What to do?

I am not really an alarmist as I have been hearing about the dangers of chemicals in our environment for years but dismissing them, trusting that food and products are "safe enough" to be consumed by millions everyday. However, recently the warnings have been getting louder. Did you see Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Toxic America? I am more concerned about pesticides, chemicals in products and furniture, fertilizers, plastics, hormones in dairy and meat, etc. Children in particular are more susceptible since their little bodies are smaller and still developing.

In 20 years the government might realize that these issues exist but right now it is not "proven" and it is big busine$$ during a difficult economy. Can I afford to wait to see if an official ban or regulations happen down the road? Not really. So, we are trying to stay rational while making some changes that help us avoid toxic chemicals.


FOOD
Remember when all you had to do was look for nutritious and preservative-free? Or in my mom's case, go to the drive-thru at Taco John's? Now, we try to buy organic for the dirty dozen, especially berries and grapes, but still use regular milk & eggs. I might start with organic milk for Nori, since she is such a milk fiend but it is really spendy. Sometimes our meat is antibiotic & hormone-free but not always. I don't think daycare does organic at all, neither does our family or most restaurants and you know how I love a meal I did not cook...


COOKING & STORAGE
We just decided to throw out our great Emeril Teflon pans and replace them with stainless steel mainly because we just don't spend enough time doing dishes. Two years back, we bought glass storage contains but lots of disposable plastics still sneak into the fridge, at least we don't nuke them. Did you know that Jake's awesome ribs are cooked in Saran wrap? That can't be good!

BODY CARE
New research shows that most common suncreens contain oxybenzone and other hormone disruptors that can cause negative effects on the body. We are ditching the Coppertone in favor of more organic types of sunscreen... I heard Badger Face is good? What about shampoos, cosmetics, soaps, bug sprays? Aye de mi.


LAWN
Easy, what lawn? Jake recently had the brilliant idea to let the dandelions and creeping charlie duke it out to see which weed would win. We don't use fertilizers but most of our neighbors do and it all goes back into the water.

PLASTICS
All the BPA warnings came out when Nori was 3 months old so it was not until then that we switched bottles to Born-Free but I worry now about all the plastic sippy cups (even though they are BPA-free) -what other chemicals from the plastic are leaching out?


CLEANING
I love me some Soft Scrub. Oh, Scrubbing Bubbles how you clean my shower. But, I think I might try some of the greener options or god forbid, make my own.


It's scary. Who knows exactly why the rates of our health issues are rising (cancer, autism, ADHD, infertility, frizzy hair). Next thing you, know I will find out the secret to the MBT shoe is their asbestos sole.

Check out the President's Cancer Panel - Recommendations:

• Children are far more susceptible to environmental carcinogens than adults. Foods, home, play spaces, and toys should all be chosen to minimize exposure to toxics.
• Drink filtered tap water over bottled water.
• Store water in stainless steel, glass, or BPA free containers. This will reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals that leach into water from plastics and decrease need for plastic bottles.
• Microwave food and beverages in ceramic or glass instead of plastic to reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may leach into food when containers are heated.
• Eat free-range meat raised without medications to decrease exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic runoff.
• Avoid consuming of processed, charred, and well-done meats to reduce exposure to carcinogenic amines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
• Properly dispose of pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, paints, and other materials to minimize water and soil contamination.
• Turn off lights and electrical devices when not in use to reduce exposure to petroleum combustion by-products by reducing need for electricity.
• Reduce exposure to electromagnetic energy by wearing headset when using a cell phone, texting instead of calling, and keeping calls brief.
• Periodically check home radon levels.
• Wear protective clothing and sunscreens when outdoors and avoid exposure when sunlight is most intense to reduce overexposure to ultraviolet light.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a scientist, I just play one on my blog.