Berkeley Researchers Test Toxic Beauty Detox
There’s so much gloom and doom in the story about beauty products. From the “Stink!” documentary’s exploration of the “fragrance loophole” to tests that found lead in 60% of lipsticks (yes, really) getting ready is like walking through a haunted house: fear at every turn. My thought process tends to go something like… This sample mascara is amazing, but is the company that makes it is hiding mercury in the formula? I love my new deodorant, but am I dousing my lymph nodes with cancer-causing chemicals? I’ve swapped out hair dye for henna and greened my makeup routine, but the fear of hidden chemicals means sometimes I feel like hiding my (unwashed) head under a rock,…
Responses Vary to TSCA Vote
Well, that came out of nowhere. This week, without much warning, the Senate passed legislation to update TSCA, the Toxic Substances Control Act. The House of Representatives passed a different bill in June—and until the vote, the language of the new legislation wasn’t made public. Talk about smoke and mirrors! Now the two bills will need to be reconciled in committee before anything becomes law. So how does the new legislation break down?
Stink! Doc Tackles Toxic Chemicals
It’s hard to fully explain how I feel about the impact of toxic chemicals on our lives. Sometimes it seems like I start talking and all people hear is that “wa-wa” sound from the “Peanuts” cartoons, when nothing adults said actually mattered to the story. But this information matters. With one in three women and one in two men now statistically at risk for cancer, it matters. With cancer now the leading cause of children’s death by disease, it matters a lot. And when you find a story that helps people really listen to how we connect the dots between toxic chemicals and illness–that could matter most of all. This fall, the…
.@EnvDefenseFund Tests #Toxin Bracelet
What if your jewelry could alert you to the presence of toxic chemicals? The scenario might not be far off. In partnership with Oregon State University, the Environmental Defense Fund is using a toxin-recording bracelet to assess exposures.
One Minute Toxic Test
Between the cute kittens and baby pictures, there was one meme circulating in my social media this week that I couldn’t click away from: Have you taken the Toxic Test? And although I’m usually adverse to flashing messages promising to tell me something I don’t already know, I clicked on over to the Toxic Test to check it out. Believe me, I was surprised.
Poison Apple Petition Delivered to EPA
Last week, Mommy Greenest delivered 661 signatures in support of our Poison Apple petition. The letter that we sent to Gina McCarthy is below. Our petition, which focused on better regulating toxic chemical pesticides on apples, is just part of a larger movement. Similar actions from amazing organizations such as the Center for Food Safety recently helped to end the use of antibiotics in organic apple and pear production. Antibiotics in organic? I was surprised, too.
Home Detox with Mommy Greenest
After many years of informally advising friends, family and acquaintances about how to reduce toxic chemical exposures in their homes, I recently launched Home Detox with Mommy Greenest, a service business here in Los Angeles. Meeting with families one-on-one for about 90-minutes, I assess the big picture—from what’s in your fridge to what’s on your floors—and follow up with recommendations on the spot, as well as an in-depth report within the week. The service helps families eliminate household toxins and make sure their homes are the healthiest they can be. And the response has been nothing short of amazing!
10 Ways to Nix Breast Cancer Chemicals Now!
For years now I’ve railed against the pinkification of October, when companies that formulate their products with ingredients linked to breast cancer have the audacity to slap pink ribbons on them in the name of breast cancer research. This year, I’ve got even more reason to rail: Harvard researchers recently released information on 17 chemicals that can cause breast cancer—and most of them are in products we use every day.
