Blog

By Hannah Helsabeck, Wild Mint With Halloween decorations down and costumes boxed up for next year, it’s time to pawn off that extra candy to make room for all those comfort foods that make November so delicious! And I don’t know if you agree, but as soon as October is over, all I can think […]

You know those sweet moments when your children, or in my case nieces, are curled up reading a book? Or even better when they read out loud to you with their sweet little voices? It’s moments like those that I continue to fight to protect children’s health from toxic chemicals. Our partners at the Center […]

Are there toxic chemicals in your child’s raincoat?  New testing coordinated by CHEJ found elevated levels of phthalates in a Spongebob Squarepants vinyl rain poncho, at levels nearly seven times above the federal safety standard.    I recently purchased the Spongebob Squarepants vinyl rain poncho at Toys R Us’ flagship store in Times Square, NYC and sent it […]

When Safer Chemicals Healthy Families held our Stroller Brigade for Safer Chemicals in Washington DC, we brought hundreds of parents, kids, educators, environmental justice leaders and health care professionals to Capitol Hill to put a human face on the need for reform of the 37 year old Toxic Substances Control Act.

The promise of prevention and the hope for healing By The Science and Environmental Health Network PDF available at www.sehn.org and www.healthandenvironment.org The Ecology of Breast Cancer: the promise of prevention and the hope for healing makes the case that breast cancer is a disease arising from diverse societal conditions. Although well-recognized risk factors and […]

I had the opportunity to interview the James Redford and Kirby, filmmakers of “Toxic Hot Seat“, a new documentary about toxic flame retardants, their health effects and our weak state and federal laws. Tell us a little bit about the documentary “Toxic Hot Seat”. Redford: Why do we have so many chemical flame retardants in […]

Before moving here, I shared the romantic vision that Alaska was a remote and pristine place. It was surprising to learn that Alaska--and the Arctic region--is actually the home of some of the most contaminated people on the planet.

I met a Montana mom as part of our “Stroller Brigade.” Like many people she came to this issue by facing health problems of her own. She stopped using conventional cleaners and avoids eating processed food. She’s done a lot, but we know that due to our weak federal laws, she can’t control every toxic chemical exposure in her home and community.

I joined the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Stroller Brigade in DC to advocate for safer chemicals in honor of my twin boys, Micah and Zachary. After three years of struggling with infertility, my husband and I were ecstatic to have twins on the way. Unfortunately, our boys were born three months early and weighed less than 3 pounds at birth.

It’s been decades since the Flashdance legwarmer craze, and thousands of new chemicals have been created since the 80s for products we use every day, most of them untested for long-term safety.