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Our latest Times Square ad says it all: Babies don’t need chemical baths, and neither do you. It’s part of a several week public service announcement in the heart of Times Square.
With the summer only a few weeks away, many parents are going out and buying new rain gear—but parents may unwittingly be exposing our most vulnerable children to lead, cadmium, and even phthalates, chemicals so toxic they have been banned in toys and baby products.
It’s just three more days until the first deadline for our new Mind the Store campaign. Since we launched, we’ve been off to a positive start. We’ve had thousands of emails sent to the retailers (over 50,000), bloggers have visited stores asking them to take a lead on getting rid of toxic chemicals in consumer products and we’ve sent letters to all of the CEOs of the retailers asking them to work with us on chemical action plans for their companies.
Time is a precious commodity for moms. Whenever I try to schedule a get together with one of my mom friends, it can be a month long process to get a happy hour or dinner on the calendar. Moms are busy picking up children from daycare, taking them to a softball game or helping them do homework. Time to do anything outside these daily commitments is rare and why it is important to acknowledge the significant role Minnesota parents played in passing two laws that will protect children from toxic chemicals.
In 2012, HealthyStuff.org tested both the hoses and the water that sat in a hose for a few days. Our test data showed that the plastic additives in PVC hoses, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), leach out of the hose and into the water. When we lab tested the water, we found additives at levels many times higher than drinking water.
As a busy mom with two kids under three, my time is limited. Going to the store with one or both of my kids is a challenge, even when they are on their best behavior. When my two year-old is hungry and my infant is overtired, it’s a major accomplishment just to make it to the checkout line. It’s not realistic to think I—or any other busy mother—can sort out which products contain chemicals that put my kids at risk while I’m busy caring for them.
New report finds over 5,000 children's products contain hazardous chemicals
For Immediate Release -- Over 5000 children’s products contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive problems according to reports filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). An analysis of the reports by the Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States found that makers of kids’ products reported using a total of 41 chemicals identified by Ecology as a concern for children’s health, including toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury, and antimony, and organic compounds such as phthalates.  Major manufacturers who reported using the chemicals in their products include Walmart, Gap, Gymboree, Hallmark, and H & M.
One of the most frustrating things we see when we are investigating the use of harmful chemicals in everyday consumer products is a disturbing trend we call the Toxic Treadmill. When Washington state banned toxic PBDE flame retardants in 2007, many companies switched to cancer-causing Tris flame retardants instead of using safer methods. Now that […]
Actress and mother, Jennifer Beals, has joined Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families in Washington D.C. this week to urge Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act. I had time to sit down with Jennifer to talk about why she cares about this important issue.