Naomi Shah VOCs

Go right to the 5:50 mark . . .
Naomi Shah is right on target when she talks about VOCs.
The beginning of the video is pretty amazing, too!

In 2011 three young women swept the top prizes of the first Google Science Fair. Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose and Naomi Shah describe their extraordinary projects -- and their route to a passion for science.

The Story of Cosmetics and Body Care Products

cross posted at Better Choices Notebook

15 Point Hit List (Neurotoxins and ADHD)

ADHD and Neurotoxins . . . . Connecting the Dots

My friend Marie used to rouse her three teenage children on Saturday mornings and begin the day by requiring everyone to help clean the house. I was envious of her chutzpa to consistently teach this responsibility to her kids. Because Marie was so consistent I found that a curious pattern emerged.  Every Saturday afternoon, without fail, Marie's son exhibited hyperactive, "out of control" behavior after his cleaning chores.

Looking at the cause and effect of the son's behavior through my lens of awareness of how neurotoxic many cleaning chemicals are, I could see it would make sense that the son's central nervous system and brain could be reacting to these chemicals. Symptoms of neurotoxicity include lack of concentration, personality changes, depression, hyperactivity and the mimicking of psychiatric disorders.

Not being particularly "green," the cleaning products Sally bought for her kids to use were the standard store-bought fare readily available in supermarkets.
This brings to mind a couple of sad, but true, facts:

1. Just because it is on the store shelf does not mean that it is safe.

     2.  The government has very limited power to regulate manufacturers.  In fact,
products that kill 50% of lab animals through ingestion or inhalation can still receive the federal regulatory designation "non-toxic".

To name a few examples of neurotoxins found in such products:

1. VOCs  (furniture polish can contain VOCs) 
2. neurotoxic disinfectants
3.  petroleum distillates
4. fragrances (scented products are notoriously neurotoxic)
5.  and waxes (VOCs again in the solvents)
   

Pesticides take front seat in the arsenal of poisons that hurt the central nervous system and brain. After all, they are designed to kill. A new study reported in the June issue of Pediatrics, published online May 17, links organophosphate pesticide metabolites found in urine to a much higher incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

"Each 10-fold increase in urinary concentration of organophosphate metabolites was associated with a 55 percent to 72 percent increase in the odds of ADHD," study author Maryse F. Bouchard, PhD, of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montreal, told Medscape Psychiatry.

Another example of subtle neurotoxic exposure children suffer through that most adults miss is to the solvents in markers in art class. When my daughter was in school, one year the math class was the period after art class, and she said that the kids were always "off the walls" in math class. What a tragedy, and one that could so easily be avoided if schools stopped allowing neurotoxic art materials to be used. How many kids thought they were bad at math when the culprit was the colored markers?

I've often wondered why the dots haven't been connected by most people between neurotoxic chemicals and ADHD-type behavior. After all, if a neurotoxic chemical is known to cause depression, for example, and that chemical is being used, why do so few people (and almost no psychiatrists) say, oh my gosh, let's remove the neurotoxin?

At least one thing parents can do is to remove neurotoxins from the home. Here is the 15 Point Hit List. These are quick and easy solutions:

• Yes to "green" dry cleaning using C02, no to dry cleaning with perchlorethelene (and NO hanging clothes in bedroom closets until they have first aired out -sans plastic dry cleaner bags- in another less "lived in" room. We use the garage unless it is boiling hot and in the summer we use the well ventilated  mud room)

• Yes to vegetable-based Free and Clear detergents and cleaning products, no to cleaning products containing volatile organic chemicals (Melaleuca is a great choice here).

• Yes to natural furniture polishes like those made by Melaleuca - or simple jojoba oil (a natural wax), no to furniture polish made of volatile organic chemicals.

• Yes to organic produce, no to highly processed foods.

• Yes to safe integrated pest management, no to synthetic pesticides (SolUMel and Tough and Tender are great bug killers and deterrents). 

• Yes to water-based markers, no to solvent-based markers.

• Yes to food with natural food coloring, no to food with FD&C dyes

• Yes to cedar and herbs for moths, no to moth balls.

• Yes to natural essential oils for fragrance, no to synthetic perfumes and fragrances (Again Melaleuca hits a home run in this category!)

• Yes to efficient heating systems, no to kerosene, open gas, or other systems that could leak carbon monoxide.

• Yes to educating yourself about lead paint and other sources of lead, no to "hoping for the best"  if you live in a house built before 1978.

• Take your shoes off in the house.

• Filter your water - Brita works well (Also, have your tap water tested and do not be fooled into thinking bottled water is better).

• Do not smoke and stay away from second hand smoke.

Simple steps such as these can make a big difference. Being away from neurotoxins helps you have more serene sleep, babies are less fussy, children concentration is improved, people are calmer and the lifestyle helps you have a better sense of well-being.

Article by, Anne B. Boyd (Huffington Post)

Edited by, Soutenus

Read more: 

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/neurotoxins_and_adhd_connecting_the_dots/#ixzz0vpgN43NO

Are Bugs Bugging You? Don’t Reach for the DEET!

Try these easy tricks to safely prevent pests (and if they still come around, we have four tips to naturally soothe any bites or stings).

Tips to keep bugs from biting:

1. Protect your child by covering that delicate skin with lightweight, long sleeved shirts, long pants and socks. Insects may be attracted to floral prints. Choose light, solid colored fabrics.
2. Mosquitoes are usually most active at dusk and just before dawn. Avoid playing outside during these peak hours.
3. Keep your window and door screens in good repair. When possible keep your child protected indoors or behind mosquito netting.
4. If eating outside, use an outdoor fan to blow away mosquitoes.
5. To reduce mosquito breeding near your home, plant scented geraniums, lemon thyme, marigold, tansy, citrosa plants, sweet basil and/or sassafras.
6. Eliminate common mosquito breeding sites such as sources of standing water (old tires, pools, plastic pots, buckets, garbage cans or clogged roof gutters). Change water in birdbaths every other day.
7. Make your yard friendly for natural predators such as ladybugs, bats, dragonflys, praying mantis, spiders and birds. Stock a pond with goldfish or freshwater minnows.
8. Use yellow light bulbs (non-attractive, to bugs) in outdoor fixtures.
9. Fragrances attract insects. Avoid using scented products (such as soap or shampoo) on your child or yourself.
10. Choose safer bug repellant products (but consider efficacy if you have local insect-borne disease risks.) PeggyCortez@yahoo.com  has a great guide to natural bug repellents.

Tips for Soothing Bug Bites

1. Tea tree oil. If you are stung, remove stinger if there is one. Apply tea tree oil liberally in a circular motion surrounding the entry point -- be gentle touching the point of entry! Let dry and the pain and swelling should ease in two to three minutes. Re-apply if needed.  The pharmaceutical grade of tea tree oil will ensure  a safer choice and a level of purity not found elsewhere -- learn more about how to economically obtain this by sending a request to PeggyCortez@yahoo.com
2. Baking soda. Mix baking soda with water to form a paste. Again, remove stinger and apply the paste. Cover with a gauze bandage or paper towel and tape. Leave on for one half hour or more until pain is gone.
3. Onion. Relieve the itch from bug bites with an onion. The sulfur in onions neutralizes the chemicals that cause the itch. Simply slice a yellow onion in half and rub one of the cut sides on the bite. The itching should stop immediately. Refrigerate the onion in a sealed container to use again if the itching resumes. Make a fresh slice before reapplying it.
4. Vinegar. Good for spider bites too. Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and place it over the spider/bug bite. If you get bites on your hand or foot, put the soaked cotton ball in a bag and put your infected hand/foot in the bag over night. Make sure that the bag is not tight around the wrist/ankle. As an alternative, you may hold the soaked cotton ball in place by a band aid. By morning, the swelling and/or soreness should be gone as if you had hardly been bitten at all.

Note: Even when using natural bug repellents or remedies, watch for reactions. Some people have sensitivities. Always watch for reactions after bites and stings, also. If you notice any abnormal swelling or other signs of a serious allergic reaction, call 911, because some people can die from bites/stings if they are not treated immediately.

Weed Killer Castrates Male Frogs

Atrazine

By Azadeh Ansari, CNN

March 1, 2010 10:06 p.m. EST

Recent studies have raised concerns about the potential health risks of atrazine, a herbicide widely used on farms.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Study finds that a common herbicide can emasculate male frogs and turn some into females
  
• Atrazine is weed killer widely used in Midwestern U.S. and other areas of the world
  
• Some scientists are concerned the herbicide may pose risks to reproductive health
  
• Manufacturer: "Residues of atrazine ... in water do not pose a health risk for consumers"
  

RELATED SOURCES:

• ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry   

• Atrazine website (you will find all positive information about the chemical here - calling it safe) 

• ABC report March 2, 2010 Weedkiller makes frogs change sex  

LINKS TO DOCUMENTARIES:

http://www.californiadreamseries.org/rfc.htm
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/index_flash.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/outthere/grantees.html#hayes
http://www.natgeotv-int.com/pages/programmes/search?alpha=O&genre=NaturalHistory&prod=

 

LINKS TO VIDEOS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4lijvIjpRw
http://www.mcnc.org/ncren/NCCU_Pesticide/
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=9983

RELATED TOPICS: 

• Biology
• Environmental Science
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(CNN) -- Atrazine, a weed killer widely used in the Midwestern United States and other agricultural areas of the world, can chemically "castrate" male frogs and turn some into females, according to a new study.
New research suggests the herbicide may be a cause of amphibian declines around the globe, said biologists at the University of California-Berkeley, who conducted the study. The findings are being published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers found that long-term exposure to low levels of atrazine -- 2.5 parts per billion of water -- emasculated three-quarters of laboratory frogs and turned one in 10 into females. Scientists believe the pesticide interferes with endocrine hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone.
"The effects of atrazine in the long term have been shown to demasculinize or chemically castrate [frogs], combined with complete feminization of some animals," said lead researcher Tyrone B. Hayes, a biologist and herpetologist at the University of Berkeley.
"We need to reconfigure how we evaluate chemicals in the environment and the impact on environmental health and public health," he said.
Hayes found that 10 percent of the exposed genetic male frogs developed into functional females who copulated with unexposed males and produced viable eggs. The other 90 percent of the exposed male frogs expressed decreased libido, reduced sperm count and decreased fertility, among other findings.
Syngenta, a Swiss company that is the largest manufacturer of atrazine, has challenged the validity of Hayes' study.
"We haven't seen these kinds of responses that Dr. Hayes reports," said Keith Solomon, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, who has served as a consultant to Syngenta. "Some of these studies are poorly conducted and are entirely inconsistent."
The new study's implications for atrazine's effect on humans is unclear. But some scientists are concerned the herbicide may pose risks to reproductive health.

One of these copulating frogs, both genetically male, has been feminized by exposure to atrazine, says a new study.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year launched a comprehensive evaluation of the herbicide to investigate any possible links between atrazine and cancer and to determine whether new restrictions are necessary. The EPA's current safety standard for atrazine in drinking water is three ppb.
The European Union banned atrazine in 2004 because it was consistently showing up in levels higher than 0.1 ppb -- its threshold for harmful chemicals -- in drinking water.
Farmers in the United States continue to use atrazine on crops.
The herbicide has been a long-standing favorite among corn, sorghum and sugarcane farmers because it is affordable and can eliminate the need for tilling the soil. Tens of millions of pounds of atrazine are used each year in the United States. Syngenta estimates that 60 million pounds were used during 2008, most of it on corn.
A 2006 study by the U.S. Geological Survey found atrazine in approximately 75 percent of stream water and about 40 percent of all groundwater samples from agricultural areas tested between 1992 and 2001.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy organization, released a report in August 2009 that documented spikes of atrazine in the water supplies of Midwestern and Southern agricultural areas where the pesticide is primarily applied.
Home or municipal carbon filters can remove atrazine from water but some water filtration systems in small towns are not equipped to filter out atrazine. Water systems in a handful of states have sued atrazine's manufacturers in an effort to force them to pay for removing the pesticide from drinking water.
Tim Pastoor, principal scientist for Syngenta, told CNN that the EPA's current levels for atrazine are safe and that "there is political pressure to get atrazine re-examined."
"Residues of atrazine and all our crop protection products in water do not pose a health risk for consumers," Syngenta says on its Web site.
The company also says "ongoing laboratory and field research by university scientists shows that atrazine has no effect on the survival, growth or limb deformities of frogs."
But Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the NRDC's health and environment program, believes the research by Hayes and the other University of California, Berkeley, biologists is valid.
Sass also is skeptical of Syngenta's claims.

"Their tactic is to flood the scientific literature with negative data to negate the other studies," she said. "It's only their studies that show that atrazine is not an endocrine disrupter."

CNN.com's Brandon Griggs contributed to this story.

More VERY helpful links found at AtrazineLovers.com.

The website was created and is maintained by Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes, PhD, is dedicated to informing the scientific community, the activist community, and the public at large about the dangers of the herbicide atrazine.  Dr Tyone B. Hayes is the lead researcher mentioned in the article.

 

Regarding the regulation of atrazine, the US Environmental Protection Agency recently stated that "the ultimate decision is much bigger than science" and that it "weighs into public opinion."
We (the public) must play an active role in this regulatory decision.

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/2003/Syngenta-Tyrone-Hayes31oct03.htm
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/dta02/hayes.html
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/18/g912/hayes1.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/researcher/index.html
http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume10/issue1/features/lee.html
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/2002/Tyrone-Hayes-Curiosity4nov02.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/emerging/tyroneHayes.html
http://students.berkeley.edu/myberkeley/parents.asp?todo=manyfaces7
http://www.pan-uk.org/RCML2005.htm
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/02/04_bensonl_atrazineupdate/
http://www.mncenter.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=24&Profile_ID=436
http://sfweekly.com/issues/2004-06-02/feature.html
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200407/profile.asp
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/chancellor/bim/may_05.shtml
http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/natrazine.asp
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/wildlife/frogs/2003/2003-1023hayesetal.htm

What's Causing Cancer in North America?

This is a Canadian article but much of the article pertains to all of North America!

Chemicals may be one of the biggest reasons for cancer's epidemic proportions.

There are more than 85,000 chemicals that are currently licensed for use in North America. Less than half have ever been tested for human health risk and even fewer for potential environmental impacts (and even fewer have been tested for environmental impact).

Cancer in Canada is now projected to afflict one in every 2.2 men and one in every 2.6 women in their lifetime. In the 1930s, those numbers were less that one in 10. What's happening? Why are we now seeing what many are calling a "cancer epidemic"?

Some would suggest we are simply an aging population and cancer is a disease of the old. Not true. Recent statistics show that the net incidence rate of cancer has increased 25% for males and 20% for females from 1974 to 2005 - after correcting for the effects of aging.

Children are increasingly the victims. Researchers in Britain have shown that certain childhood cancers such as leukemia and brain cancer have increased by more than a third since the 1950s.

In Canada and in the U.S., hundreds of millions of dollars are raised and spent for cancer research and treatment. The elephant in the room, however, is the contribution of environmental toxins and whether many of the cancers striking North Americans can be avoided rather than simply managed.

The World Health Organization estimates that fully 25% of cancers worldwide are caused by occupational and environmental factors other than smoking. You don't have to look far for some potential chemical culprits.

The U.S. Centers For Disease Control recently turned their attention toward pollution detection - not in the environment, but within the human body. Their study in 2002 found the presence of 81 different toxic chemicals, including PCBs, benzene and other carcinogens in their sampling of 2,500 people tested.

It is somewhat of a no-brainer that reducing exposure to known carcinogens will reduce the risk of developing cancer. Surprisingly, this simple logic seems to have been lost on our federal governments. Many chemicals that are scientifically demonstrated carcinogens or otherwise toxic are freely used without any legal obligation to identify them on the label. Some of these same chemicals are entirely banned elsewhere.

A trip to your local supermarket reveals a small sample of these hidden poisons:

• Mothballs contain either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which are carcinogenic. A recent U.S. study linked mothball use to an increased incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

• Polycarbonate plastics used in food-grade plastic containers such as water bottles can leach Bisphenol A, an estrogen-mimicking chemical linked to a variety of disorders, including hormone-related birth defects, learning disabilities, prostate cancer and neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. 

• Several leading perfumes, nail polishes and other cosmetic products sold in Canada contain the endocrine-disrupting phthalates DBP and DEHP - both banned for use in cosmetic products in European Union countries. 

• Many leading brands of household laundry detergent contain trisodium nitrilotriacetate, another suspected carcinogen as well as an environmental pollutant.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs are common chemical fire retardants found in everything from foam mattresses to computer parts. They have similar properties to the now outlawed PCBs and are known neurotoxins and hormone disrupters. The most dangerous forms are now banned in the EU, though they remain legal in North America .

Chemicals that endanger human life also go down the drain and impact the environment. A gruesome example involved a dead orca that washed up south of Vancouver in 2000 that was so contaminated with persistent chemicals that Ottawa considered shipping the carcass to the Swan Hills toxic waste facility for incineration.

Like orcas, we are perched at the top of the food chain and are becoming the unwitting receptacles of many of the chemicals designed to make our lives more convenient.

Ballooning cancer rates are simply not worth whiter clothes or fewer moths. (Besides, there are natural, effective and affordable *alternatives!)

Cancer must be fought on many fronts. Research and treatment are undeniably important but so is environmental cancer prevention. It is therefore shocking that our governments are not moving faster to ban known and suspected carcinogens, and  requiring mandatory "right to know" labeling so that Canadians and Americans can better protect themselves and their families.

Anything less is quite simply putting the interests of the chemical industry ahead of human life.

SOURCE:  TorontoStar  June13th, 2005 / article by Mitchell Anderson     
Mitchell Anderson is a board member of the Labour Environmental Alliance Society, a Vancouver-based charity that educates the public on cancer prevention. 
Edited by Soutenus   
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