No More Flame Retardant Chemicals in Gatorade – But How Healthy Is the Replacement?

January 31, 2013 – 1:43 pm Ali Geering-Kline
flame retardant chemicals in Gatorade

Brominated vegetable oils-chemicals patented as flame retardants- have been used in orange Gatorade.

In response to customer pressure, PepsiCo has announced they will remove a controversial chemical that is added to orange Gatorade. As we’ve written about before, brominated vegetable oils (BVOs) are patented flame retardant chemicals that are also used (for another purpose) in many citrus flavored sodas.  The chemicals have been linked to a number of health hazards including heart damage, increased heart triglycerides, reduced fertility and behavioral problems.  Brominated flame retardants can also be transferred from  breast milk  to babies.

BVOs have been used in approximately 10% of sodas for decades in North America.  So why is a flame retardant chemical being used in sodas? It’s most commonly found in citrus flavored sodas and beverages to keep the fruit flavoring suspended in the drink, which is why the drink looks “cloudy”.  Drinks containing BVOs include Mountain Dew, Squirt, Fanta Orange, Fresca Citrus, and of course, Orange Gatorade.

After news of flame retardant chemicals in Gatorade and other sodas came out last year, customer complaints quickly mounted. One of these unhappy customers was Sarah Kavanaugh, a 15-year-old high school student from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  Sarah found out about these chemicals tainting her favorite drinks after searching for an ingredient she saw on a Gatorade label. In November, she started a Change.org petition calling for Gatorade’s manufacturer, PepsiCo, to remove BVO from the products. The petition gathered nearly 200,000 signatures from around the world in just a few months.  PepsiCo responded, announcing that they would remove the flame retardant chemical from their Gatorade formula.

Sweet, right?

Yes, we’re happy to hear that PepsiCo has responded to the demands to eliminate this toxic chemical, but why stop at Gatorade?  There’s a whole list of citrus flavored sodas, several of which are made by PepsiCo, that contain the chemical. So why is Pepsi and other soda companies  leaving those other citrus beverage consumers in the toxic dust? more »

The Flu Is Here. Don’t Lose Your Head! Use Our Flu Treatment Tips

January 25, 2013 – 4:16 pm Ali Geering-Kline
Keep those pesky flu bugs away with these easy eco-tips!

Keep those pesky flu bugs away with these easy eco-tips!

Cross-posted from our friends at The Green Life Online

We’re in a particularly strong flu season. And it turns out we are not very smart about avoiding spreading germs. Most Americans use six or more antimicrobial products every day. But buying more products is probably not the right answer.

The good news? If you are careful about it, it’s easy to stop the spread of germs and keep yourself and you family healthy. And it’s eco-friendly and wallet-friendly, since you won’t have to buy lots of new stuff.

Sharing germs? Be careful!

It’s Not In Your Hands

Most common illnesses, including the common cold, are spread by the hands. And since the average kiddo touches his or her mouth and nose every three minutes, it’s a good idea to promote frequent handwashing.. But, surprisingly, clean hands may not help much with the flu. One recent study found that cleaning your hands has almost no impact on flu transmission.

Washing your hands, one expert notes, is “a simple thing to do and it may protect you from some other illnesses,” but isn’t the key for the flu.

Common Sense

So, how does the flu virus spread? According to the CDC, mostly “via large-particle droplets” (ewww…) which “generally travel only a short distance (less than or equal to 1 meter) through the air.” So, some common-sense eco-friendly tips: more »

For Some Chemicals, Less Is More

January 24, 2013 – 9:47 am Michael Green

Crossposted from Huffington Post

When scientists suspect a chemical may cause cancer or other illnesses, one way they do testing is to expose lab animals to high doses of the substance and then see what happens. When anything tested this way shows harmful effects, industry goes on the offensive, arguing that only massively unlikely doses to people could cause harm (they don’t mention that they lobbied for using this high-dose testing method, since it’s cheaper than other methods). For example, in 2011, when animal testing prompted California to propose listing a chemical in caramel coloring (a main ingredient in cola) as a substance known to cause cancer, Coke claimed that a person would have to drink more than 18,000 cans of soda to be impacted.

In fact, independent scientists noted that a single can of soda contained almost four times as much of the chemical as the proposed safety standard.

Now, another troubling development in product safety is showing that we have not been protective enough about potentially harmful chemicals in products for our children and families. About a year ago, I wrote about chemicals that can mimic and alter the body’s hormones, and about the “Toxic Shell Game” whereby companies that are forced to replace harmful chemicals often do so with other similar chemicals that may also harm our health. more »

CEH In New York: Protecting the Public from Fracking Chemicals

January 14, 2013 – 11:48 am Ansje Miller

Last week, I presented testimony to a New York State Assembly Committee hearing on the state’s proposed new rules for fracking – rules that we consider woefully inadequate to protect New Yorkers from the real health and environmental risks from fracking and fracking chemicals.

I gave testimony as part of a panel of experts that also included Jake Hays, the Program Director for Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy energy; Dr. Donna Flayhan, the Director of the Lower Manhattan Public Health Project, Mary Jane Uttech, the  Deputy Public Health Director from the Cortland County Health Department, and pediatrician Dr. Larysa Dirszka.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) created the new proposed fracking rules, yet failed to testify or even to submit written testimony.

In my testimony, I described just some of the health and environmental concerns surrounding fracking, including air and water pollution and the potential impacts from hormone-altering chemicals used in some fracking operations. Indeed, chemicals used in fracking carry a wide variety of potential health hazards. As I discussed, a 2011 review found that 632 chemicals have been used in natural gas fracking; the review found that many studies demonstrating health hazards from these chemicals, including: more »

Hillary Clinton: Say “No” to Strawberry Pesticide

January 14, 2013 – 5:12 am Caroline Cox

dangerpesticidesBefore she leaves office, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has an opportunity to protect children and families from a harmful strawberry pesticide. You can take action today (petition link) to tell her to say no to more dangerous strawberry pesticides.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the nation’s largest and most prestigious organization of children’s health doctors recently published a position statement about pesticides and children. The doctors noted that evidence links young children’s exposure to pesticides to childhood cancer and learning and behavior problems, and suggested policies to protect children. The statement is written in technical language, so we translated some of the doctor’s report (see our chart) into ordinary English.

Now, there’s a current controversy about an oldie-but-deadly pesticide. Twenty years ago, the U.S. agreed to an international phase-out of methyl bromide, a pesticide used by many strawberry growers. Methyl bromide is a potent ozone destroyer, hence the phase-out. The deadline for the phase out was 2005, but amazingly, eight years past the deadline, the agribusiness industry is still clinging to this toxic pesticide!

Right now, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, on behalf of strawberry agribusiness corporations, sent a letter asking Secretary of State Clinton and EPA Administrator Jackson to get more methyl bromide for California. Why? Because instead of coming up with safe, non-toxic alternatives to methyl bromide, industry’s favored alternative was another toxic pesticide called methyl iodide – a chemical known to cause genetic damage, miscarriages and cancer.

Last year, thousands of people just like you helped force the industry to drop its plans to replace methyl bromide with methyl iodide. You know that a vibrant organic strawberry industry is booming in California and those farmers do not use ANY fumigant pesticides.

It’s far past time for the strawberry industry to learn that we won’t stand for a choice between miscarriages and skin cancer! Tell Hillary Clinton that this toxic shell game must end — twenty years is long enough to find safer ways to grow strawberries, without these harmful pesticides.

Another Hall of Shame

January 10, 2013 – 5:48 am Charles Margulis

hall-of-shameYesterday, for the first time since 1996, no players were chosen for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many first-time nominees, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and several others were considered reputation-damaged, steroid-tainted players. In the run-up to the vote, the New York Times noted that this years’ scurrilous Hall of Shame nominees would hardly be exceptional additions in Cooperstown, which is already stocked  with racists, gamblers, and drug users, among other miscreants.

But another Hall of Shame deserves some new (and some returning) inductees this year. Below, our choices (some current and some lifetime achievement nominees) for the corporate Hall of Shame.

Flame retardant chemical companies: The flame retardant industry deserves a lifetime achievement spot, based on their decades-long campaign (in concert with the tobacco industry, as the Chicago Tribune exposed in 2012) to mislead the public about their harmful products. The industry’s now defunct front group Citizens for Fire Safety and their lead “expert” witness Dr. David Heimbach deserve special mention for their dirty tricks campaigns and lying to public officials.

Alpha Natural Resources: The largest mountaintop removal mining company, Alpha took over the notorious Massey Energy company, after that corporate criminal’s deadly Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster nearly sunk the company. According to the Appalachian Community Health Emergency, mountaintop removal mining sites are responsible for “shockingly disproportionate levels of cancer, heart disease, pulmonary disease, birth defects and other physical and mental illnesses. More than four thousand people die in West Virginia communities every year because they live near such sites.” Local residents and environmental groups have sued Alpha repeatedly for its polluting operations, but the company remains unabashed. After another mining company recently acknowledged the damage from mountaintop removal and reached a legal agreement to phase-out such operations, Alpha told reporters, “(T)his does not affect our mining plans.”

Monsanto: A shoe-in for lifetime achievement in creating polluting products (among other crimes and lies), Monsanto makes it this year for serving as the chief funder of the lie-filled campaign against California’s GMO labeling ballot initiative. With upcoming GMO labeling votes in New Mexico, Washington and other states, expect Monsanto to be a perennial Hall of Shame inductee.

more »

Sharing a Toxic-Free Gift Guide with my loved ones

December 20, 2012 – 12:16 pm Evelyn Minaise
RecycledGiftWrap

While many are struggling to fill stockings on time and get their houses to optimum holiday glow, the Center for Environmental Health is working on making sure everyone has the safest, toxic-free holiday they can. CEH recently released “Buying Naughty or Nice: A Toxic-Free Gift Guide to the Holidays,” to help parents and families everywhere make smarter choices when shopping for holiday gifts for their loved ones. This is especially important as most of us are doing more spending than usual, checking things off lists without thinking too much about what kinds of harmful chemicals could be lurking in certain products. Looking through the guide, I wondered if my own friends and family were aware of some of the toxics that exist in many everyday products.  So, I decided to show CEH’s guide to some friends and talk to them about what they found most surprising, and what alternative gift ideas they found most helpful.

Lauren, a high school friend, found most of the facts shocking. She wasn’t aware of the breadth of toxics present in such common products. The poisonous plastic in children’s toys were especially devastating–“I’ll have to think twice about getting my little brother plastic toys from now on.” She hopes to find organic specialty foods and non-toxic wrapping paper to “de-tox” her gifts this year. more »

Eco-Friendly Dentistry, Q & A with Dr. Namrata Patel

December 18, 2012 – 9:51 am Ali Geering-Kline
Green Dentist, Dr. Namrata Patel

Green Dentist, Dr. Namrata Patel

Dr. Namrata (Nammy) Patel is a leader in a movement to bring environmental sanity and wellbeing into the dental world. Her mission is to make going to the dentist as relaxing as a day at the spa. At her Green Dentistry office in San Francisco’s Union Square, patients relax on a heated massage table or listen to peaceful music on Bose headphones while having their dental needs met by Dr. Nammy and her compassionate staff.

At our recent CEH 16th Anniversary Gala, Dr. Nammy spoke of her long-time support for our environmental health work. “I started working with CEH when it was really tiny, but it’s been great to see the amount of success, change and accomplishment they’ve achieved. With CEH, it’s all about results.”

CEH staff recently brought some of our questions about dentistry and toxics to Dr. Nammy, and she was gracious to respond for our readers.

1.) Some of us have wondered about the bonding agents used in dental sealants. There has been concern about bisphenol A (BPA) that is used in some sealants, and I believe there are now sealants without BPA – but we’re wondering what they’ve used to replace it. Do you have any comments on BPA in dental products? more »

This Holiday Season: Buying Naughty or Nice

December 13, 2012 – 1:29 pm Michael Green

The holidays can be stressful, especially for those of us who are aware of all the harmful chemicals in too many products on the store shelves today. Sometimes I just want to look for gifts for my loved ones without having to wonder what dangerous toxins might be lurking in every product.

I also know it can be even more stressful for those who have to live with an eco-freak like me during the holidays. When my wife and I are shopping and she sees a purse she really likes, she knows I’m not thinking “That would make a great gift for her,” but more likely, “I wonder if that’s made with lead-tainted faux leather?” When she brings home a new toy she thinks will make a great gift for our daughter, she expects me to say, “But is that made with PVC?” Even my kids know that my adoring gaze when they’re drinking from their water bottles is also concealing the mad desire to rip the bottles from their hands and bring them to work to have them tested for hormone-altering properties.

Even if you’re not hyper-vigilant about toxic hazards, everyone deserves to be protected from these threats to our children and families. So this holiday season, we created the CEH Toxic-Free Guide to the Holidays (below). Our slideshow gives you tips on how to avoid many common health threats in everything from arts and crafts to wrapping paper. Considering new kitchenware for a gift? Our guide gives in-depth tips on what to look for and what to avoid. Thinking about jewelry for that special someone? We’ll show you how to avoid lead and cadmium risks. A nice basket of body lotions and skin products sounds nice, but our guide shows you how to avoid a widely used antibacterial and buy safer products.

So check it out — before you hit the stores! And thanks to our friends at Treehugger for their shout-out to our guide!

 

Is Toxic the New Black?

December 12, 2012 – 11:26 am Maggie Young
Photo: Greenpeace

Photo: Greenpeace

The fashion industry seems to think that toxic is the shade of the season, with new evidence of toxic clothes to match toxic purses and toxic jewelry. Greenpeace has recently released a report that uncovers the use of a cocktail of toxic chemicals in clothing by 20 major fashion brands, including Calvin Klein, Armani, Victoria’s Secret, Gap, and Zara.

In April, Greenpeace purchased and tested 141 pieces of clothing from stores in 29 different countries, and found toxic phthalates, cancer-causing amines, and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) in many of the pieces. 89 articles of clothing contained NPEs, with the highest concentrations detected in clothing from C&A, Mango, Levi’s, Calvin Klein, and Zara. Phthalates were detected in all 31 items that had a plastisol print, and in very high concentrations in 4 items from Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, and Victoria’s Secret. Two items sold by Zara contained azo dyes that released cancer-causing amines.

The report, called Toxic Threads: The Big Fashion Stitch-Up, is part of Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign. The campaign incriminates toxic fashion in the continued pollution of waterways. Greenpeace is careful to point out that the levels of chemicals detected in the garments are not known to be a direct health risk to the wearers of the clothing. Rather, Greenpeace’s concern is that the chemicals discharge into aquatic systems, both from local manufacturing facilities and from consumers washing the clothing after purchase. Because of the sheer volume of clothing being made and sold, the amount of toxic chemicals that accumulate in water systems creates a serious threat to the environment and aquatic life. NPEs, in particular, are known endocrine-disrupting toxins to aquatic organisms. more »