Reducing Use of Processed Foods

It is truly amazing how little of the food we eat we actually prepare from scratch. Here's an example:

My family makes our own spaghetti sauce. It's cheaper, we like the taste better than the store bought and is supposed to be better for us. BUT - we buy the cans of tomatoes, sauce and paste; we buy the cheeses and the spices. What did we just make on our own?

Yes, it's cheaper for us and yes, we like the taste better. But is it better for us or the environment? Each can of tomatoes is lined with chemicals to help "improve and maintain freshness". One of these chemicals is BPA. Chemicals are also added to help "maintain color and flavor". Huge amounts of salt are added, and salt is now being linked to memory problems as well as the hypertension issues. The cheeses are processed and shipped from hundreds of miles away, as are the spices. These are usually shipped in plastic, which is known to outgas at room temperature.

Energy may or may not be saved by making spaghetti sauce this way, compared to buying individual jars of processed sauce. I do know the number of chemicals we consume is decreased substantially. Just look at the labels of your favorite sauces to see what has been added compared to mixing it up yourself. Each year I am growing more tomatoes to can and use, rather than buying them, but I'm still not able to grow a full year's supply. I'm getting there.

While I don't expect most people to look as closely as I do at what we make, what we eat, how we eat it, or how we buy it, I do hope you *will* look.

Changes are simple. Drink 1 less soda per week. Eat 1 less candy bar. Eat out 1 fewer times per week. Cook a meal rather than eating a heat and serve TV dinner. Grill your own burgers rather than driving down to the local burger bar. Make soup out of left overs instead of opening a can and dumping it in a sauce pan.

Here are some facts for you to think about when you go shopping or go out to eat:

Overall, food—and all the energy it takes to grow, process, transport and prepare it—is responsible for 1/3 of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Pew Center.

The average restaurant in the US uses 38 kWh of electricity and 111 cubic feet of natural gas per square foot of space per year.

Here in the US, for every 10 calories spent to grow/produce our food, we get 1 calorie in return.

Calculate your diet's carbon footprint. Eat Low Carbon

Second-Hand Scents

Forgive me if this is a bit erratic. I'm very dizzy today, and so thoughts don't flow as well when that happens.

Scents - we all like them. Some of us a lot more than others. You know the kind - if a little dab is good, the whole bottle is better. But do you know what makes that scent? And do you know how many things in your home have scents added?

Here's a list of just some products with scents added:
Tissues, Toilet Paper, Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Lotion, Hairspray, Mousse, Gel, Deodorant, Makeup, Aftershave, Cologne, Perfume, Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Floss, Body Powder, diapers, incontinence pads, feminine pads, Window Cleaner, Floor Cleaner, Dish Soap, Dish Washing Detergent, Fabric Detergent, Fabric Softener, Dryer Sheets, Furniture Polish, Silver Polish, Dust Cloths, Cat Litter, Garbage Bags, New Furniture, Air Fresheners, Candles, Bleach, Blue, Ammonia, Car Cleaning Products, Lamp Oil, Pot Pourri, Carpet Cleaner, Snack Foods, Microwave Popcorn, Soft Drinks, Powdered Drinks, Jello, Candy, Chewable Vitamins, Ink.

The Chemicals In Scentology
The fragrance industry uses over 3000 (3 thousand) chemicals to create the scents in the products we buy. Most are petrochemical - also known as volatile organic compounds (banned from paints in NYS). This is actually being studied as part of indoor air pollution. Yes, the fragrances in your clothes and on your body contribute to the poor air in your home and office.

75% of all products with chemical fragrance added have phthalates http://kermitsteam.blogspot.com/2007/12/air-fresheners.html. This about this. You smear these things on your hair, your scalp, your face, and your body. They cling to you from within the fibers of your clothes, transferring to your hands, your face, and your furniture, children and pets. You inhale them as they release from your skin, your clothes and the air fresheners you can't live without. Considering your skin is the largest organ of your body, you have inundated it with these chemicals. Your lungs absorb more chemicals faster than any other organ in your body. Inhale deeply!

All fragrances are untested - the government doesn't see a need to - unregulated - you can't regulate what you don't test - and unlabled - if they aren't tested or regulated, they must be safe, so why lable them as being in the product to begin with?

Many personal care products have one of dozens of artificial musks. Most of these have been linked to hormone disruption. This is bad since these particular chemicals bioaccumulate, meaning they are stored in the fat. This also means if a woman is using perfumes with one of these mictures, it will be transferred to her baby during breast feeding. Hormone disruption is attributed to the feminization of boys and early development of girls Essential oils found in many products, has been linked to hormone disruption in prepubescent boys.

Scent-Free
More and more people are suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Environmental Illness, and Sick Building Syndrome. Take away these chemicals and these people's health improves immediately. Fewer asthma attacks are reported, fewer sick days, sinus infections, allergic responses and more productivity is attributed. For more information, please refer to www.MCS-Global.org

Countries are starting to take the initiative by requiring scent-free locales within buildings - much as smoke-free areas have occurred in this country. Much of the research that has been done regarding the deliterious effects of chemical fragrances has been done in Canada, which is also leading the way in scent-free zones for sensitive people. I'd love to make all elementary schools scent-free, but that's just my soap box issue of the day.

How?
Many products are now unscented. You must pay careful attention since they'll say fragrance free, but not be unscented. Unfortunately, there is a difference and product manufacturers know this.
Use unscented laundry detergent. Rather than fabric softener or dryer sheets, use a 1/4 C of baking soda in the wash. It leaves clothes softer than anything you can buy specifically for that purpose.
Get rid of the candles and air fresheners in your home. If you need, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet weekly and vacuum it up after 20 minutes. It works wonders.
Use unscented soaps. Don't layer scents onto your skin with soap, then lotion, then whatever is in your clothing. Use scant amounts of lotion. You don't need nearly what you think you do.

Once you take some simple measures as above, you'll be far more aware of other scents around you. You may wish to cut more out of your life. Or, you may fall in love with your perfume again. Who knows?

Regardless, why use them? Why subject your body and the bodies of your children to unknown chemicals? And, to work with a popular scare tactic, if China put chemicals that are dangerous to pet and person in knowingly tested products, what are they putting in to products that are completely unregulated? Are you truly willing to risk that?

Is Your Home Causing Breast Cancer?

Robin Kay Levine, the founder and CEO of green cleaning products company Eco-Me, started her business in 2005 when her 35-year-old sister, with no family history, was diagnosed with breast cancer. "How does this happen?" Levine wondered at about the same time she was overwhelmed by fumes her sister's housekeeper left behind. "When you start thinking about it, there are so many chemicals we use until the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep," she says. "But no government agency tracks the chemicals being used in these products. Who's looking out for the consumers?"

Instead of offering premade batches of cleaning supplies, Eco-Me sells kits so people can brew their own at home, with ingredients Levine says our great grandmothers used -- vinegar, baking soda, essential oils. How's her sister now? In remission with a new baby.

Levine is on to something. Experts say that even products that meet government standards aren't completely safe, and can contribute to a variety of ailments, including breast cancer, ADHD, and asthma. Read on to find out if your home is harboring any hidden dangers.

Warning Labels

"Watch warning labels," says Robin Kay Levine, the founder of Eco-Me green cleaning products. No one expects consumers to be experts, however, or to know which funny-sounding chemicals are known carcinogens. Levine advises, "Look for products that give away the ingredients. Stay away from anything with a color in it. Labels that say 'keep windows open' and 'use in a ventilated room' are a dead giveaway."

Foam Containers

Foam containers are made of polystyrene, whose chemical ingredients can seep into food and your morning cup of coffee. Styrene has been blamed for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, depression, fatigue, decreased kidney function, and central nervous system damage. Xenoestrogens like styrene are suspected hormone disruptors, meaning that they mimic estrogen in the body and disrupt normal hormone functioning. They are found in many common home products, including plastics and cosmetics and could lead to breast and prostate cancer. You asked for a doggie bag -- not a health risk.

Dryer Sheets

The slinky little sheets that keep clothes fresh are chock full of chemicals, including ethanol and chloroform. The ingredient benzyl acetate has been linked to pancreatic cancer and benzyl alcohol is known to cause upper respiratory irritation. When it reacts with ozone, the ingredient limonene can form formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. "We have gotten used to these wonderful lifestyles with 'better living through chemicals,'" says Kathy Loidolt, a consumer health advocate and author of the Shopper's Guide to Health Living. "But our bodies are being overloaded with toxins. We don't need to be scared of everything. We just need to get different habits."

Plastic

Baby bottles (and other refillable hard plastic bottles and plastic flatware) are commonly made from polycarbonate plastics, the most common type on the market. Unfortunately, when washed and heated (say, in the microwave), these plastics give off bisphenol-a, or BPA. BPA is a hormone disruptor that mimics estrogen and has been tied to developmental and neurological problems for unborn children. In animals BPA has contributed to reproductive system abnormalities such as infertility, enlarged prostate, and abnormal chromosomes, as well as obesity and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Look for BPA-free alternatives when shopping for your next baby shower gift!

Figuring out whether plastic containers are safe can be confusing: polyethylene is safe, polycarbonate isn't; polypropylene is safe, bisphenol-a isn't. After repeated reheating, polycarbonate, a chemical seen in several plastic storage products, can leak BPA, the dangerous hormone disruptor found in some baby bottles. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the chemical in most plastic soda bottles, leeks the hormone-disrupting carcinogens called phthalates after repeated use. Deli plastic like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can also release dioxins.


"Ordinary" Cleaning Products

In addition to containing known harmful ingredients like ammonia, lye, phosphate, and chlorine, the majority of home cleaning products (just about everything under your kitchen sink) contain a vast array of chemicals, including toxic ethylene-based glycol ethers and non-toxic terpenes that become dangerous when they interact with ozone in the air. Experts say the single most important thing to remember about cleaning products is that you need good ventilation when using them.

Second Hand Scents

Dr. Anne Steinemann, a professor of engineering at the University of Washington, has long warned about the effects of "second hand scents" in everything from air fresheners to laundry detergent, spray disinfectants to scented candles. In 2007, she performed a chemical analysis of 30 of the bestselling scented household products and found that they contained known carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals. (The study appeared in 2008 in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review.) The products she studied contained more than two dozen volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which the EPA says can cause nose and throat irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. Together, the products Steinemann tested contained more than 100 different chemicals, none of which were listed on the labels. "The labels look benign," Steinemann says. "But some of these chemicals are classified as toxic under federal laws and can be affecting you even without your knowledge." She recommends making your home fragrant with scents straight from the source, such as mint leaves or cinnamon sticks.

Dye

The color dyes that make soap more fun to use and frosting more fun to eat have been linked to increased hyperactivity in children. "What you put on your skin can go straight through to the bloodstream," says Loidolt, the consumer health advocate. It's the same reason she recommends avoiding perfume and chemical-packed lotions. Countless studies have produced countless opinions on exactly how great an ADHD irritant color dyes are, but there is some consensus that FD&C yellow #5 isn't something we'd prefer to eat -- or bathe in.

Hobbies

Superglue and other super-strength adhesives (you know, the kind that take two trucks to pull apart on TV) induce sensitization, according to Dr. Paul Blanc, a professor of medicine and chair of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and author of How Everyday Products Make People Sick: Toxins at Home and in the Workplace. Exposure can start with allergies and lead to asthma. Other hobby materials can be dangerous, too; people who deal with leaded toys, the chemicals involved in stained glass making and amateur metal refining should be careful. "People think there's a magic wall between occupation exposures and home exposures, but in fact it's a spectrum," Blanc says.

New Home Smell

Between the adhesives, stain protectors, flame retardants, and the chemical behind that mysterious and distinctive "new carpet smell," carpeting combines a lot of potentially unhealthy elements. The dyes and solvents used to produce and install it emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including styrene, xylene, butlylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and 4-Phenylcyclohexane (4-PC). Put together, these chemicals have caused respiratory and nervous system damage, as well as allergies, headaches, and nausea. Let the carpet air out for a few days in a well-ventilated area to reduce the VOCs and everyone will breathe easier.

Particle board, fiberboard, plywood, paneling, and some insulation, popular in homes of the 1970s and budget decorators, can emit formaldehyde, which the EPA calls a probable human carcinogen. Some of these materials contain urea-formaldehyde in the glue, which the EPA says is the highest indoor producer of formaldehyde, the chemical that can result in asthma attacks and other upper respiratory irritation, and burning of the eyes, nose, and throat. It has also been tied to cancer in animals. Unfortunately, these emissions can increase in humid summer months and some people are more vulnerable than others. The trailers the U.S. government provided to Hurricane Katrina survivors were giving off dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

Flame Retardents

Flame retardants used on upholstered furniture, mattresses, and electronic equipment have undoubtedly saved many lives, but there is a trade off. These polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, have caused memory and learning problems in rats and mice, as well as slowing their thyroid function and neurological development. It is not known what effect the chemicals may have on humans, though most people have them in their system.

Your Printer

Laser and ink-jet printers sure make our lives easier, but recent studies show that they also release volatile organic chemical emissions and ozone particulates, which have been linked to heart and lung disease after being inhaled. The jury is still out on whether the exposure levels in the average home are safe.

Hormone Disruption Cologne

"A single fragrance typically contains several hundred chemicals," says Dr. Steinemann, who studied the fragranced home products. Fragrances and other beauty and personal care products often contain the man-made chemicals called phthalates, or plasticizers, molecules absorbed through the skin that have caused birth defects in male genitalia in animals and may cause lowered sperm count in boys and premature breast development in girls. These chemicals have been banned from baby toys, but not your perfume. "Most of our exposure to toxic chemicals comes from the products we choose to use, not chemical waste sites," says Steinemann.

Non-Stick Pans

Nonstick and stain-resistant coatings, used on everything from your favorite omelette pan to your suede sofa, include perfluorinated acids (PFAs). Though their toxicity in human is still unclear, in animals, PFAs cause birth defects, thyroid hormone abnormalities, and liver damage.

Products With All Chemicals Listed

Found on The Grist:
Online petitions rarely do any good, but it's worth it to try. It may get someone's attention.

If you want to know what the ingredients are in your cleaning products, DL the widget or program for your cell phone or even use it on their site:
7th Generation's Cleaning-Products-Ingredients-Guide

Laws don't regulate cleaning products in anyway, so this is of particular interest if you don't use simple things like salt, baking soda, or white vinegar for the majority of your cleaning.
And remember - the largest organ in your body is your SKIN. It can absorb just about anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know the current law regulating toxic chemicals was passed in 1976? And it hasn't changed since, even though 20,000 new chemicals have come onto the market since then.

Go to http://www.notkidsafe.org/ to watch the video, then sign the Declaration to stop pollution newborns.

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://notkidsafe.org/
SIGN THE DECLARATION: http://notkidsafe.org/

People are polluted with hundreds of industrial chemicals. Babies are born pre-polluted with 200 industrial chemicals in their bodies when they enter the world.

We are at a tipping point, where the pollution in people is increasingly associated with a range of serious diseases and conditions from childhood cancer, to autism, ADHD, learning deficits, infertility, and birth defects.

It's time to step up and protect our children. Tell the U.S. President you won't stand for this any longer.

Plastics Linked To Human Health Risks

I'm shocked - shocked I say!

WASHINGTON (Sept. 16) - With scientists at odds about the risks of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, the government on Tuesday gave consumers some tips on how to reduce their exposure to BPA even as it said the substance is safe.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met as a major study linked bisphenol A to possible risks of heart disease and diabetes. The scientific debate could drag on for years.

"Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits," said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA's office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, "there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure."

For example, consumers can avoid plastic containers imprinted with the recycling number '7,' as many of those contain BPA. Or, Tarantino said, they can avoid warming food in such containers, as heat helps to release the chemical.

More than 90 percent of Americans have traces of BPA in their bodies, but the FDA says the levels of exposure are too low to pose a health risk, even for infants and children. Other scientists, however, say BPA has been shown to affect the human body even at very low levels.

And Tuesday a study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested a new concern about BPA. Using a health survey of nearly 1,500 adults, the study found that those exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes. Because of the possible public health implications, the results "deserve scientific follow-up," its authors said.

The study is preliminary, far from proof that the chemical caused the health problems. Two Dartmouth College analysts of medical research said it raises questions but provides no answers about whether the ubiquitous chemical is harmful.

FDA officials said they are not dismissing such findings. "We recognize the need to resolve the concerning questions that have been raised," said Tarantino, acknowledging that more research is needed. But the FDA is also arguing that the studies with rats and mice it relied on for its assessment are more thorough than some of the human research that has raised doubts.

The agency has asked an outside scientific panel for a second opinion on BPA's safety, and the medical journal article was released to coincide with the advisers' hearing. The FDA has the power to ban or limit use of BPA in food containers and medical devices.

Past animal studies have suggested reproductive and hormone-related problems from BPA. The JAMA study is the largest to examine possible BPA effects in people and the first suggesting a direct link to heart disease, said scientists Frederick vom Saal and John Peterson Myers, both longtime critics of the chemical.

Still, they said more rigorous studies are needed to confirm the results.

Vom Saal is a biological sciences professor at University of Missouri who has served as an expert witness and consultant on BPA litigation. Myers is chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, a Charlottesville, Va., nonprofit group. They wrote an editorial accompanying the JAMA study.

BPA is used in hardened plastics and in a wide range of consumer goods, including the lining of metal cans, eyeglass lenses and compact discs. Many scientists believe it can act like the hormone estrogen, and animal studies have linked it with breast, prostate and reproductive system problems and some cancers.

Researchers from Britain and the University of Iowa examined a U.S. government health survey of 1,455 American adults who gave urine samples in 2003-04 and reported whether they had any of several common diseases.

Participants were divided into four groups based on BPA urine amounts; more than 90 percent had detectable BPA in their urine.

A total of 79 had heart attacks, chest pain or other types of cardiovascular disease and 136 had diabetes. There were more than twice as many people with heart disease or diabetes in the highest BPA group than in the lowest BPA group. The study showed no connection between BPA and other ailments, including cancer.

No one in the study had BPA urine amounts showing higher than recommended exposure levels, said co-author Dr. David Melzer, a University of Exeter researcher.

Drs. Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice said the study presents no clear information about what might have caused participants' heart disease and diabetes.

"Measuring who has disease and high BPA levels at a single point in time cannot tell you which comes first," Schwartz said.

The study authors acknowledge that it's impossible to rule out that people who already have heart disease or diabetes are somehow more vulnerable to having BPA show up in their urine.
The American Chemistry Council, an industry trade group, said the study is flawed, has substantial limitations and proves nothing.

But Dr. Ana Soto of Tufts University said the study raises enough concerns to warrant government action to limit BPA exposure.

"We shouldn't wait until further studies are done in order to act in protecting humans," said Soto, who has called for more restrictions in the past.

An earlier lab experiment with human fat tissue found that BPA can interfere with a hormone involved in protecting against diabetes, heart disease and obesity. That study appeared online last month in Environmental Health Perspectives, a monthly journal published by the National Institutes of Health.

One of the FDA's outside advisers was skeptical of the JAMA study. "For diabetes, I really don't see it," said Dr. Garret FitzGerald of the University of Pennsylvania.

Toxicology experts from another government agency have studied BPA and recently completed their own report. They found no strong evidence of health hazards from BPA, but unlike the FDA, said there was "some concern" about possible effects on the brain in fetuses, infants and children.

Several states are considering restricting BPA use, some manufacturers have begun promoting BPA-free baby bottles, and some stores are phasing out baby products containing the chemical. The European Union has said BPA-containing products are safe, but Canada's government has proposed banning the sale of baby bottles with BPA as a precaution.

The FDA advisory panel is expected to make its recommendations to the FDA late next month.
Government toxicologists report: http://tinyurl.com/5jq2uv

More info

About a third of the way down

Maine Newspaper On BPA
BPA was originally used as a synthetic hormone. Today it is mostly used to make polycarbonate plastic, which is used in hard plastic products, including baby bottles and some of popular water bottles. Remarkably, BPA is also used to make coatings that line food cans.

Chemical BPA

Artical on AOL
http://body.aol.com/news/articles/_a/far-more-exposure-to-harmful-chemicals/20070806140409990002
(aka BPA)

Americans are exposed to far more of a controversial chemical than previously thought -- levels that likely surpass the government's current safety standard and which have been shown to cause harm in animals, according to a joint statement issued by 38 leading scientists.

While the chemical, bisphenol A, is hardly a household word, it is found in nearly every home and nearly everybody. Government tests have found bisphenol A, which is used in plastic baby bottles, dental sealants and linings of metal cans, in 95 percent of people studied.

While scientists haven't yet conducted definitive studies in people, animal tests have linked bisphenol A, which acts like a hormone, to problems such as obesity, early puberty, hyperactivity, and abnormal sexual behavior and reproductive cycles.

In their joint statement, however, scientists say they took a conservative approach, including only statements backed by many strong studies.

Scientists agreed that even very low doses cause profound effects on laboratory animals, particularly during pregnancy and infancy. The chemical can permanently rewire genetic programming before birth, potentially predisposing exposed animals to cancer. Bisphenol A also changes brain structure, body size and behavior in animals studied, scientists said.

Researchers issued their statement, published in Reproductive Toxicology, after reviewing about 700 animal studies.

The Environmental Protection Agency says bisphenol A is safe in doses of up to 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, per day. But a paper presented Thursday, Aug. 9, concludes that the high levels of bisphenol A in human blood and tissue suggest people are actually exposed to 10 times that amount.

One of the scientists, Retha Newbold of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, says researchers need to find ways to measure whether people have been exposed to bisphenol A before or after birth, and if exposure increases their disease risk.

Researchers agree many questions remain, such as: Does bisphenol A, like mercury, build up as it moves through the food chain? Could that explain why there's so much of it in our bodies?

The scientists' findings are at odds with other recent analyses, according to a statement released by the American Chemistry Council, which notes that the European Food Safety Authority has concluded that consumers are not at risk from the chemical. A report on bisphenol A being prepared by the National Toxicology Program's reproductive health center -- which held a hearing on the issue on Monday, Aug. 13 -- will provide a more balanced and accurate picture, said the council's Steven Hentges.

In the past two years, lawmakers in California, Maryland and Minnesota have introduced bills to ban bisphenol A in children's products. None succeeded. California is still considering a bill to ban similar chemicals from children's products.

Frederick vom Saal, a professor of reproductive biology and neurobiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia who signed the joint statement, says manufacturers should voluntarily get rid of bisphenol A. He asks, "Why would you subject your baby to something that you know is a sex hormone?"

4/29 - more information
From The Grist:
Down to the Last Drop Nalgene, Wal-Mart back away from BPA
Bottle manufacturer Nalgene will stop using plastic containing bisphenol A in response to concerns from the National Toxicology Program and the Canadian health department that the chemical probably shouldn't be sucked on by kids. Nalgene says it still believes its clear, hard plastic bottles "are safe for their intended use" but says it's responding to customers who "indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives." Wal-Mart also announced it would pull all baby bottles made with BPA from its shelves by early next year.

Bisphenol A in your body
Your BPA questions, answered
NYTimes Article
Washington Post Article

Fabric Softener - A Conspiracy?

Personally, I don't use the stuff. I don't like the smell, I don't like the way clothes feel, I don't like the way I ITCH after using it.

When people give me clothes to use in my quilting, they go straight into the washer for a very long scrubbing to get as much of the stuff off as possible.

Today, I did some cleaning in my mom's room while she's in Baltimore awaiting a surgical procedure. She likes her curtains to have fabric softener on them to dry wrinkle free right on the rod - as well as to "smell good". I don't argue that clean curtains smell incredibly better than dusty, stale curtains. But I don't like the fabric softerner smell.

So - I got thinking about the stuff. How safe is it really? You can find all sorts of conspiracy theories about it out there - very extreme discussions. I decided to go for the guts of the information - the MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheets. Everything under the sun has one.

Ya know what? These companies that make both liquid and dryer sheet style fabric softeners aren't required to list the "inert" ingredients - such as the perfumes. So - I can understand folks yelling conspiracy.

The following is unconfirmed - I just can't find accurate ingredient lists for *any* fabric softener out there. So believe at your own risk:
http://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=155

Here again is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets:

Benzyl Acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list
Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

Here is the MSDS for Bounce Dryer Sheets (except their "Free" brand)
http://www.officedepot.com/pdf/msds/302830.pdf

What I found as "active" ingredients are as follows:

Fatty acids, C10-20 and C16-18- unsaturated, reaction products with triethanolamine, dimethyl sulfate-quaternized
Quaternary ammonium compound http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternary_ammonium_cation

Basically - those fatty acids are ammonia derived - not what you'd call "naturally occurring" substances. Between the fatty aspect blocking or insulating the fabric from static, the "charge" of the molecules help neutralize any static trying to be produced by all the friction.

Isopropyl alcohol = 2-Propanol - I'm assuming to keep the above from forming clumps in liquid, or sticking together between packaged sheets.

All companies state both active and inert ingredients are biodegradable (so is plastic, given enough time), and that are designed with environmental concerns in mind.

Now - given the chemicals that are found in polar bear fat and earthworms - I'm not going to be as confident in their statements as they'd like.

In conclusion

Why use fabric softeners? It's not like a woman wears a wool dress with a silk slip anymore. Why have these products compete with a perfume you actually LIKE?
Why waste the money?
Why make it so your clothes and towels can't absorb water - which is exactly what a fat will make any fabric do - repel water.
Why itch?
Why risk a fire in your dryer?
Why waste the energy to produce, ship, stock, use and then toss?

Dryer balls do the same work without all the negatives. AND they dry your clothes faster. No fabric softener can do that!
The packaging sucks, but at least it can be recycled...
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/dryer_balls.html

You can also order them in just about any catalog out there and I've seen them at Rite Aid. Can't vouch for any other store.

Chemicals On Your Body

FYI - Your skin is the largest organ your body has. If you're not willing to ingest a chemical, WHY would you put it on your skin?

By Judi Ketteler

With literally thousands of chemicals and fragrances added to everything from moisturizer to nail polish, how do you know if your beauty product is safe?

We live in a chemical-infused world. Although there are some benefits -- clean drinking water, for example -- when it comes to beauty products, chemicals are thought by many to cause adverse health effects. That's because chemicals from beauty products don't pass through your digestive system where they might be filtered; instead, they head right into your bloodstream.

It's important for consumers to understand that the cosmetic industry is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Companies are required to list all the ingredients in order of use, but they're not required (by federal law) to test products for safety. The FDA can only act if they have strong scientific knowledge that a product is dangerous. That doesn't mean that companies don't have safety standards, but it does mean that claims like "natural," "botanical" or "organic" are basically useless.

So where does this leave the consumer? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) -- a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to educate consumers about chemicals in cosmetics -- created Skin Deep a searchable database that analyzes about 25,000 beauty products and 10,000 different ingredients.

"It's about trying to pick better products in the same category," says Kristan Markey, a chemist and research analyst for EWG. For example, it's not reasonable to stop using all soap, but you can choose milder soaps with fewer ingredients. "It's a big challenge, but basically, it's just a matter of slowly going through your bathroom cabinet," Markey says. The best place to start is by looking at the ingredients. However, even that can feel like a Herculean task, given that most ingredients are multi-syllabic words you can't even pronounce, let alone have any idea what they do.

Here are some tips to get started:

Minimize Fragrances

Beware of the word "fragrance." You might think it's something that simply smells pretty, but scents are chemicals. The truth is, it's impossible to know exactly which chemicals are in a fragrance. There are more than 5,000 different fragrances used in cosmetics and skin care products, reports the American Academy of Dermatology. Plus, not all chemicals are listed on a label. To complicate matters, fragrance chemicals are a leading cause of allergic reactions to cosmetics. Choose "fragrance free" whenever possible. Or, if the bouquet of lavender fields is crucial for your morning shower, look for products with no chemical preservatives."

Scrutinize Nail Polish

Phthalates -- used widely in nail polish -- are a big topic of controversy and research. Scientists have been studying this group of chemicals for at least 20 years and have found that they may be linked to birth defects in humans (they're definitely toxic to animals). Unfortunately, phthalates often get hidden under "fragrance," so it's hard for the consumer to know if the nail polish contains it or not. The best tactic: Use less nail polish -- perhaps just paint your toes and skip the nails.

Use Hair Dyes Less Often

Salons are not required to list the ingredients in their hair dye, Markey says, but we know that many contain coal tar ingredients -- chemicals that have been linked to cancer. Black hair dyes for men have also been found to contain lead (called lead acetate), which has been restricted in both Canada and the European Union. Avoiding hair dye altogether is a tough pill to swallow -- but try to go as long as possible between uses.

Avoid Skin Lighteners

"You want to avoid anything that changes your skin composition," Markey says. Watch out for products that have hydroquinone -- a chemical that bleaches the skin and can cause lesions. The FDA has issued warnings about it and recommended that it no longer be generally recognized as safe and effective.

Choose Shampoo Carefully

Be especially wary of dandruff shampoos, because they often contain selenium sulfide -- a neurotoxin and possible carcinogen. If you can, avoid shampoos that list ethanolamine or diethanolamine -- called TEA or DEA on the label. These are nitrosamines, says Markey, which are thought to be carcinogenic (though it's not clear in what amounts). The FDA has also been monitoring the contaminant 1,4-dioxane, which on a label could be called "PEG," "Polyethylene," "Polyethylene glycol," "Polyoxyethylene," "-eth-," or "-oxynol-."

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Once you start digging into the ingredients of many of your favorite beauty products, it's easy to become disheartened. After all, who doesn't like to look nice, smell nice and have smooth skin and pretty nails? But try to look for ways to cut down the amount of products you're using: Drop a step from your skincare routine, give your hair days off from washing, use fragrance free whenever possible and always look for products with less ingredients.

1/25/08 Article on Moisturizers from the Grist.org
http://www.grist.org/advice/products/2008/01/08/?source=weekly

Air Fresheners

From AOL Body

They Smell Pretty, But Are They Safe?
Some people have the bouquet of a garden drift in in their windows. Most of us don't: An estimated 75 percent of households use air fresheners to the tune of $1.72 billion annually. But while they smell good, you may be exposing yourself to toxic air contaminants

How Do You Pronounce That?
According to a 2007 study, the majority of household air fresheners contain industrial chemicals called phthalates (pronounced thal-ates). The use of air fresheners cause phthalates to be released into the air, where they can be inhaled or absorbed.

Watch Out for Hidden Ingredients
There is evidence that phthalate exposure can cause hormonal abnormalities and it has been linked to birth defects and reproductive issues health issues )http://body.aol.com/condition-center/pregnancy), particularly in males. Phthalates are rarely listed on labels, although they are a main ingredient for fragrance.

Allergies In the Air
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, fragrance is the number-one cause of allergic cosmetic reactions (http://body.aol.com/condition-center/allergies). Exposure to phthalates has also been associated with asthma and upper airway irritation (http://body.aol.com/condition-center/asthma). There's more.

Gee, Your Home Smells Dangerous
The aroma of citrus and pine oil in many products, including air fresheners, is refreshing, thanks in part to chemicals called terpenes. Although terpenes are not toxic, they have been found to react with ozone to produce a variety of toxic compounds, including formaldehyde.

Did You Say Formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde and benzene have been detected in some air fresheners. Formaldehyde has been linked to cancers of the upper airways (http://body.aol.com/condition-center/respiratory-health) and benzene is known to cause leukemiain humans. Let's turn to what products you should stay clear of.

First, the Bad News
As part of a 2007 study, Natural Resources Defense Council researchers found that these four air fresheners contain highest level of phthalates: Ozium Glycol-ized Air Sanitizer and Walgreens' Air Freshener Spray, Scented Bouquet Air Freshener and Solid Air Freshener.

Moderate chemical levels were found in Air Wick Scented Oil, Febreze NOTICEables Scented Oil, Glade Air Infusions, Glade PlugIn Scented Oil and Oust Air Sanitizer Spray. Citrus Magic, Lysol Brand II Disinfectant and Oust Fan Liquid Refills were found to have trace levels of phthalates.

And those in the clear...
The Envelope Please
Just two air fresheners came up smelling like roses:
Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher
Renuzit Subtle Effects

Does that mean you should spray away to your heart's content?

Keep It Simple
The take away is to be cautious about (over)use of air fresheners. They are not a solution for poor air quality and cannot substitute for good ventilation. The best solution is the simplest: Open the windows or use fans to maintain air circulation.