Ways to Avoid Phthalates--

I've been working on and thinking about this post for some time, and since that time a few new resources have popped up on the topic of avoiding phthalates in everyday products.

Why should we all avoid phthalates? Amanda at Enviroblog has put together a cheatsheet on these chemicals that even us with limited cognitive function due to multiple night wakings can understand. Here's what she says about what phthalates are, and here is a link to my past posts about phthalates.

Amanda from the Environmental Working Group goes on to give a list of ways to avoid phthalates, and this is most helpful to us parents who like short, to the point lists:

"How can I minimize my exposure?
Avoid these, and you'll also be avoiding phthalates:

Nail polish: Dibutyl phthalate is often used to make nail polish chip-resistant. Look for it on the ingredients list, where it may be shortened to DBP.
Plastics in the kitchen: Take a critical eye to your cupboards. Phthalates may be more likely to leach out of plastic when it's heated, so avoid cooking or microwaving in plastic.
Vinyl toys: Phthalates are what make vinyl (PVC) toys soft, so don't give them to children. Opt instead for wooden and other phthalate-free toys, especially during that age when they put everything in their mouths!
Paint: Paints and other hobby products may contain phthalates as solvents, so be sure to use them in a well-ventilated space.
Fragrance: Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is often used as part of the "fragrance" in some products. Since DEP won't be listed separately, you're better off choosing personal care products, detergents, and cleansers that don't have the word "fragrance" on the ingredients list.
Vinyl: Vinyl shows up in a lot of different products; lawn furniture, garden hoses, building materials, and items of clothing (like some raincoats) are often sources. Aside from carefully choosing materials when you're making purchases, there is one easy change you can make: switch to a non-vinyl shower curtain. That "new shower curtain" smell (you know the one) is a result of chemical off-gassing, and it means your shower curtain is a source of phthalates in your home.
Air Fresheners: Just like fragrances in personal care products, most air fresheners contain phthalates."

My big take home message from this? Avoid anything with fragrance added. Period. In this article there are also some great links to more information, including an interview with a scientist from EWG.

The Daily Green also shares an ingredient abbreviation list of some phthalates that actually do show up on the label (many don't).

"Read the ingredients. According to the organization Pollution in People, you can identify phthalates in some products by their chemical names, or abbreviations:

DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate) are often found in personal care products, including nail polishes, deodorants, perfumes and cologne, aftershave lotions, shampoos, hair gels and hand lotions. (BzBP, see below, is also in some personal care products.)
DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) is used in PVC plastics, including some medical devices.
BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate) is used in some flooring, car products and personal care products.
DMP (dimethyl phthalate) is used in insect repellent and some plastics (as well as rocket propellant)."

Read the full post here. Then you can avoid buying those products with the labeled abbreviation. So much to remember!

Here is a link to the study in the Journal of Pediatrics, about the exposure to phthalates in babies and young children.

Some of my favorite brands and products without phthalates are California Baby, Desert Essence Organics, Aubrey Organics, and Burt's Bee's Baby Wash. Check out your favorite products over at the Skin Deep database at EWG.

Let's hope someday in the future phthalates will be banned from all products, everywhere.
photo by Green Patriot

Eat Where You Live--

(This article first appeared in Five Magazine, issue 18- and I thought since a new growing season has just begun, this might be a good article to share)

Most Americans don’t think about where their food comes from. They like their food fast and convenient and don’t contemplate its impact on their world, local communities or expanding waistlines. There’s a serious cost to this kind of eating. Considering an average food item travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles before hitting the grocery store shelves, and was likely carried in a huge gas guzzling, ozone-depleting truck, it’s not hard to see this can be a big problem. The shrinking number of family farms and increasing obesity rates makes it even clearer that our relationship with food is broken.

Regardless of whether you’re a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore, most of our food comes from somewhere else. Beef from Texas or broccoli from California, the majority of the food we eat comes from hundreds of miles away. But there’s agrowing movement to keep things closer to home, which is no simple task. Localvores challenge themselves and each other to only eat food grown, harvested and processed within a 100-mile radius of where they live. Organized groups of localvores have popped up in Vermont, California, Oregon, Maine, Illinois, New Hampshire and other states as well. The groups set up potlucks, share recipes and provide support. They also issue challenges, usually one month long. Even if you are unwilling to give up that beloved cup of coffee or dark chocolate from South America, you can still participate. Sure, one hardcore group, the Champlain Valley Localvores in Burlington, Vermont, allows for only “modern Marco Polo” exceptions. These are food items that explorers would have in the 13th century, such as spices, baking soda and yeast. But other, more lenient groups allow for daily “wildcard” items such as coffee, or chocolate. Some groups have challenges focused on one meal, or as much involvement as people can handle. The idea is to get people thinking about where their food comes from and how much good eating can come from one’s home area.

So what does a Localvore eat? Central Vermont localvore Dana Hudson ate lots of eggs, cheese, frozen berries, locally-made yogurt, meats and salads during a recent challenge. Figuring out what’s available and acceptable is one of the hardest parts of a challenge. “I viewed it as a puzzle. I would visit our local farmers market and buy lots of what was in season and the cheapest. Then I would seek out different ways to prepare it from friends and websites,” says Hudson.

Does eating locally cost more? This depends, of course, on your interpretation of the word “cost.” Yes, buying locally produced foods will most likely cost more in upfront dollars, but what will be gained? Food that is produced with care and closer to home is fresher and simply tastes better. A tomato that is allowed to ripen on the vine always tastes better than one picked and shipped green.

By eating locally, you support your local farmer and economy, not faceless corporate farms which have already begun taking over the organic market. According to Susan Roy, head of the Mad River Chamber of Commerce in Central Vermont, for every dollar spent on local foods in Vermont, 43 cents stay in the community. That number drops all the way down to 13 cents per dollar when buying from a chain. Money that stays close to home has a better chance of making its way back into your wallet.

The environmental impact of eating locally is significantly smaller. An average, non-locally-produced meal produces up to 17 times the amount of carbon dioxide emissions of a meal of food produced locally. The food industry is responsible for about one fifth of the US’ consumption of petroleum. Only a small fraction of this is used at the farms – the rest is used for keeping food cold, transporting it, and packaging it. By shopping at a local farmers market, most of those packaging and transportation costs can be saved by simply bringing cloth bags.

And let’s not forget one’s environmental health – local foods often have less pesticide and herbicide residue, which is healthier for everyone.

Let the Localvores be an inspiration for how you can eat more locally – or better yet, join them and see if you are up to the challenge.

Learn more about Localvores:

Vermont Localvores
Upper Valley Localvores

Tricolsan in my Toothpaste-

The title of this post sounds like a country song. It is sad, but true.

Let me back up.

Ever since I wrote that article about the Dateline Body Burden show chronicling two families, and the levels of toxins present in their blood, I have been thinking about tricolsan. I know, that is a little weird.

Here's what I wrote about tricolsan, "The Green family also had very low levels of triclosan, a bacteria killing pesticide found in hand soaps, cutting boards, and even toys and toothpaste (!?). Dateline states that this chemical is toxic to wildlife, linked to cancer, and bioaccumulates in the food chain over time. It is also a chemical that is showing up in our wastewater treatment plants, rivers and streams. I had heard of this chemical before, but I haven't been vigilant about avoiding it, as I will now be."

I remember feeling horrified that this chemical would be added to toothpaste. Then that night, I flipped over my tube of toothpaste, Colgate Total, and there it was. Right there. In my toothpaste. In my mouth.

I can hear you screaming, why are you using conventional toothpaste? The truth is, I love that antiseptic, clean mouth, after the dentist feeling. I did not feel that after using Tom's of Maine toothpaste. And boy, did I suffer for these teeth. Years of braces, retainers, and broken jaws. I really want them to last until I am, well, not around any more. So, this is one area I have not changed about. At least not yet.

Then I learned how tricolsan is very toxic to wildlife as well. The Good Human reports that the chemical is related to the pesticide Agent Orange (charming), breaks down into dioxin in river water, and turns into toxic chloroform gas with tap water. So why haven't I heard much about this ingredient before now?

Tricolsan is also in anti-bacterial soaps and products. Thankfully, this chemical does have to be labeled as an ingredient, and it is an easy one to avoid.

Unless you just bought an expensive new tube of Colgate Total, and you are frugal, left wondering what the cost/environmental benefit analysis is.

For the record, I use Tom's of Maine with my 3 year old. At least she won't grow up thinking an artificial antiseptic feeling is a good thing.

photo by freedigitalphotos.net