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Here’s Where it Gets Interesting.

The EPA oversees water quality in your home, while the FDA ensures the safety of bottled water. But the federal government doesn’t require bottled water to be safer than that from the tap. While larger cities disinfect water and filter it to remove pathogens, or test for giardia & cryptosporidium viruses, bottled water doesn’t even have to be tested!

Doesn’t Have to be Tested, But is It??

The Natural Resources Defense Council shows that roughly 25% of bottled water is merely tap water, sometimes treated and sometimes not.

Where Does Bottled Water Come From?

The Nestlé company has been drawing 250 gallons from the ground in Osceola Township, Michigan for its Icy Mountain brand every minute for more than 15 years. And that’s just one bottling company. Recently, Nestlé requested an increase to 400 gallons per minute.

But is Tap Water Safe?

Funny you should ask. Our beloved watchdogs at the Environmental Working Group have analyzed 30 million State water quality records. With this database you can search the results of where you live by entering your zip code!

What’s in My City’s Water?

According to the EWG database the drinking (and bathing) water where I live shows 4 contaminants detected above health levels, including radiological contaminants. How many contaminants are in the water that you are drinking? Be sure and check.

Maybe We Should Just All Have Water Filters.

EWG thought of that! So, on the website they’ve also included an option to find a water filter that works for your contaminants. Another great resource to find a certified water filtration system for your home is on the National Sanitation Foundation website.

Pass It On.

Share this video on social media. Get people to start talking about the quality of the water that we drink, bathe in, water our gardens with, and wash our children, our pets and our produce with!

Let’s start with seafood and sushi.

There are 2 things to consider: Our waters are contaminated, and this affects the safety of the fish you are consuming; secondly, due to unsustainable fishing practices we need to make better choices for a healthier ocean when selecting seafood.

For a healthier me, what’s the safest seafood?

The Washington State Department of Health has developed a healthy fish guide. It’s important to note that women of child-bearing age, those who are pregnant or nursing, and young children should limit exposure from the contaminants in fish, including mercury.

What’s best to eat for a healthier ocean?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program evaluates the environmental impact of fishing and farming, so you know which seafood to buy and which to avoid. The seafood guide and the sushi guide are updated every 6 months or so. These guides are also available on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app, available for both iPhone and Android.

Dairy farms.

Wisconsin lost nearly two dairies a day in 2018, most of them family farms. As factory farm “organic” dairies continue to grow their operations, ethical organic farmers continue to lose their footholds as well. Use Cornucopia’s Dairy Scorecard to choose the best milk, cheese, butter, and other dairy products for your loved ones. Your dollars count! Dairy farmers are in crisis!

Could yogurt makers be misleading us?

They might be, due to the myriad of other added ingredients creating a less healthy food. Cornucopia rated 114 brand and separated yogurt into categories ranging from healthy to avoid. But here is my problem with yogurt. Nearly every brand on the list is packaged in plastic. Today while in Whole Foods I found only 3 brands that weren’t: Siggi’s, Icelandic Provisions and Forager. What does your grocery store carry in non-plastic packaging?

Lastly, our eggs?

Cornucopia rates organic eggs on a scale of 1 to 5, and also shows if the chickens have access to the outdoors for a cleaner, greener life! The top egg? TreeBird Organics in Trout Lake, Washington!

Is Bad for the Environment.

Right from the start, I knew coffee pods were a bad idea for the health of our environment, and once I learned more about the chemicals used in manufacturing plastic it became even more apparent that coffee pods are also bad for the health of humans.

Starting Your Day with Hot Chemicals.

When the coffee maker heats the water quickly to a high temperature it enhances the migration of plastic chemicals from the coffee maker into the water. Then the hot water continues through the plastic coffee pod, enhancing a second migration of various chemicals, and then you drink them.

Add a Straw and Creamer.

Phthalates, BPA and PCBs are some of the chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastic. If you are in a hotel or restaurant you may even be stirring your hot chemical slurry with a small plastic stir stick, followed by opening a small plastic container of creamer and adding that to the mix.

Fatty Foods Can Also Enhance Migration.

Yes, that’s right – your fatty creamer has been soaking up plastic chemicals while waiting to be added to your morning chemical brew because fatty substances, along with heat, have also been shown to enhance the migration of chemicals from plastic containers into food or liquids.

Another Chemical in the Cup?

Styrene, one of the many chemicals used to create Styrofoam, is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known mutagen (something that causes genetic mutation) and a possible human carcinogen. Sigh. It’s time to move away from our morning chemicals!

Make the Switch.

Get a glass or stainless-steel coffee maker. Try a French press. Try an old-fashioned percolator. Try a pour-over coffee maker. Anything but plastic. And then get a stainless steel, insulated coffee cup to use when you fill up at the local coffee shop for take-out. More than likely they will even give you a discount for bringing in your own cup!

We Need to Wake Up.

The European Union has either restricted or completely banned more than 1,300 chemicals used in personal care products. In the US? Only eleven. The Guardian reports “The pendulum has swung in an extreme way and it’s really going to take a general awakening by the public.”

Poisoning Our Young Girls.

In March of 2019, the FDA advised consumers to stop using several cosmetic products from the popular Tween-aged shop, Claire’s. Three products tested contained tremolite asbestos. Apparently, approval of personal care products is not required by the FDA before being sold yet the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act has not been updated since its enactment in 1938!

Hormones in Adolescence and Pregnancy.

Phthalate chemicals help lotion penetrate the skin. They also bring durability and flexibility to things made from plastic, like shower curtains. They keep fragrances from fading. And they can also disrupt our delicate hormonal balance. Messing with an adolescent’s hormonal balance is certainly not advisable, nor is it safe during pregnancy or nursing!

Make the Switch.

What’s encouraging is switching to low-chemical personal care products has been shown to cut blood levels of certain substances in just three days, and there are several resources to help you check the safety of ingredients and choose safer personal care products:

• Skin Deep database by the Environmental Working Group
• Made Safe’s Hazard List of Chemicals, Materials & Ingredients
• Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

And while you’re at it, check out Hugh & Grace. They have developed the first of its kind, hormone-safe self-care products.

Scanning Barcodes While Shopping.

Download these apps to scan as you shop!
• Think Dirty, Shop Clean (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics)
• Healthy Living (Environmental Working Group)

Sunscreen is Killing the Coral.

Scientists believe some of the chemicals found in sunscreens have a negative impact on corals. Those chemicals? Oxybenzone and octinoxate. Both Hawaii and Florida’s Key West have banned sunscreens with these two ingredients (found in nearly 75% of U.S. sunscreens).

Messing With Our Hormones.

So, okay, they hurt the coral but what about hurting you and your family? Scientists also believe that these two chemicals can have a negative impact on the endocrine system of animals and humans. That means they can mess with your hormonal balance.

Not-so-“safe” Levels in our Bodies.

Research showed the levels of chemicals in sunscreen far exceeded what is known as “safe” limits on the first day of the study and that oxybenzone reached the threshold within two hours after a single application — exceeding limits on day seven of the study! Oh, and by the way this chemical is also found in breast milk samples, along with many other sunscreen ingredients.

Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Fleas Oh My.

The Centers for Disease Control evaluated data from the EPA and information published in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Products containing Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus were shown to sufficiently help people reduce mosquito bites. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus also provided protection time similar to low concentration DEET products!

Make the Switch.

How safe is your bug repellent? Our friends at the Environmental Working Group are in the process of updating their 2019 guide, but the 2018 website still has great information.

The 2019 Guide to Sunscreens is, however, now available from EWG. You can also download the Healthy Living app and simply scan the barcode of any sunscreen OR bug repellant you want to purchase to instantly find its safety profile.

More than Dirt On Our Shoes.

74% of households in the US use an average of 3 to 4 different pesticides per home, with residues found even on surfaces that have never been treated. So how does that happen? First, think of workers in occupations involving the use of chemicals or construction sites. They are more likely to carry them into the home on their shoes. But do you home garden?

Still in the Soil a Year Later.

Chemicals commonly used on lawns and in gardens also get tracked into the home on shoes and can be detected in bodies of both adults and children. While the half-life of most lawn herbicides is 5 weeks, they can still be detected in soil 1 year after treatment.

Plants as a Natural Pesticide.

When trying to avoid chemical pesticides, TreeHugger highlights 9 herbal plants that can not only help to repel insects, but can also be harvested to use in the kitchen when cooking. By including plantings of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, dill, mint and oregano, one can fend off moths, flies, beetles, worms, ants, and more. TreeHugger even suggests where and where not to place the natural plant repellant.

Limited on Gardening Space.

Maybe you don’t have room for 9 additional plants. That’s okay. If you are looking for alternatives to pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizer, your search begins at Beyond Pesticides for a list of products compatible with landscape management.

Alternatives to Chemicals Inside the Home.

Time to make the switch. Garden’s Alive offers environmentally responsible products that work. And they are very inexpensive. I discovered the company’s products 23 years ago when I had a mealy moth infestation in my pantry. Their small cardboard “tent” was nothing more than a dry adhesive lining the tent with a pheromone lure to attract them. When the moths entered, they stuck to the wall. I’ve also used similar products for cellar spiders in the basement. Check them out: gardensalive.com.

Flushing Our Forests.

How does your toilet paper rank with regards to sustainability? The Natural Resources Defense Council developed a sustainability scorecard to toilet paper brands due to the destruction of Canada’s Boreal Forest. However, sustainability of our forests also become an issue when it comes to paper towels and facial tissue.

But More than Just Forests.

Some of the ingredients in our toilet paper have been shown to irritate the vulva, as in the case of formaldehyde. Or to cause burning when wiping, from petroleum based mineral oil. Even BPA is found in toilet paper, as are bleaching agents.

Make the Switch.

Several companies are reducing the use of plastic packaging when selling paper products. Others are not using wood pulp, but rather bamboo.

• The “Who Give a Crap” website offers 48 double length 3-ply rolls at a little over $1 each. They are made with forest friendly bamboo and contain no inks, dyes or scents. Caboo Tree Free Household Products are made from both bamboo and sugarcane.

• Grove Collaborative offers a tree-free paper towel made out of bamboo. Because of its ability to hold 3x its weight in water, a 75-sheet roll has the same absorbency as a 150-sheet roll of regular paper towels.

• Some people don’t think bamboo is as soft as standard tissue. Green Forest always gets top scores in sustainability and safety. It’s whitened without chlorine, safe for septic systems, and is made from 100% recycled paper.

And Don’t Forget Disposable Cups and Plates.

Manufacturers have now developed disposable tableware made from compostable and recyclable materials. Check out biodegradable options for your next large get together where traditionally you might opt for paper products.

• Eco Products features recyclable dining ware made from sugarcane and bamboo
• World Centric Organization offers serving containers made from wheat straw fiber
• Green Paper Products offers sugarcane plates, biodegradable cups and compostable cutlery in party sized packs for an extremely nominal cost

Toxic Outdoor Air.

While China may be releasing a banned chemical into the air that is ozone-destroying, we’ve got our own problems here in the U.S.

The Guardian reports, “Chemicals experts outside the industry say lobbying efforts demonstrate strategies that companies with toxic products have used for decades: sowing doubt about toxicology science, stalling regulation and wielding influence with political officials through campaign donations.” So, China’s chemical may be banned, but many of our chemicals should be and aren’t!

Should You Open the Windows?

The Department of Environmental Quality monitors daily conditions and if conditions indicate that the temperature and pollution are high enough, it will create elevated amount of ground-level ozone, resulting in an Ozone Action Day. For people who work or exercise strenuously outdoors or have respiratory conditions, ozone can be a threat to their health as well as an environmental concern.

Check Before Opening.

Two ways to check whether or not you should open your windows in your home, office or car.

• For a map of air quality around the world, visit pollution.org
• Go to airnow.gov and click on the map where you’d like to see more detail, then follow the color-coded key to the quality of the air
• You can also access air quality information on the Weather Channel app for your smartphone. Simply scroll down to “Air Quality” (page 7 of 8 on the app) and click “See Details” for more information.

But remember to check back frequently throughout the day, as the numbers do change!

Houseplants Can Clean Indoor Air.

In 1989 NASA published their Clean Air Study, revealing that certain plants have the ability to clean the air. Plants shown to remove the chemical benzene from indoor air included gerbera daisies, chrysanthemums, peace lilies, bamboo palm, English ivy, and Mother-in-law’s tongue.

New to growing houseplants? Try growing echeverias! These plants are nontoxic to pets, and include a variety of species and colors. Happy DIY Home’s article will tell you everything you need to know about how much light they need, when to fertilize or repot, and also includes information on spider mites and yellowing leaves.

And Plants Can Ease Anxiety.

Eliza Blank, the founder of wellness startup The Sill, said plants are “the antidote to this unfortunate thing that our entire [Millennial] generation suffers from: anxiety. And plants really can be part of the cure.” For other startup companies selling houseplants, see here.

It Isn’t Talked About.

One thing rarely mentioned in initiatives to combat obesity and disease is exposure to obesogenic environmental chemicals. This group of chemicals acts directly on fat cells to increase their number or storage by altering mechanisms that regulate appetite, satiety, and metabolic rate. For instance, studies show a strong correlation between BPA levels and worldwide obesity.

Still No Mention.

In an article for the Lansing State News, a representative for the American Cancer Society said, “We don’t know exactly where the risk is coming from…” when mentioning obesity is now poised to overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of cancer.

The Link Between Obesity and Chemicals.

In 2013, the National Institutes of Health’s National Toxicology Program absolutely found an association between persistent pollutants and obesity. So, if belly fat increases the risk of cancer, can we please start talking about carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals stored in that fat?

Obesogenic Chemicals.

PCBs, phthalates, BPA and other such chemicals can disrupt normal metabolic processes that develop early in life and increase one’s susceptibility to weight gain across the lifespan. Additionally, a number of these obesogenic chemicals can take long periods of time to produce ill effects, so the impact won’t be realized for many years.

No One is Talking, So Self-Educate.

Because information is lacking on where we are exposed, we need to self-educate. The Collaborative on Health and the Environment is an excellent place to start:

• Learn more about avoiding BPA 
• Learn more about PCBs 
• Learn more about reducing exposure to phthalates

Couples Are Having Less Sex.

An article published in USA Today suggested the pace of modern life is to blame for couples having less sex. Sure. I get it. The pace of modern life could certainly be a factor. But could there also be other factors to consider?

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.

When you hear endocrine, think hormones. So, in other words, hormone disrupting chemicals. These chemicals can bioaccumulate in the bodies of men and women (and children, as well) because of repeated environmental exposure. Being endocrine disruptors, these chemicals can affect hormonal balances in the body by reducing testosterone levels and altering estrogen levels. And too little or too much estrogen can also affect desire.

Chemicals Lack Testing.

World Health Organizations’ International Programme on Chemical Safety listed 800 chemicals capable of interfering with hormone receptors, acknowledging the vast majority of chemicals have not been tested. In 2012, the United Nations Environment Programme updated its EDC document, expressing concern about the health of humans and wildlife. (This document is 289 pages long!)

More than Sex Hormones.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can affect the health of the thyroid, increase the risk of diabetes and obesity, reduce semen quality, and affect reproductive organs and their development.

But Wait – You Are Having Sex.

Then be sure to use Made Safe certified products for sexual health. This website will guide you to the safest condoms, lubricants, wipes, scents & oils, and washes. Made Safe Organization doesn’t sell these products, they just make sure they are safe!