Toxic Tuesday

Unsafe Levels of Lead in Mardi Gras Beads

Metal beads often used for parties and parades contain toxic levels of lead.

These necklaces can be found year round in goody bags, and at events. They are colorful, sparkly and have a huge appeal for children.

It’s possible you may have acquired some on New Years Eve and brought them home to your child as a nice surprise. Lead in Mardi Gras Beads

 

Several years ago you could have found many strands lying around my house for my then toddler daughter to enjoy. After learning how toxic they are they all disappeared.

 

Mardi Gras beads have tested for high concentrations of lead and other heavy metals.  Lead has been linked to brain damage, stunted development and a shortened attention span.  There are no safe levels of lead for children to be exposed to.

 

Some beads, upon being broken open actually contain pieces of old circuit boards and electronics. In addition to lead, 80% of beads tested contained arsenic, cadmium or flame retardant chemicals.

 

Lead mardi Gras BeadsBeyond your own personal exposure these beads are very damaging to the environment. It has been estimated that 900,000 pounds of flame-retardants and 10,000 pounds of lead help make up the yearly inventory of Mardi gras beads. The toxins seep into the water supply and the soil working their way into the food chain and back to us.

 

What can you do to keep these toxins out of your home?

Ideally don’t bother with the beads. If you are somewhere and the beads are being thrown around and passed out and you chose to let your child (or yourself participate) take some precautions:

-Opt for clear plastic ones when possible (these tested safe)

-Wash your hands with soap and water or at least a baby wipe after handling and before eating.

-Do not let children put the beads in their mouths.

-Never burn the beads or store them in sunlight.

-If you are in a position that you must handle the beads on a regular basis wear gloves.

Lead Mardi Gras Beads

 

Toxins in Eye Shadow

I have never been a make up person-to the extent that my husband still points out that I didn’t “bother” Eye Shadow Toxinsto wear make up on our first date. Now knowing what I know I am so glad I skipped applying all those toxins on a daily basis.

Since I am not the majority though, make up has its place.

What ingredients should you skip?

-Coal Tar:  This has come up in other products we have discussed. Coal tar is a known carcinogen and has been associated with skin tumors, lung, bladder and kidney cancer.

-Formaldehyde: Found in fewer eye shadows these days but is harmful to your liver and can cause skin irritations.

-Parabens: Found in almost all beauty products to give them an extended shelf life. Parabens (propylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben) can disrupt hormones and are known carcinogens.

-Thimerosal: Oddly banned from most other make up except eye make up. It is a compound based on mercury, which is proven to impair brain function.

-Talc: You may remember the recent lawsuit won against Johnson & Johnson for the talc causing a woman’s deadly ovarian cancer recently. Unfortunately it is still sold and in many products. It is a known carcinogen.

-Aluminum Powder: This is what most make-ups use for color. If your make up uses both aluminum powder and the above-mentioned thimerosal it is twice as dangerous. Aluminum inhibits the body’s ability to detox mercury.

Bismuth Oxychloride: This is not a heavy metal but it does tend to clog pores and is often the culprit for those who suffer redness and itching from eye shadow. This ingredient is more of a lung irritant and skin irritant than a Make-up artist placing eye shadow on womantoxin.

Nano particles: such as mica and titanium dioxide if inhaled can accumulate in your lungs and damage your DNA. You will find mica even in your natural eye shadows-be conscious of not inhaling it.

What Is safe?

Mineral make up is the way to go-however be aware that not all mineral make up was created equal.  Many contain the ingredients listed above so be sure to choose wisely!

Iron oxides would be a safer choice for where your colorants are coming from.

Mica is mentioned above as well but it is the safer of your natural ingredients for shimmer and is found in most of even the organic choices. Sericite may also be on your ingredient list.  Sericite is a finer version of mica.

Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are safe as long as they are not nano particles.

As always-read the ingredients and know what’s in your products!

Toxins in Eye Shadow

 

A Safer DIY Hairspray

Toxins in hairspray accumulate over time, instead create your own!

Luckily the 80’s are behind us, so we use less hairspray. But it’s important to think about what is in it and read your labels wisely. In the 70’s hairspray included an ingredient linked to liver cancer in humans (vinyl chloride). Despite awareness it was not removed from the market for 10 years.  Hairspray stillToxins in Hairspray includes many other ingredients that “may or may not” contain cancer-causing properties.

What to avoid?

Some of the ingredients you want to avoid are aerosol propellants, alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone plastic (a carcinogen), formaldehyde and fragrance.  Fragrance itself can contain any number of thousands of ingred
ients in that one trade protected word.

Aside ingredients you are applying to your head there are the ingredients you are inhaling when applying. Inhalation of denatured alcohol and hydro fluorocarbons can cause breathing difficulty, low blood pressure, skin, eye and lung irritation.

Environmental Concerns?

Moving on from immediate health dangers is the environmental issue. Hairspray is considered the most dangerous beauty product on the market.  Hairspray contains so many volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that can harm the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from harmful UV radiation.

What can you do?

The easiest thing to do is swap any aerosols you may have. We don’t use a lot of hair spray at my house so I have not tried these first hand but there are brands that score low on the skin deep website making them much safer than others.  https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/hair+spray/

If you are ambitious you can make your own! I was going to try this recipe out for my daughters last dance recital but in the end I didn’t need to spray her hair. I have talked to people who have tried this one with much success!

1 Cup – Filtered Water

4 TSP – Sugar

2 Drops – Geranium Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and Rosemary Essential Oil.

 

  • Heat the water and dissolve the sugar. Once your solution has cooled, add the three essential oils and store in a spray bottle.

 

Lead Free Holiday Lights

If you’re like me you only think about the Christmas decorations twice a year-once to take them out and a second time to put them away.  While they are hidden away in the attic I am confident those strings of Lead Free Christmas Lightslights multiply.  That means it is rare I need to buy more strings of lights.  In the past I only ever considered replacing if they started to seem dated and would be a fire hazard. This year I wondered about the other dangers.

 

Most lights have a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) stabilized by lead to prevent cracking. Unfortunately there is no safe level of lead.  Lead is a neurotoxin that causes damage to the brain and nervous system. Lead accumulates in the body over time with each exposure. It does come off of the light strands on your hands as you touch the light strands and not many people think about washing their hands after touching the lights before they grab and eat a Christmas cookie.

 

How can you limit your exposure?

First-never let children handle the lights. Wear gloves if possible when stringing the lights and always wash your hands.  Don’t wrap your child or pet in light strings for a cute photo. After you undecorated your tree this year, toss your old lights and replace them with RoHS compliant lights for next season. The bonus? It saves you trying to put away the old ones without tangling them up!

http://www.environmentallights.com/led-christmas-lights/lead-free-led-christmas-lights/strings-with-replaceable-led-bulbs-lead-free.html

Lead Free Christmas Lights

 

Hidden Chemicals that Invade Your Life

Hidden chemicals are in more places than you think.

Last week’s blog post focused on the dangers of non-stick pans and their coating. Knowing we all only have so much time to read I wanted to keep it as brief as possible. Unfortunately PFC’s (Perfluorinated Chemicals) invade our lives in many ways.  While many are unavoidable, it’s good to eliminate or cut down when we can.

Where are PFC’s Found?

PFC’s are a man made product that can now be found in water, soil, mother’s breast milk and in the Hidden Chemicalsmajority of our bloodstreams. It has been found in animals all over the world despite where it is manufactured.

Where is it coming from?

Inside our houses we can find it on our “scotch guarded” or “stain resistant” carpets and furniture that children are playing, lying and crawling on that was manufactured previous to 2002.  It is on our non-stick pans (see last weeks blog). It is coating packaging for oily foods such as popcorn bags, sandwich wrappers, outdoor tents, some cosmetics and shampoos, french fry and pizza boxes. Worse? We are also wearing them-all our Polartec, Gore-Tex and water repellant clothing still contains these chemicals. Greenpeace tested and found PFCS in Northface, Patagonia, Adidas, Columbia and Jack Wolfskin jackets. It was also found in Nike and Puma shoes, the apple sport wristband and Oral B glide floss.

Why is it concerning?

PFC’s are likely a carcinogen. They have proven to cause mammary gland tumors in animals and liver and thyroid cancer in rats. They may cause liver or kidney damage in addition to reproductive problems. While some of the older versions of these chemicals are no longer in use in the United States the “replacements” have not proven to be a safer alternative.

What can you do?

They are impossible to avoid entirely since the soil and water are contaminated. Ideally the less we buy in the future; the less production of more is created. Skip the microwave popcorn and get an air-popper again.  Read your shampoo labels and find ones without PTFE or “Fluoro” ingredients. Choose a safe floss. Next time you purchase coats, carpets or furniture, skip the coating. Every toxin adds up.  Unfortunately we all know many (often young) people fighting cancer. Usually there is not one particular cause. Of course your floss alone isn’t going to kill you, but someday it may have saved your life to skip as many toxins as possible when you are able. Why not?

 

 

Cookware Can Be Harmful

Cookware Toxins from Non-Stick Pans

Growing up we always had stainless steel pans. At some point we replaced all those pans for non-stick sauté pans. The goal was that they were easier and faster to clean. We live in the era of convenience right? After a few too many years of “convenience” I replaced all those non-stick pans with the original stainless steel and a few cast iron pans. Why go backwards? Sometimes “forwards” isn’t really progress (Note: GMOToxins Non-Stick Cookware food, plastic and antibacterial everything)

The Problem:

Back to the pans…. what is wrong with those easy to clean non-stick pans? Generally, non-stick pans are aluminum coated with a synthetic. Previously they were coated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). EWG studies, conducted by DuPont’s own scientists, revealed that when its non-stick cookware is heated it breaks down into 15 types of toxic gases and particles. In 2004 a  $343 million dollar lawsuit was won for contamination of drinking water and an association of tumors and developmental problems in animals. The EPA was advised to declare PFOA as a carcinogen. Eight companies agreed to phase out PFOA by 2015. (Take note: how old are your pans?)

Carcinogens:

Non-stick pans may also include polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE) also known as Teflon. High temperatures have caused toxic fumes (including six toxic gases, which include two carcinogens.  Fumes from these pans to kill pet birds and cause people to develop flu like symptoms.  Unfortunately the coating also breaks down and the toxic particles are carcinogenic.

Health Concerns:

PFC’s contaminate the environment and find their way into your blood stream. Residue from these substances has been found in blood, breast milk, liver and even umbilical cords.  High levels have been associated with peripheral artery disease, high “bad” cholesterol, insulin resistance, and thyroid disease.

Solution:

“Safety suggestions” include using lower temperatures and making sure not to damage the coating. Lower temperatures tested were all exceeded by the average cooking temperature. It would totally eliminate preheating pans, broiling, and searing meat.  In addition, ventilating your kitchen and keeping birds out of the kitchen. The best safety suggestion is likely replacing any non-stick cookware you may have.

 

Logical solutions: replace one pan at a time.  Good pans are not cheap. (Neither is long-term illness.) Start with your most common used pan (likely a stovetop pan that you scrape with a spatula and cook at higher than safe temperatures. Work your way through until you have a safer set of pans. Stainless steel, cast iron or glass for bake ware.

 

As with most things it is impossible to avoid all PFC’s (more next week on where else they are hiding) so cutting down on the ones you can control is a difference maker.

 

Cookware Toxins

 

Can Candles Make You Sick?

Toxins From Candles

The holidays and scented candles seem to go hand and hand.  It may be the ability to reminisce and bring back childhood memories with certain holiday scents. It may be the default hostess gift for your local Toxins From Candlesgatherings, or that you just like the cozy feeling candles can bring during winter months. Whatever the reason be sure to think twice about what candles you are buying or lighting them this year.

Why does it matter? 

Candles made from Paraffin, create benzene and toluene  along with acetone when they are burned. These  are known carcinogens. In addition, most are created with toxic fragrances that emit additional toxins in to the air when burned.  Breathing in these toxins can affect the central nervous system, as well as cause headaches, drowsiness and aggravate allergies and asthma. Studies show that candles do not need to be lit to emit toxins in your home.  Wicks that contain heavy metals can contribute further to the pollution.

What are your Options?

Moving away from paraffin wax candles leaves you with beeswax or soy candles. Not all soy or beeswax candles are created equal.  Many companies carry “pure” beeswax or soy and in the United States that can mean 51%. That leaves you with 49% of toxic paraffin in your candles. Be sure to read your label to find the phrase “100% pure beeswax or soy”.

GMO’s

Toxins From CandlesLooking further at soy candles, you should know they may also contain many artificial fragrances and dyes. Unfortunately GMO’s come into play here as well. More than 90% of soy is genetically modified, Purchasing a soy candle, is supporting the production of GMO’s.

What about beeswax candles?

If you practice a vegan lifestyle this is a no. If you are not-beeswax candles are the safest and most natural candle choice and actually include some benefits.  Beeswax candles are a natural air cleaner. Beeswax candles won’t go rancid like soy candles can. People with allergies and asthma have reported improvement with the burning of beeswax candles. Burning beeswax supports the beekeepers. Keep in mind, we need honey bees to pollinate food crops.

What are your options?

Knowing paraffin candles were toxic, I assumed soy candles and beeswax candles were created equally. Since I am very against GMO’s I would skip the soy candles at this point. If you are also vegan that would rule out beeswax. My personal option is an essential oil diffuser. There are no risks of having flames anywhere. You get the emotional and aromatic benefits of the scents without including any of the toxins.

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The Difference Between Fragrance Free and Unscented

Toxins in fragrance can still be found in products labeled unscented!

We have come to love scents. Scented candles, a new car smell, perfumes, body washes, dryer sheets…almost any item you find in your house likely contains the simple word “fragrance” on the end of the Fragrance and Unscented Toxinsingredients.  About 95% of the chemicals in commercial fragrances contain petrochemicals.

What is in Fragrance?

Fragrance is one word, however it is not “one” ingredient. The word fragrance is trade protected (due to a loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging Act of 1973: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/27/toxic-perfume-chemicals.aspx) and can contain any number of over 3,100 chemicals. Many of these have never been tested for safety.

Is Fragrance Toxic?

Some are known to be toxic to the immune system, respiratory system, reproductive system and organ toxicity.  They can cause asthma, eczema, migraines, and other sensitivities. Many of the fragrance ingredients are phthalates (a known carcinogen). Phthalates can result in kidney and liver damage, early breast development, and birth defects. Parabens is another common possibility. Parabens are known to Does your products smell amazinginterfere with hormone production.

Knowing your body absorbs everything put on your skin within seconds you want to be careful about what you are applying. Toxins accumulate in our bodies over time so the key is to cut out and eliminate those we can control. Go through your daily routine in your head and consider how many items you have applied with toxic ingredients (shampoo, soap, hand soap, perfume, body lotion, detergent residue on clothing, cleaning products…the list is endless.

What can you do?

Read your labels. Next time you think about buying that can of air freshener, perfume, scented body lotion or wash-check the label.  If the bottle is scented by using essential oils that is what will appear on the label. If the bottle is scented with a combination (see previous blog post about lavender essential oil) you will find it written on the label.

What if your bottle says it’s Unscented?

This is tricky. Unscented means that fragrances have been added to cover up other scents. If you are looking for no toxic fragrances added you want your label to say “Fragrance Free”

There are simple solutions.

I make my own perfume with an essential oil combination I like. No toxins and I get the benefits of the aromatherapy my choice of oils brings. While some people still want a scent to their items some are safer than others.  Natural Fragrance Oils are produced using only pure essential oils and aromatic isolates derived solely from natural, raw botanical sources. They are free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates, glycols, petrochemicals and/or other solvents.  They can be plant based so they are vegan friendly as well.

It can be overwhelming to try and change too much at once.  Instead, think about the next time you need to purchase new soap, etc and replace it with a safer brand.

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Cancer Links to Personal Care Products

Links between cancer and personal care products are known, but nothing has changed.

You have a busy life.  You want it to be easy-hit Target and grab all your products. I love Target-but I have found there are very few personal care products (only one: my shampoo) that I can buy there-and trust me-I have a talent for shopping at Target!  What’s the problem? The ingredients to many products on the market.

If it goes on your body, it goes in your body.

60% of what goes on your skin is absorbed into your blood stream. That statistic goes up if you are applying to genital or under arm areas. What exactly are you absorbing?  Over 80,000 chemicals are permitted for use in the United States that have never been tested for safety. Many of the chemicals included in your personal care products (INCLUDING baby care products) have been direLinks between cancer and personal care productsctly linked to cancer, hormone and thyroid disruption and more.

Many people take the tone “everything is bad for you” or “It’s only a little bit” or “I turned out fine” While those statements can be true let’s break it down a little more:

“Everything is bad for you”

Yes. The air we breathe, the cell phones we use, a lot of the food we eat etc. What is most important to remember is that toxins are cumulative. They build up in your body over time. Since there are a lot that we are unable to avoid, it’s important to cut out the ones we can.

“It’s only a little bit”

Also true…until you add up every product you are applying to your body each day (some multiple times). Then include your exposure to antibacterial soaps and cleaning products that are also being absorbed through your skin. Add those days, weeks, months, and years together and you have contributed to your toxic load significantly.

“I turned out fine”

We all want that to be true. Unfortunately, it is my guess everyone reading his knows multiple people that suffer from thyroid conditions, cancer, or reproductive issues. Many more so than previous generations. Perhaps we are not turning out “fine” as a result of all these products-convenient or not.

Take a minute-print out our free list of toxins in skin care products. Put it in your bathroom and each time you pick up a product glance at the ingredients and see what is on the list. The results may shock you.

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How Safe Is Vapor Rub, Does It Contain Toxins?

Vapor Rub Alternatives

It’s that time of year again.  Despite your best efforts at some point everyone gets hit with a winter cold.  When I was a kid that meant my mom pulled out the Vicks Vapor Rub and the humidifier. At my house Vapor Rub Toxinsthings are a little different-and safer.

We take out the essential oil diffuser  (more on the benefits of those soon) and diffuse a blend of essential oils to help with congestion. Why the change? Most vapor rubs contain some pretty toxic ingredients that I do not want on my children.

Toxins found in Vapor Rub

Topping the list is Camphor. Camphor is known to cause seizures and be poisonous in larger quantities.  (You should be aware that white camphor essential oil is not considered the same). There is an FDA maximum amount allowed in products-but should it be there at all?

Next up: Turpentine oil. Although it is considered a “natural ingredient” it is no less harmful than other artificial solvents. The vapor of turpentine oil can damage the lungs, and respiratory system as well as burn the skin and eyes. If ingested it may cause renal failure.

Menthol: The issue with menthol is that it does not actually break up mucus or clear airways. However, the smell does trick your brain into thinking you are less congested.

Vapor Rub AlternativesAnother problematic ingredient: Petrolatum. Petrolatum is a mineral oil. It is not a sustainable product, but environment aside it has no place in being used on the skin.  Mineral oil creates a barrier on the skin that can lock in bacteria and toxins causing them to build up and leading to skin irritation.

Fragrance is also a concern

Fragrance is almost always included as well. Those who read our blog have learned that one word may contain any number of over 3,000 ingredients. Most of those have never been tested for safety and many are toxic. According to the EWG safety data high concerns included with these two ingredients include Organ toxicity, cancer, skin irritation, eye and lung irritation and endocrine disruption.  This seems like a poor trade off in treating a cold.

Alternative methods:

My youngest was prone to croup as a toddler and we were sent off with a nebulizer and spent a few nights in the ER. I needed a better plan. Since creating our congestion rub, and the addition of our diffusers, I am happy to report the nebulizer has been in the closet collecting dust for almost 3 years and we have not had an ER visit in the same amount of time.  This speaks volumes since children with Down Syndrome are especially known for respiratory difficulties.