All that hysteria over H1N1 seems to have died down the past few months, but we’re still in the midst of cold and flu season. I know this because I managed to catch myself one. A cold, that is. Or possibly bronchitis. Or maybe the pneumonic plague. I’m kidding. I’ve consulted Dr. Google, and I’m pretty sure it’s not the plague, though I may have to wait a few days to be certain. Meanwhile, I’m sipping fluids and bonding with my couch and wishing I had picked up the little bottle of CleanWell hand sanitizer I recently bought a week or so earlier than I did.

Hand sanitizers have gotten a bum rap the past couple years, for partly good reasons. Read more…

It’s no secret that environmental awareness has finally gone mainstream. One area where this is increasingly apparent is green cleaning products. In the past year or two, my local big box retailers have moved the Seventh Generation cleaners out of what my Rush Limbaugh-loving father would consider the “hippie foods” section and incorporated them alongside their popular-since-the-Hoover-administration counterparts in the heart of the store. Not wanting to be left out, familiar brands like Clorox have started selling new products sporting new labels that tout a commitment to natural ingredients and enviro-friendliness. And while these changes are, of course, a sign of progress, the modern world has made me a bit of a cynic, so I can’t help eyeing them with a dose of skepticism.

My wariness is warranted. With so many companies jumping on the green bandwagon, how can we separate the real thing from the green sheen?

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You wouldn’t scrub your child down with formaldehyde, right?  Unfortunately, you might be without even knowing it.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) released the results of a study on personal care products for kids, and the results were upsetting: Read more…

Could your sweetener of choice be contaminating tap water? Read more…

Since I’m busy getting ready for my format change, please check out the following article, which I originally posted on BlogHer.

I’m a label reader.  I am that person in the grocery store or pharmacy who stands there in the aisle, dazed look on her face, as she studies the tiny writing on the backs of jars and boxes.  I’m the person who peels back the little sticker at the bottom of a tub of concealer or on the side of a lipstick to see the listed ingredients.  At least 75% of the time, the item I’m studying ends up back on the shelf.

We assume that if it’s on the shelf in the grocery store it’s safe, but there are few specific safety standards for personal care products.  The FDA is involved in products that fall into the “drug” category of personal care, like toothpaste or sunscreen. When you see a listing for “active ingredient,” that usually means the product is classified as a drug, and is then subject to FDA scrutiny. But the FDA has no authority over products intended for cosmetic use. Personal care product manufacturers are responsible for their own safety testing, which is a little like asking the fox to mind the hen house. Read more…

This morning, I had The View on while I was doing some work, and Whoopie Goldberg was talking about how the U.S. needs to ban high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If you’re not looking out for this icky ingredient, here’s why you should.

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We’ve talked about parabens before. They scare me. In the past year, I’ve made an effort to abolish them from my home. I hope you’ll do the same. It’s a change that could even save your life.

This morning, my husband sent me a link to this article on parabens at New Scientist. The article is from 2004, but still worthy of mention. It got me started on a search of what’s new in paraben information. Here’s a few quotes and links.

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Baby products always seem benign, don’t they? Like talcum powder.  I mean, if it’s gentle enough for a baby’s skin, it’s got to be safe, right?  Wrong.  Talc, (pictured above) the mineral used to make talcum powder, is actually in the asbestos family.  It’s  believed to cause cancer, and it’s in a lot more than just baby powder. Read more…

With the economic restrictions of the average family, it’s hard to make changes like buying a hybrid car, or putting solar panels on your house, or picking up and moving closer to your job to cut your petroleum use. Those are changes that you may be able to make long term, but here’s something simple you can do today. Read labels. Read more…