Fear of consumer backlash has motivated Walgreens Drugstores to withdraw three air fresheners that contain chemicals which may affect hormones and reproductive development, particularly in babies. Walgreens’ action was taken after an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental and health organizations showed that 12 of 14 brands tested contained hormone-disrupting chemicals […]
Archive | Health & Beauty
Third Toy Recall Makes for a Grim “Hat Trick”
This isn’t the kind of “hat trick” anyone would want to boast about. In yet another recall, Mattel today has asked parents to return almost 19 million toys made in China due to safety threats they pose from tiny magnets or lead paint. This action follows the millions of toys Mattel has already recalled […]
Lead in Kids’ Toys a Crisis
I think it’s fair to call the “kid’s toys” situation a crisis. As yesterday’s New York Times reports, “Despite a two-year effort to eliminate the threat of poisonous lead in inexpensive children’s jewelry, hundreds of thousands of tainted items are still being sold across the United States.” Because of this negligence, thousands of children are […]
Toxic Toys from China #2
The announcement on August 2 that Mattel was recalling almost a million toys because they were covered in lead paint has parents seeing red. Just a month ago, I was urging a boycott of Chinese toys based on the lead found in Thomas the Tank Engines. Now we have to scoop up Dora the Explorer […]
The Dirt on Cleaning Your House
If you ever felt headachy, nauseous, or irritated after cleaning your house, chances are it’s not just from doing the work. A report just released by the nonprofit group Womens Voices for the Earth suggests that certain chemicals in some household cleaning products may be hazardous to women’s health. Kids are at risk, too. […]
Are the drugs you take giving the fish in the lake conniptions?
If you’re pouring them down the drain or flushing them down the toilet, they could be. Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency have found fish, frogs and other aquatic animals with both male and female sex organs, freaks of nature they attribute to the growing amounts of pharmaceuticals showing up in […]
Is Your Sunscreen Giving You a False Sense of Security?
If it’s not protecting you from UVA, the sun rays linked to skin cancer and immune system problems, it could be. According to the latest analysis from scientists at Environmental Working Group (EWG), only 16% of sunscreen products are both safe and effective (i.e., they’ll protect you from sunburn and skin cancer, remain stable in […]
Stop buying toys made in China
This week’s revelations that toys and jewelry made in China contain high levels of lead is the last straw. It’s time to stop buying toys made in China. The story in USA Today about the crisis is particularly alarming. In the last four years, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued 27 recalls […]