Toxic Chemicals Blog Posts

Sandra Steingraber, mother, scientist, and author of several books about the impacts of industrial chemicals on children and the environment, warns us that we are facing a silent pandemic—which is increasing learning disorders, developmental delays, and special education and medical costs at alarming rates.

In this important article from Orion, Sandra takes us through some of her parenting decisions, starting with selecting a preschool for their daughter. One of the factors was the play structure behind the school. Pressure treated wood like that used in decks and play sets, before 2004, were made with arsenic. Children who played with them frequently over their lifetimes had elevated cancer risks. So she and her husband selected another school. I’m left wondering about all the kids in the first preschool, and all the kids nation wide still playing on old, arsenic containing play sets. Read more...

Uplifting, I know, but important to hear about.  A new study was released last week about the amount of potentially dangerous chemicals found in women's bodies. According to the Washington Post article,

"Many chemicals (such as PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, PFCs, phenols, PBDE flame retardants, phthalates, polycyclic 14 aromatic hydrocarbons and perchlorate) that are associated with adverse health effects were found in 99 percent to 100 percent of pregnant women, and nearly all women carried multiple contaminants. Some of the contaminants studied, such as mercury, bisphenol-A, heavy metals and hormone disruptors, can cross the placenta and thus affect the fetus. Many of the chemicals remain in current use, though others have been banned." Read more...