Tag Archives: chemicals

Avoid Butter Packaging To Reduce PFOA Exposure

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20 years ago I started shifting my cooking, my pantry and my consumer choices to that which I felt was better and more healthy for me and my family.

At the time, like most folks I ate junk, drank pop, and I wondered why I didn’t feel very well.

The shifts started out small, one thing at a time. Took me two years before I felt my stride.

Since I’ve been an advocate for cooking scratch, eating organic, local and the alternative food market.

Many many years later, I am still making changes and still learning.

Goes to say that healthy living is a life long project, eh??

Last year I stopped buying canned beans and began making my own from dried to avoid BPA found in the lining of the can.  It’s not a hassle at all to make my own!! I save money, avoid the chemical and contribute in a small way to less in the landfill.

Recently in a green moms yahoo group it was shared that PFAO was in the wrappers of butter.

What??

The same chemical that coats teflon is what butter comes in ie; coated food packaging?

Geesh!!!

Beth Terry of a Plastic Free Life shared a link to this post/article.

Part of the article states: Food packaging is an egregious example of hidden PFC exposure.

UGH.

The article further talks about how most of us ( 98%) have traces of this chemical in our blood.

This food packaging chemical leaches into the butter.

Boy that makes me mad.

The solution?

Make your own butter!!

I thought,  I could do that !!

There are three ways I found to make butter, the food processor, a stand up mixer or a in a jar.

Loved the options – and the videos!! I chose the stand up mixer version because he said butter in 10 minutes and he was right!!! Each person had their own little nuance or different way, but the bottom line is it all ends up as butter!!

It was super easy and boy is this homemade butter ever delicious.

 

 

The Morning Of A Typical ADD Child

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There are many substances around us which can affect a person’s behavior and ability to focus and learn.  Some affects are believed to be transient and some are known to be permanent.

Obvious examples of substances include:

heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium
alcohol of all types
nicotine
caffeine
drugs – both legal and illegal
solvents and glues, such as airplane glue

and then there is petroleum.

Petroleum??

Who thinks about petroleum, except when we fill our gas tanks?    Few people are aware that thirty seven percent of the crude oil used in the United States goes into the manufacturing of other products with which we come in contact everyday.

Derivatives of petroleum and crude oil are in our clothing, cosmetics, shampoos, detergents, perfumes, paints, plastics, pesticides, and – most significant of all, our FOOD.

We eat, breathe, and surround ourselves with the by-products of crude oil every day.

Some of us have a hard time coping with these powerful substances.

Like our kids.

Let’s take a look at the typical morning of a young boy with ADD as he gets ready for school…

(Every substance which is likely to be an irritant for a chemically-sensitive person is noted with an *.)

He wakes up between sheets, which have been exposed to scented fabric softening strips*. He walks down the hall on new carpeting*, which still retains the smell of the chemicals used in it’s manufacture. An air freshener* adorns the bathroom and complete with scented soap* and scented tissue*. The tub has been cleaned with a miracle spray* and the scented chlorine* clings to the tile floor. His toothpaste is green*.

Breakfast is a bowl of sugar frosted grains* and synthetically colored marshmallow bits*.    All are treated with the preservative BHA* hidden within the added vitamin A.What looks like juice is a blend of water, sugar, and synthetic dyes*, plus artificial orange flavoring*.

An artificially colored, sweetened and flavored vitamin* tops off the meal.   If Jeremy is having one of his frequent ear infections, his mother adds a spoonful of bright pink bubble-gum flavored medicine*.  He grabs his homemade lunch that mom has prepared*** or puts his lunch money in hip pocket for the lovely flavorful meal served at his school******, runs past the fragrant potpourri*, out the door across the lush green lawn – treated with powerful pesticides* – across the newly paved asphalt* street.

He has forgotten his homework (for the third time this week) gets agitated easily, has trouble focusing all the time and Jeremy’s mother wonders why her son simply can’t get his act together.

*denotes chemical or toxin exposure

above sourced and rewritten from something someone shared with me via email

Shifting your lifestyle takes time and a commitment.

Start with cleaning green.

Replace your everyday personal care products with safer alternatives.

Eat clean. Organic. Shop local. Eat seasonally. Eat for health not for taste and convenience.

Stop purchasing petroleum derived products.


plastic utensils flickr image credit

How do you celebrate Earth Day?
If you’re not cleaning green – what’s stopping you?

Which Laundry Brands Carry 1,4-Dioxane

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David Steinman is a hero of mine,  one of his books Diet For A Poisoned Planet influenced me greatly in the late 80′s and is something I reference when I teach my Healthy Choices For Children Workshop.

(NaturalNews) One of the major issues being tackled by consumer watchdog groups this year is the presence of 1,4-dioxane, a synthetic petrochemical carcinogen, in consumer products. Since hair care products, cleaning formulas and laundry detergents are all susceptible to containing this toxic chemical byproduct, which is not listed on product labels, David Steinman from the Green Patriot Working Group (GPWG) began a study in 2007 to see which consumer products are the worst offenders.  This year, his organization along with the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), released the results of a portion of the study conducted last year on laundry detergents.

When cleaning products and detergents are processed using ethoxylation, a cheap technique that lessens the severity of the harsher ingredients, 1,4-dioxane is created. Since it is considered a byproduct of ethylene oxide reacting with other ingredients, 1,4-dioxane is technically considered a contaminant and thus does not have to be included on product labeling. As a result, consumers are largely unaware of its presence in major household products.

For the study, Steinman evaluated 20 different laundry detergents from both conventional and “natural” brands. Evoxa, an independent, third-party laboratory that is highly respected for its rigorous methods and high standards, conducted all product testing. The results are as follows:

Conventional brands:
1. Tide (P&G) – 55 parts per million (ppm)
2. Ivory Snow Gentle (P&G) – 31 ppm
3. Tide Free (P&G) – 29 ppm
4. Purex (Dial Corp.) – 25 ppm
5. Gain 2X Ultra (P&G) – 21 ppm
6. Cheer BrightClean Detergent (P&G) – 20 ppm
7. Era 2X Ultra (P&G) – 14 ppm
8. Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight Co.) – 5.0 ppm
9. Wisk 2X Ultra (Sun Products Corp.) – 3.9 ppm
10. Woolite Complete Detergent (Reckitt Benckiser) – 1.3 ppm
11. All laundry detergent (Unilever) – 0.6 ppm
12. Dreft powdered detergent (P&G) – non-detectable (ND)
13. Sun Burst (Sun Products Corp.) – ND

“Natural” brands:
1. Planet Ultra Liquid laundry detergent – 6.1 ppm
2. Mrs. Meyers laundry detergent – 1.5 ppm
3. Clorox Green Works Natural laundry detergent – ND
4. Ecos laundry detergent (Earth Friendly Products) – ND
5. Life Tree Laundry Liquid – ND
6. Method Squeaky Green laundry detergent – ND
7. Seventh Generation Free & Clear laundry detergent – ND

Of the products detected, P&G products came up the highest in 1,4-dioxane levels, as did most of the conventional brands.  Of the natural brands tested, only two were found to contain 1,4-dioxane, and in levels far below the average conventional brand. While not all available brands were tested, it is clear from the results that consumers need to be wary of most conventional brands. They also must perform due diligence in verifying that their “natural” brand of choice is truly free of 1,4-dioxane as well.

The 1,4-dioxane found in laundry detergent is particularly harmful in the fact that the chemical binds easily to water and remains there.  Even after water containing the chemical has been purified and filtered, low levels have been detected, indicating that it is not easily removed from water.  Numerous water supplies across the country have been found to be tainted with 1,4-dioxane.

Of the 80,000 known chemicals, only 200 are tested by the EPA; 1,4-dioxane is not one of the ones tested.  Average aggregate exposure to 1,4-dioxane is unknown since it is found in numerous consumer care products.  Because it is a known carcinogen that is implicated in causing cancer, liver disease and other serious problems, it is important to avoid it whenever possible.

OCA has prepared a Personal Care and Cleaning Products Safety Guide outlining which consumer products are safe and free of 1,4-dioxane and which ones are not.  Categories include dishwashing soap, hand soap, all-purpose soap, laundry detergents, household cleaners, body washes and shampoos, conditioners, facial cleansers, lotions, sunscreens and deodorants.

I personally use this green laundry product line

Breathe Any Petroleum Lately?

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In addition to sharing the natural approaches to health via nutritional supplementation, I devote additional advocacy to the wellness of this planet.

There are many substances around us which can affect a person’s behavior and ability to focus and learn.  Some affects are believed to be transient and some are known to be permanent.

Obvious examples of substances include:

heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium
alcohol of all types
nicotine
caffeine
drugs – both legal and illegal
solvents and glues, such as airplane glue

and then there is petroleum.

Petroleum??

Who thinks about petroleum, except when we fill our gas tanks?    Few people are aware that thirty seven percent of the crude oil used in the United States goes into the manufacturing of other products with which we come in contact everyday.

Derivatives of petroleum and crude oil are in our clothing, cosmetics, shampoos, detergents, perfumes, paints, plastics, pesticides, and – most significant of all, our FOOD.

We eat, breathe, and surround ourselves with the by-products of crude oil every day.

Some of us have a hard time coping with these powerful substances.

Like our kids.

Let’s take a look at the typical morning of a young boy with ADD as he gets ready for school…

(Every substance which is likely to be an irritant for a chemically-sensitive person is noted with an *.)

He wakes up between sheets, which have been exposed to scented fabric softening strips*. He walks down the hall on new carpeting*, which still retains the smell of the chemicals used in it’s manufacture. An air freshener* adorns the bathroom and complete with scented soap* and scented tissue*. The tub has been cleaned with a miracle spray* and the scented chlorine* clings to the tile floor. His toothpaste is green*.

Breakfast is a bowl of sugar frosted grains* and synthetically colored marshmallow bits*.    All are treated with the preservative BHA* hidden within the added vitamin A. What looks like juice is a blend of water, sugar, and synthetic dyes*, plus artificial orange flavoring*.

An artificially colored, sweetened and flavored vitamin* tops off the meal.   If Jeremy is having one of his frequent ear infections, his mother adds a spoonful of bright pink bubble-gum flavored medicine*.  He grabs his homemade lunch that mom has prepared*** or puts his lunch money in hip pocket for the lovely flavorful meal served at his school******, runs past the fragrant potpourri*, out the door across the lush green lawn – treated with powerful pesticides* – across the newly paved asphalt* street.

He has forgotten his homework (for the third time this week) get agitated easily, has trouble focusing all the time and Jeremy’s mother wonders why her son simply can’t get his act together.

*denotes chemical or toxin exposure

sourced and rewritten from something someone shared with me via email

Shifting your lifestyle takes time and a commitment.

Start with cleaning green.

Replace your everyday personal care products with safer alternatives.

Eat clean. Organic. Shop local. Eat seasonally. Eat for health not for taste and convenience.

Stop purchasing petroleum derived products.


plastic utensils flickr image credit

How do you celebrate Earth Day?
If you’re not cleaning green – what’s stopping you?