Over the last month we’ve been glued to news reports about Tahlequah, the 22-year-old Southern Resident Killer Whale that carried her dead calf hundreds of miles for nearly three weeks. I had tears in my eyes more than once thinking about the baby orca that had deadly chemicals flowing from its mother to its body before it even had a chance to be born. We know that this is what happens with human babies too. Continue reading
Early childhood is a period of rapid development. Babies learn to crawl and then walk, speak in coherent sentences, and begin to develop self-control, all in just a few short years. It is a sad reality that our environment puts a lot of hurdles in the way of young children. Exposure to toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products is one of these hurdles that may impair kids’ ability to learn and reach developmental milestones. Continue reading
Governor Jay Inslee spoke at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Convention last week. In his remarks, Governor Inslee talked about Washington’s commitment to reducing toxic chemical exposures for firefighters – specifically calling out the state’s first-in-the-nation bans on PBDE flame retardants and nonstick PFAS chemicals. Continue reading
Childcare providers want to create a healthy space for children to learn, play, and sleep. But childcares that use foam nap mats can have higher levels of toxic flame retardants in their dust. We wondered whether it was possible to reduce kids’ exposures to toxic flame retardants in childcares. Continue reading
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers, especially pregnant women and young children, to avoid kids’ products, electronics, mattresses, and home furniture that contain certain toxic flame retardants, known as organohalogens. Continue reading
I learned a devastating fact this month: rates of thyroid cancer have tripled in the last 30 years and researchers have linked the increase to high levels of toxic flame retardants in house dust. Continue reading
They are chemicals that are hard to avoid – found in everything from TVs to toys to food, and contaminate homes, offices, and dorm rooms. Scientists keep uncovering new evidence that toxic flame retardants aren’t good for our health, even as companies continue to use them. Cats, thyroid cancer, dorm rooms, and toys are just the latest examples that these chemicals threaten our health and shouldn’t be allowed in products in our homes.
Are there toxic chemicals in children’s products? The simple answer is “YES.” But the truth is that for most products and chemicals, it’s impossible to know because companies can keep the ingredients a secret. Continue reading
Does anyone out there watch Modern Family? There’s an episode when the characters Cam & Mitch go to Costco. Cam is all about Costco, while Mitch thinks it’s a ridiculous proposition – who could possibly need or use all that stuff? By the end, Mitch wants to buy a shed (sold at Costco) to hold the boxes and boxes of diapers and other stuff they absolutely must have. Watch the clip.
That episode pretty much sums up how I went from Costco disdainer to Costco lover. Continue reading
Scientists unveiled some exciting news at the 2016 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Vancouver, BC. Several species of wildlife in Puget Sound – harbor seals, Pacific herring, and English sole – show decreasing levels of toxic flame retardant PBDEs in their bodies. Continue reading