Congress Makes Move to Protect Children

It is reassuring to see some in Congress making moves to protect our children from the wash of chemicals found in our consumer products. The Kid Safe Chemicals Act introduced Tuesday, would require chemical companies to prove that chemicals are safe before they can be added to consumer products. This is definitely a move in the right direction.

Just a few years ago EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of ten unborn babies and found an average of 287 industrial chemicals. If you are asking how babies can be exposed to chemicals before birth... most new chemicals under go little or no safety testing before being added to the array of products we use in our homes . The Toxic Substances Control Act, the current governing law, remains unchanged since 1976. EWG reports that more than 62,000 existing chemicals have remained on the market for three decades despite evidence that some pose serious health risks.

I hope that you will share this information with those you care about. You can also contact your Congressional Representative and ask for their support on this important issue. You can find your Member of Congress at the online congressional directory at Congress.org.

Ride Your Bike To Work Week

May is national Bike month and this week was ride your bike to work week. My husband started riding his bike to work last summer and fall. We had started riding casually as a family and then my husband took it to the next level and began making that 30+ mile round trip ride 3 or 4 days a week. He was very excited when the weather finally broke enough for him and a friend to begin riding again a few weeks ago. With high gas prices and the stronger focus on the environment, riding to work, stores and town may become more common. As for family rides, we are getting the bike trailer out of the attic this weekend and setting out for our first family ride of the season.

National Asthma Awareness Month

May is National Asthma Awareness Month and you don't have to look far to find someone with asthma. When I was growing up, I don't remember anyone using an inhaler in school or giving their babies or toddlers breathing treatments with a cute little plastic mask.

However, today more than ever, asthma rates have skyrocketed! In 1998, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994 and in 2007, the EPA reported that an average of one out of every 13 school-age children suffers from asthma. In fact, “asthma has become the most common serious disease of childhood,and there are at least several well-designed epidemiologic studies that have documented a strong link between use of domestic and industrial cleaning products and risk of asthma,” says Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Department of Environmental Health at Harvard University. "

With asthma rates increasing at such rapid rates, I believe researchers and doctors are beginning to see the link between environmental indoor pollution and our health. I have friends whose children have asthma and they have told me that traditional household cleaning products often triggered an asthma attack in their children and I believe it. Just walk down the cleaning product isle of your local market... you can smell the out gassing of the chemicals and all the bottles are sealed. Amazing.

I hope you will pledge to swap out your toxic household cleaners (dispose of them safely and responsibly at a toxic waste facility near you - find a local source at http://earth911.org/) and choose safer alternatives for your family and pets.

"Moms already know household cleaners can be hazardous if swallowed or spilled directly on your skin, but most don't make the connection that when these products are used as directed on floors, sinks and tubs, their families are exposed 24 hours a day." - Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at Environmental Working Group in Washington, D.C.