the Gluten-Free Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet, Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Diet, Low Oxalate Diet, Body Ecology Diet, Feingold Diet and Weston A. Price dietary principles.

Parents begin with simple steps: more fresh fruits, vegetables and grass-fed meats whenever possible. They read labels for ingredients and clean out their cupboards. They shop for organic foods in order to remove antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and PCBs from the dinner table. They naturally avoid pre-packaged, canned or frozen foods that contain preservative, additives, colors and artificial ingredients. They immediately decrease the amount of sugar they feed their children. The guidance of a qualified nutrition profession is always recommended.

After the initial clean up steps are completed, parents embark on the implementation of an autism diet, which typically begins with removing gluten and casein–as implemented in the GFCF diet. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, commercial oats, kamut, and spelt. Casein is the protein found in dairy. The GFCF diet has become popular for autism and the general population, and there are many GFCF foods available in stores. Parents applying a GFCF diet cook from great recipes they find online and in autism diet friendly cookbooks.

Autism Research Institute (ARI) surveyed thousands of parents and found that 69% of those applying the GFCF Diet saw improvement. For the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, 71% noted improvement. In recent autism diet research funded by Autism Speaks, 82% of parents reported “definite improvement” in their child’s skills. Respected pediatrician and author of “The Autism Book,” Dr. Robert Sears says that 75% of his patients following the diet see great improvement.

For the parent of a child with autism, the food that they choose to serve their children is vitally important to their healing. Autism diets are an important first step all parents should consider as they are creating a program for the improved health and well-being of children.

Reference: Julie Matthews, Certified Nutrition Consultant