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Protect Our Children
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Ginny Caldwell (03/03/2003) |
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Additives What are They? |
"Natamycin - Pimaricin. An antifungal
produced from Streptomyces Natalensis from soil near Pietermaritburg, South
Africa, applied to the surface of cuts and slices of cheese to inhibit mold
spoilage at the rate of 200 to 300 ppm. As with any antibiotic added to the
food we eat, a resistance to other antibiotics given for illness may occur
after a period of time. Allergic reactions to these hidden antibiotics may
also be manifested."
"A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives" by Ruth Winter
See how they can twist words on a label? (Natural mold inhibitor =
antibiotic). -Michelle- |
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Ginny Calldwel (03/26/2003) |
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Heavy
Metal Harm |
Mercury is a persistent heavy metal,
processed into a liquid from mined cinnabar, that accumulates in water and
in the tissues of humans, fish and animals. It was declared a hazardous air
pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1971. According to
the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, long-term
human exposure to mercury in either organic or inorganic form "can
permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetuses." A potent
neurotoxin, mercury is slowly being phased out of many commercial uses,
including consumer thermometers, but it is still used in many industrial
processes and is in such products as fluorescent lights, home and appliance
thermostats, and even toys.
Ask most people about mercury in the environment and they're apt to think of
broken thermometers. But the truth is that industry, in the form of
coal-fired power plants, electric arc furnaces (which melt and recycle the
steel from old cars) and municipal waste incinerators are the major sources.
In landfills and in water, bacterial contamination turns mercury into its
most toxic form, methyl mercury. Mercury also gets into the environment in
pharmaceutical products, and through ritual religious uses, especially in
Latin American Santeria (see sidebar). Mercury sells for less than $2 a
pound on the wholesale market, and even when it is "recycled," it may still
end up in the environment.
Progress is being made to end some of mercury's more visible uses, but the
campaign is far from over. Five states have laws that either put some
restrictions on mercury use, sale or disposal or require labeling of
products containing it. Similar bills are pending in 15 state legislatures.
"Despite state and local bans, thousands of retailers still sell mercury
thermometers to consumers who aren't aware of the risks," says Felice
Stadler, policy coordinator of the National Wildlife Federation's Clean the
Rain campaign.
TO VIEW Clink on Following link
http://www.emagazine.com/may-june_2002/0502feat1.html |
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Jim Motavalli (From emagazine.com)
(03/26/2003) |
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Are Women at Higher Risk for
Cancer? |
The answer is YES! The reasons are as
follows: We spend 90% of our time indoors, and 65% of that time at home.
Moms, infants and the elderly spend 90% of their time in the home. The
National Cancer Institute released results of a 15-year study concluding
that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing
cancer than women who work outside the home. Cancer rates have almost
doubled since 1960. Cancer is the Number ONE cause of death for children.
There has been a 26% increase in breast cancer since 1982. Breast cancer is
the Number ONE killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54. Primary
suspects are laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides.
There has been a call from the U.S. / Canadian Commission on Chemicals to
ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of
breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and
behavioral problems in children. Chemicals get into our body through
inhalation, ingestion and absorption. We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of
air per day.
Chemical and environmental sensitivities are known to cause all types of
headaches. The effects of these Chemicals are cumulative. Just as one
cigarette doesn’t give someone Lung Cancer, it would be false reasoning To
feel that using these products for years and not being sick means they
aren’t harmful!
Labeling laws do not protect the consumer - they protect big business. The
New York Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels
were either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison, and for first
aid instructions.
Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene are found in common Household
cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals
are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system. Chemicals are attracted
to, and stored in fatty tissue. The brain is a prime target for these
destructive organics because of its high fat content and very rich blood
supply. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found
more than 2500 chemicals in cosmetics that are toxic, cause tumors,
reproductive complications, biological mutations and skin and eye
irritations. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus,
multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease,
irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases
commonly related to chemical exposure.
Manufacturers ARE NOT required to list the exact ingredients on a label.
Chemical names are often disguised by using “trade names”, so you may not
recognize the chemical for what it truly is! A women’s fertility has also
been negatively affected by the increase use of chemicals. In 1934 only 21
cases of endometriosis existed in the entire world. Today over 5 million
women have this condition, which causes infertility in the US alone.
Note: One other aspect to consider - and it not a minor one at all - is the
high probability that women who wear a bra washed in harsh detergents (&
synthetic underwear in general) continually wear a TOXIC SKIN PATCH! Now
that is a daring statement and we explain... Most modern laundry detergents
are still alkaline-based with fancy ingredient names such as washer
protection agents, processing aids and brightening agents. Simply put,
however, the main ingredients are salt, sand and acid. The water softeners
are aluminosilicates which are aluminum-based salts. Aluminum has been
identified as a likely contributor to breast cancer!
Frequently-found “processing aids” are sodium sulfates which are a salt
derived from sulfuric acid - an effective drain cleaner. That is why washer
protection agents such as sodium silicate is included because it protects
your machine’s porcelain and metal from being eaten up by the “processing
acids”. Now, imagine what is happening to your clothes. Rinse water cannot
be 100% effective in removing these toxic ingredients because some of them -
such as fabric brightening agents - are formulated so that they can’t be
rinsed out! Since your clothes are in direct contact with your skin,
whatever they contain can be transferred into your body through the skin and
that is why clothes become a big, toxic dermal patch throughout your entire
life!
What can one do about this? The first step would be to either change to a
different, less toxic, laundry detergent or to eliminate detergents.
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(05/06/2003) |
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Why A Natural Fiber
Chemical Free Mattress? |
We spend almost a third of our lives
sleeping on a synthetic mattress full of polyurethane foam and/or other
petrochemical materials, covered with synthetic fabrics (such as polyester
or nylon) and treated with chemical fire retardants and formaldehyde.
These mattresses outgas over the years and emit potentially toxic substances
that you absorb into your skin and lungs which may cause allergic reactions
and a many other very serious health problems. Sleep problems, headaches,
and asthma to name just a few.
Creating a chemical-free environment should start with your bed so your body
can spend it's time doing it's job of repairing itself as you sleep.
BUYING A NATURAL MATTRESS: View our selection of high quality mattresses,
foundations, and futons
Innerspring
Innerspring with natural rubber pillow top
Natural Rubber
Futons
Is your Mattress Making You Sick?
There are no industry or government standards regarding the chemicals that
companies pump into mattresses, WPBF-TV in West Palm Beach reported. The
only government requirement is that mattresses must be flame-retardant,
which means many mattresses are packed with irritating chemicals like
pesticides and formaldehyde.
"Formaldehyde, unless they've changed it recently, is the major component in
embalming fluid," said allergist Dr. Dan Tucker. "It kills things. It kills
bacteria fungi -- and enough of it kills people."
Tucker said researchers don't know how chemicals in mattresses could affect
humans. But studies have shown the body stores many of the chemicals found
in mattresses in fatty tissue, including the brain.
"We don't honestly know what the long-term effects (of the chemicals) are,"
Tucker said. "And (there is) a considerable suspicion that they do
contribute to the chronic brain disorders as people get older. The less we
are exposed to this, the better."
Tucker said he is disturbed with new research out of England that explores
whether these mattress chemicals could have a link to Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome.
Links to other research and articles on synthetic mattresses
Article on Talalay and the problems with it's use in rubber |
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* (06/20/2003) |
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Did You Think You Where Safe? Then Why is it going to take 5 years? |
Just in:
In a precedent-setting move, California has
become the first state in
the nation to ban two flame-retardant chemicals that have been shown
to accumulate in the blood of mothers and nursing infants. The
chemicals, known as PBDEs, are widely used to coat furniture,
electronics, plastics, and foams. The California ban will go into
effect in 2008, giving manufacturers time to adapt and find
alternatives. A similar ban in Europe starts next summer, and China
and South Korea are also considering bans. The flame retardants
accumulate rapidly in the bodies of humans and wildlife, research
shows, and they are suspected of contributing to learning disorders,
attention deficit, and hyperactivity in kids. As embattled
California Gov. Gray Davis (D) signed the ban into law on Saturday,
he took a jab at the federal government: "When Washington is unable
or unwilling to act, we must protect the health of our citizens."
straight to the source: San Jose Mercury News, Associated Press, Don
Thompson, 09 Aug 2003
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A steady rise of childhood disorders and
adult health problems have puzzled scientists for years.
Disorders from breast cancer to learning disabilities
have a connection to modern living.
Scientists are looking carefully at the
prevalence in our environment of certain industrial
chemicals at extremely low levels. They are discovering
that at even minute levels, these chemicals, previously
assumed to be insignificant, are affecting processes
such as gene activation and the brain development of
newborns. Especially interesting is that some substances
that have known effects at low levels, seem to be safe
at high levels!
Regulators in Europe and Japan have
barred the use of certain compounds in toys and in food
service items because of indications that there is no
safe level. They are now discovering effects at such low
traces that were not measurable a decade ago. Another
challenge is that some chemicals seem to have effects
when combined with another chemical but seem safe used
alone. Our testing procedures only test substances
individually for safety. Toxicologists currently derive
risk by exposing rodents to find the lowest level at
which the rodents have tumors, birth defects, or other
observable effects. They then take the highest dose at
which there is no observable effect and divide by
anywhere from 10 to 1000 to set a maximum "safe" level
for humans. Of course if you use more than one product
with that safe limit, then the numbers are no longer
safe for you.
The other major problem, just now being
observed and studied is that chemicals do not exist in
isolation. They have a cumulative effect due to the high
use of so many of these common chemicals.
Regulators in Europe are now taking a
hard look at the pervasive and cumulative nature of
these chemicals. Industry is fighting these heavily as
that would require the industries to pay to conduct
research in order to prove their product safe or to find
suitable replacements. CA and NY legislatures are
currently considering bills that would ban the use of
some of the well known toxic substances. And as you
remember, CA was also the first state to legislate
removal of the toxic PBDE's in mattresses although the
law does not take effect for 3 more years.
Research on SIDS seems to indicate that
it is a stress induced death. The stresses of toxic
overload, vaccinations, and the chemical soup in
traditional crib mattresses has been under scrutiny for
years. The back to sleep campaign of laying babies on
their backs may have had some success due to the fact
that the babies are now breathing farther away from the
nasty chemicals. Other research in New Zealand has shown
that by wrapping your toxic mattress in polyethylene
does prevent SIDS, and organic mattresses, available for
decades, also have not been related to any SIDS deaths.
Be careful that the mattress does not have any New
Zealand wool as that wool does have high levels of
arsenic. Make sure the company you purchase any organic
mattress from, knows absolutely where the wool comes
from and how it was processed.
For more information on toxins in the
environment and the damage they are causing, read OUR
STOLEN FUTURE by Dr. Theo Colborn of the World Wildlife
Fund.
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<http://www.gristmagazine.com/forward.pl?forward_id=1378>
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| Thompson, 09 Aug 2003 |
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