Compact Florescent Bulb Safety--

We all know that those curvy florescent light bulbs last way longer than traditional bulbs and are better for the environment (not to mention they can save you serious cash on your electric bill). But did you know that each bulb contains a small amount of mercury? And what do you when they do eventually burn out?

Here is a video on the subject from MSNBC.



To be sure, the benefits of using these bulbs considerably outweigh the drawbacks. Consider this: In California alone, the use of CFLs has spared more than 1.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into our envionment.

It helps to know how to dispose of the bulbs (take them to your local hazardous waste site or collection facility. If you don't know where that is, click here).

And here are the steps for what to do if you break one of these in your house (which, if your like me, will happen, it is just a matter of time), again from MSNBC.

How to clean up a fluorescent bulb
Before cleanup: Vent the room
1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Cleanup steps for hard surfaces
3. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
6. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Cleanup steps for carpeting or rug
3. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
6. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Disposal of cleanup materials
7. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
8. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing cleanup materials.
9. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a recycling center.

Future cleaning of carpeting or rug
10. For at least the next few times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
11. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

Here is the full article from MSNBC as well.

Please spread the word about this. If CFLs enter the waste stream via landfills, we will have mercury contaminating our drinking water.

Update on Vermont's Lead in Consumer Products Bill (and others state updates)!

I just received an email from Vermont's Assistant Attorney General, sharing that Vermont's lead in consumer products bill passed out of committee and will move forward to be voted on by the full Senate in the coming week. Yours truly will be called on to testify again, this time in front of the whole senate with their microphones and dark mahogany desks. Gulp. If you are a Vermonter, please consider emailing or calling your senator to express support for this bill, which would set the lowest "acceptable" (I know, there is no acceptable level-- you don't have to convince me) rate of lead (parts per million) in the country.

Also, check out what your state has been up to. This link from Healthy Child, Healthy World has updates on ways to take action in specific states that are also considering legislation on toxins in consumer products. The states listed are Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Maine, New York and Washington. Click on the links to learn more about each state's initiatives.

This is all great progress, but wouldn't it be nice to see some national legislation around the safety of consumer products for children (I know it's coming, but I think I could actually run from Vermont to DC faster than it will take to pass and sign the CPSC reform act into law). Patience has never been a strong point for me, especially when more and more kids are exposed unnecessarily to toxins everyday.

Notice Anything Different?

Greetings observant Non-Toxic Kids readers. I bet you already noticed our new web address. Yep, we've got ourselves our own little special domain at non-toxickids.net. You will be able to get to the site from the old blogspot address for the foreseeable future, but please update your bookmarks just in case so you don't miss anything (because that would be, well, awful!). And be sure to notice you need the hyphen in the address, too (my English teachers would be proud).

In the coming weeks we will be completely overhauling the site to provide more information, links, and resources to our dear readers. So, stay tuned! And be sure to contact me via email with any suggestions or ideas for the newly designed site at non-toxic-kids(at)comcast(dot)net.

The Environmental Working Group Answers Your Questions about BPA (and tired parent's summary from us!)--

Check out this new article from the Enviroblog about BPA in consumer products. There is a lot to keep track of, and many folks are confused about what contains it, what doesn't and what to do about it. This is a great article that addresses these concerns from the Environmental Working Group, scientists that actually do this kind of research and keep track of scientific data to share with the public. The article reviews the concerns behind BPA, or bisphenol A, and the consumer goods it is in, and the science behind it all. To read it, click here.

Or, if you are making dinner, hearing your baby cry, and really don't have time to read it here is my condensed summary of the article. Ready?

**BPA is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics and the linings of food and beverage containers. It leeches into the food and beverages it comes into contact with, and is linked to breast and prostate cancer, as well as problems with the neurological development of fetuses, and babies. It makes sense to AVOID BPA.

**Avoid polycarbonate bottles. They can be labeled #7. Also, avoid drinking from old, scratched bottles.

**Don't refill bottle water bottles, labeled #1. They can leech chemicals as well and harbor bacteria. #2 is safer to use.

** Many aluminum bottles are lined with a potential BPA containing Epoxy. Sigg bottles have been tested and seem to not leech any significant amounts of BPA. Kleen Kanteen is made from stainless steel so there is no risk of BPA exposure there.

** BPA is in the lining of canned foods, except some of Eden's products (such as beans). This exposure is likely to be very high. Try to buy glass containers for pasta sauce, etc., instead.

**According to EWG, "In 2006, the industry group American Chemistry Council reported that phthalates are no longer used in any US plastic wraps." Still, since there is no regulation, it makes sense to not microwave plastic wrap.

** Use glass or BPA free bottles, and buy pacifiers made from silcone nipples.

** And, the EU isn't perfect in the area of environmental health (EWG explains they ignored some important studies about BPA), it's just that they are light years ahead of us.

Read the full post for more information about these topics and other questions about BPA (you'll also find a lively discussion and more information in the comments)!

Some Jason, Citrus Magic and Alba Products Contain a Toxic Ingredient, 1,4 Dioxane --

Just when you thought that you were buying nice, happy, not chemically laden, better for the earth products, here comes this news.

Turns out that a study released by the Organic Consumers Association revealed a toxic carcinogenic contaminant called 1,4 Dioxane (no, I don't know why there is a comma between the numbers) is in many popular brands of body washes, dish soap, and lotions that are labeled "natural" and "organic". And up until now, the presence of this toxin in these products has been undisclosed.

So no matter how good you were about checking labels for ingredients, you would never have known this was in anything. Great.

Interestingly, products that were certified USDA organic did not contain this toxin, whereas many products that are not certified organic did contained it. Other studies of conventional mainstream products have shown the presence of 1,4 Dioxane before, but this is the first study to implicate brands that claim to be "natural" or "organic".

According to the Organic Consumers Association:

"Ethoxylation, a cheap short-cut companies use to provide mildness to harsh ingredients, requires the use of the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which generates 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product. 1,4-Dioxane is considered a chemical "known to the State of California to cause cancer" under proposition 65, and has no place in "natural" or "organic" branded personal care products. 1,4-dioxane is also suspected as a kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant, among others, according to the California EPA, and is a leading groundwater contaminant. Although previous studies have revealed 1,4-Dioxane is often present in conventional personal care products, this new study indicates the toxin is also present in leading "natural" and "organic" branded products, none of which are certified under the USDA National Organic Program. The products/brands tested are listed on the attached page with the level of 1,4-Dioxane detected, if any, along with ethoxylated ingredients listed on the label."

Seems to me some serious green washing is occurring here. I guess the best way to avoid this phenomenon is to buy only certified organic products, and spend lots of cash in the process.

Click here to view the full product list with amounts of this cancer causing ingredient in each included.

Some of the worst offenders (several brands I have used before!): Citrus Magic 100 % Natural Dish Soap, Jason Fragrance Free Satin Soap, Healthy Times Baby’s Herbal Garden Pansy Flower Shampoo, Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, Aura Cacia Natural Aromatherapy Bubble Bath, NutriBiotic Super Shower Gel Shampoo with GSE (fresh fruit), Alba Passion Fruit Body Wash, Method Dish Naturally Derived Ultra Concentrate and Earth Friendly Products Ultra Dishmate.

I was bummed to see Seventh Generation products on this list as containing this contaminant, even if the amount of 1,4 Dioxane found in their products was low.

Companies that seemed to have none of this contaminant present (in the products they tested) are: Burt's Bees, Dr. Bronner's, Clorox Green Works products, TerrEssential, Desert Essence, Aubrey Organics, and Avalon Organics, among others.

The Washington Post also published a short article on this study. You can read it here. I’m planning on learning more about this particular contaminant by doing some more research, but I wanted to get this article out to readers as soon as possible.