Many environmentally-aware folks have been lured into believing that Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day is a healthy product.

However, if you read the fine print (and the ingredients list) you will find the truth. If you use your nose, you will smell the truth. Mrs. Meyer’s uses synthetic ingredients and fragrances.

When you see the term “fragrance” or “parfum” in the ingredients list remember that the fragrance/perfume industry is protected by trade secret laws. This means they are not required to tell you what’s in their formulations.

The ingredients that are lumped into the listing fragrance or parfum could include up to 1000 different synthetic chemicals!

Our current toxic chemicals law (the Toxic Substances Control Act) is so outdated and weak that testing has been required on fewer than 2% of the 80,000 chemicals available for use in the United States. Many of these chemicals, especially when they interact, are linked to numerous health problems, like endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity.

The green cleaning business is booming with new products that claim to be “effective alternatives”. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and other greenwashed products, like Method and SimpleGreen, have a very clever (but misleading) marketing scheme.

Don’t waste your hard earned cash on clever marketing. A bottle of castile soap, a box of baking soda, and bottle of vinegar is all you need to keep your home fresh and clean. If you like a natural fragrance, use a few drops of organic essential oil.

Read more at Raganella’s blog and see why Mrs. Meyer’s Stinks.

Most people have heard of BPA-free plastic, but a recent study by a group of scientists from both industry and universities have found that nearly all plastic, even that which claims to be BPA-free, releases chemicals that have estrogenic activity (EA) and cause hormone distruption.

Their results found that:

Almost all commercially available plastic products we sampled—independent of the type of resin, product, or retail source—leached chemicals having reliably detectable EA, including those advertised as BPA free. In some cases, BPA-free products released chemicals having more EA than did BPA-containing products.

They noted that:

Chemicals having estrogenic activity (EA) reportedly cause many adverse health effects, especially at low (picomolar to nanomolar) doses in fetal and juvenile mammals.

Their conclusion indicates that the industry does have access to additives that have no detectable EA and have similar costs. If these were used by the plastics industry, we could “eliminate a potential health risk posed by most currently available plastic products that leach chemicals having EA into food products.”

This study underscores our recommendation that pregnant women and parents of young children should avoid all plastic-based baby products. Please use tried and true materials like wood, metal, or glass and keep plastic away from baby.

Read the full article here or download the PDF.

NYC Pet now carries Beth Ann’s Finest All Natural Cat Litter, which is sold in a brown paper bag. It’s made from 100% biodegradable, non-GMO corn – grown on family farms in Iowa.

** You can also order it directly from Beth Ann.

You shouldn’t need a Ph.D. in chemistry to make safe purchases at the checkout counter.

But America’s toxic chemicals law is so badly broken that many common household products — from canned food to computers to carpeting — could expose you and your family to potentially dangerous toxic chemicals.

Now, there is an historic opportunity to change that. Senator Frank Lautenberg has introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 that would be the first major overhaul of America’s dangerously weak toxic chemicals law, which hasn’t been amended since it was adopted 35 years ago

We need your help to make sure your Senators know that protecting American families from exposure to harmful chemicals is important to you!

Please Take Action HERE: Urge your Senators to cosponsor the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011.

Please steal this slide show about lessening your exposure to toxins in your home and organize a community talk at your local school, YMCA, or community center.

(DOWNLOAD: PDF)

Learn how to lessen your exposure to toxins in your own home and reduce your body burden.

What: “Domestic Detox : Pollution is Personal“

Where: The Commons Brooklyn at 388 Atlantic Avenue

When: February 24, 2011 (7:00-8:30pm)

Where is AWAY??”

More info about Bag It!

If you work for a school or community organization, see about organizing a screening.

Phthalates, a type of endocrine disruptor, are untested, unregulated chemical additives that are used to intensify chemical fragrances in cosmetics and personal care products. Additional research links phthalate exposure to ASTHMA, CANCER, and REPRODUCTIVE DYSFUNCTION.

Most personal care products contain chemical fragrances.

Even some so-called “fragrance-free” brands use a chemical masking fragrance to cover up the original fragrance.

Be wary of the ingredient FRAGRANCE. It is used to denote a combination of toxic compounds, including phthalates.  Phthalates and other chemical additives are difficult to avoid, because manufacturers are not required to list them on the label. Under current law, they can be simply be listed as “fragrance”.

Avoid chemical fragrance by:

• Buying chemical-free detergents, like Ecover, Seventh Generation or Soap Nuts.
• Avoiding chemically-laden detergents and fabric softeners, like Tide and Downy.
• Purchasing products that say “phthalate-free” and do not list “fragrance.”
• Looking up your products on CosmeticsDatabase.com to see the toxicity ratings.
• Identifying phthalates by their chemical names, or abbreviations: DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate), DEP (diethyl phthalate), DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate), DMP (dimethyl phthalate)
• Choosing perfumes made from organic essential oils.

Learn More

Find out more about Phthalates under the Get Informed section of this site.

Photo: National Geographic

Plastic does not biodegrade and less than 2% of all plastic produced for disposable consumables is actually recycled. Every piece of plastic ever made is still in existence, floating in oceans or collecting in landfill sites, killing wildlife and leaching toxic chemicals into our water and soil.

On your next shopping trip, review the items in your cart and ask this question:

Will this item return to the earth to nourish new life and new growth?

If not, consider making a Plastic-Free Pledge and:

• Use re-usable muslin bags instead of plastic for your produce.
• Choose biodegradable or compostable products and packaging over plastic.
• Buy bulk instead of plastic-packaged convenience items.
• Bring your own canvas bags to carry your groceries home.

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Learn more about your plastic waste from Capt. Charles Moore or watch this excerpt from the documentary Message in the Waves to see where your plastic waste ends up.

Save Alfalfa

The USDA is taking steps to approve Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa, stating that not enough consumers care about organic foods for the USDA to block the approval.

Roundup Ready Alfalfa can contaminate organic alfalfa through the natural pollination process and further decrease organic farmers’ feed options.

Studies have shown that genetically modified pollen can contaminate fields up to nearly two miles away. Since other feed supplies, like corn and soy, have already been contaminated by the genetically modified trait, alfalfa has become a primary food source for organically-raised animals.

Tell the USDA you DO care about the safety of your food, your health, and your environment. Open comment period on the environmental impact statement of nonregulated status for Roundup Ready alfalfa ends February 16, 2010.

LEARN  MORE / ACT NOW:

• Learn more about the effects of Monsanto’s Round Up (Glyphosate) in this handout and from Beyond Pesticides.
• Submit your comments about approval of GM Alfalfa to the USDA at Regulations.gov