BODY BURDEN - The Polluion of Newborns

Body Burden

         A 2005 study revealed an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood.  “Of the 287 chemicals detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain & nervous system, & 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns.  A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in umbilical cord blood.  Environmental Working Group, July 14, 2005

Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work outside the home. The scientists who conducted the study concluded this was a direct (YES DIRECT) result of increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products. GROSS!

10 things in your home that may age you prematurely | BartlesvilleLIVE

10 things in your home that may age you prematurely | BartlesvilleLIVE

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Big Food vs. Big Insurance

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html

...According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are.
We’re spending $147 billion to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet. One recent study estimated that 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the past 20 years could be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity, a condition that now accounts for nearly a tenth of all spending on health care...

A bad mix: exposure may be “safe” only with one chemical at a time.

Exposure to a mixture of environmental chemicals is far more harmful to male rats than exposure to the individual chemicals would predict, even when the level of each contaminant in the mixture causes no effect by itself. The results indicate that assessing the risk of chemicals one-compound-at-a-time will underestimate potential harm. People are exposed to hundreds of chemicals at a time, if not more. People could be affected by mixtures of chemicals that are currently considered “safe” based on their individual toxicities.

read more...

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/bad-mix-exposures-safe-only-one-chemical-at-a-time#do

Kraft Mac & Cheese reformulated in other countries but not U.S.

Did you know that Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is formulated differently for countries in Europe than for the U.S.?1 I didn't either until I read The Unhealthy Truth, a book about the toxicity of America's food supply.

The fact is, that in 2008, Kraft removed artificial colorings, like yellow #5, and chemical sweeteners, like aspartame, from the products that they distribute in Europe, Australia, and other developed countries due to consumer concern over scientific studies that link these synthetic ingredients to hyperactivity and asthma in children. But, they haven't done the same thing here in the U.S.!2 Our voices are needed to make that change here too.

We'd love to have you join us in writing to the Kraft CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, a mother of two herself, requesting that Kraft remove these same ingredients from their products here in the U.S.
http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27297

Kraft took these chemicals and additives out of their European products. If we want Kraft to do this for us in the U.S., then Kraft needs to hear from us!

Join us in sending Kraft CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, a letter asking that Kraft value the health of our children as highly as they value the children in other countries. And please then share this email with friends and family so that they too can send a letter.

The vast majority of American homes have Kraft products.3 Together, we can affect change and have these ingredients removed from the products that Kraft distributes here in the U.S.

Here's that link again to sign on to the letter in case you need it:

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27297

Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass

New research suggests that atrazine may be dangerous at lower concentrations than previously thought. Recent studies suggest that, even at concentrations meeting current federal standards, the chemical may be associated with birth defects, low birth weights and menstrual problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/us/23water.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=weed%20killer&st=cse

From Bisphenol A in baby bottles to lead in toys, we've seen how toxic chemicals get into our lives. But we have the right to be healthy, the right to work in a safe environment, and the right to know what chemicals are in our bodies. Now is the time to make a change, and require that chemicals be tested for safety before they are put into the products we use every day.

That's why Clean New York is proud to be part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign, a national effort to create the strongest, most comprehensive solution to fix the law that is failing to protect our families from toxic chemicals.

Lead may harm school-age children more than babies

Lead may harm school-age children more than babies

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The American Academy Of Environmental Medicine Calls For Immediate Moratorium On Genetically Modified Foods

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18080.cfm

Wichita, KS - The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) today released its position paper on Genetically Modified foods stating that "GM foods pose a serious health risk" and calling for a moratorium on GM foods. Citing several animal studies, the AAEM concludes "there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects" and that "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health." The AAEM calls for:

* A moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term safety testing and labeling of GM food.
* Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community and the public to avoid GM foods.
* Physicians to consider the role of GM foods in their patients' disease processes.
* More independent long term scientific studies to begin gathering data to investigate the role of GM foods on human health.

"Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients' and the public's health," said Dr. Amy Dean, PR chair and Board Member of AAEM. "Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions," said Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM. "The most common foods in North America which are consumed that are GMO are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil." The AAEM's position paper on Genetically Modified foods can be found at http:aaemonline.org/gmopost.html. AAEM is an international association of physicians and other professionals dedicated to addressing the clinical aspects of environmental health. More information is available at www.aaemonline.org.

Contaminated without consent

The first in a long series of how the consumer choices we make every day have a HUGE impact on the health of you, your loved ones and the planet.

The beginning...

Ok, so I really have no idea about this blogging thing but I have a lot of info. in my computer and my brain and why not share it right? Everyone else is! Maybe if I braindump everyone once in a while I'll get some sleep. HA! Perhaps I should have thought of that before having two kids.

Which brings me to some of what will be the main focus of this blog...Parenting. What a job!!!! There is so much to do to protect your kids and I am scared that there is so much that parents don't know they need to be protecting their kids from. And not just kids but ourselves and other loved ones. To me, informed = healthy = happy and everyone should = happy.

Yes I'm a treehugger, yes I'm maybe a little more than anal about the food my family eats, the toys my kids play with and the air that my family breathes. But isn't that my job?

I also know that you can't be good all the time. This is my quest to find balacne and to be a "mostly green mama"..... help me and I'll help you.