Finally, Non-toxic Nail Polish - Contest Ended

I've cringed at the thought of depriving my daughter of cute, little painted finger nails but the harmful chemicals in most nail polishes are a definite concern. So I was very excited when I found Piggy Paints! Available in almost two dozen fun colors, Piggy paints contain no toxic chemicals! They are free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. The water-based formula has virtually no odor and is even hypoallergenic.

But the real test was how well it worked with my daughter. Piggy Paints go on just like your typical nail polish. They recommend 2-3 coats but one coat seemed to provide great coverage on her tiny fingers. The manufacturer recommends drying with a hair dryer on low setting to speed up the drying process and achieve maximum chip resistance but we let them air dry. I was pleasantly surprised at how durable the finish was. Her nails were picture perfect for over three days despite the arts and crafts, play time, and other adventures we were involved in. The polish probably would have held up even better if I had used multiple coats, their non-toxic top coat, and used the hair dryer. The polish can easily be removed with their eco-friendly, low odor Piggy Paint nail polish remover. Both the polishes and remover are made in the USA!
SAFER10L expiration February 28, 2011 & is ready for Immediate use for 10% off exclusive for your readers on anything on our Website including sale items.

If you want to try Piggy Paints for yourself, use the code SAFER10L and get 10% off anything on their website including sale items! In addition, Piggy Paints has graciously agreed to give one lucky reader a chance to win $15 in free products! Here's what you need to do:

Mandatory for entry: Hop on over to Piggy Paints and tell me what your favorite color is.

For extra entries (leave a comment for each):

1. Follow my blog

2. Follow Safer Choices on Facebook

3. Follow Safer_Choices on Twitter and tweet the following: "Enter to win $15 in Piggy Paints non-toxic nail polish at SaferChoices.blogspot.com". Be sure to leave your twitter name in your comment.

4. Blog about this giveaway and link to saferchoices.blogspot.com and leave the link to your post in the comment.

5. “Like” Piggy Paints on Facebook and leave a comment with "Go to saferchoices.blogspot.com for your chance to win $15 in Piggy Paints!"

6. Follow Piggy Paints on Twitter and Tweet the following: "Go to saferchoices.blogspot.com for your chance to win $15 in Piggy Paints!"

Good luck and this giveaway will end on Feb 14th! Winner will be announced Feb16th!

MDF

My investigation into MDF began as we were struggling with finding a play kitchen set for my daughter. MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard, is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibers, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. Formaldehyde resins are commonly used to bind MDF together, and testing has consistently revealed that MDF products emit urea formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds that pose health risks at sufficient concentrations, for at least several months after manufacture. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classified formaldehyde as a "known human carcinogen" associated with nasal sinus cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer, and possibly with leukemia. The EPA classifies it as a "probable human carcinogen".

After calling several toy manufacturers,I learned that MDF can be marketed as wood, and even "solid wood", often leaving consumers unaware of the safety concern. After that I began looking around our home... prior to having children, we did acquire some cheaper furniture made of MDF.

I began investing and found that not all MDF is created the same. Our "cheap" MDF bookcases from mass-retailers probably aren't made with high standards. On the other hand, our pieces that came from IKEA have passed higher regulations.

I found that IKEA has strict rules concerning formaldehyde, and does not permit the use of paints and varnishes containing formaldehyde additives. For wooden products, the company applies the German E1 standard. Several company officials assured me that IKEA puts strict demands on suppliers which produce products with materials which contain formaldehyde. All materials have to comply with IKEA limits which are even stricter than legal limits. The IKEA formaldehyde demands means that the producers of material/production with formaldehyde, have to test the materials regularly and the production process has to be controlled and/or supervised by third part auditor. Apart from the third part auditing, their purchasing department visit the suppliers regularly and checks that the furniture producers fulfills their strict demands.

So the bottom line is that you should choose real wood furniture where possible. If that isn't an option, companies like IKEA, that use stricter standards than the US regulations, are better alternatives.

BPA-Free Tomatoes

There aren't many options when it comes to BPA-free canned foods, especially highly acid tomato products, so it's exciting that Eden Foods just introduced a BPA-free alternative for organic tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes! They are the only tomatoes in the U.S.A. packed in amber glass, protecting flavor and nutrients from light damage. Light causes discoloration and off-flavor through chemical change in food. Photo-oxidation (light damage) is systemic in food stores where fluorescent lighting, in particular, reduces food quality. Amber glass is difficult to get and more costly, but it best protects food. Amber glass is also free of the endocrine disrupter chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). In addition, Eden Organic Beans including Chili, Rice & Beans, Refried, and Flavored, are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Furthermore, the company is committed to GEO, GMO, and irradiation-free products!

Update:
My previous research has indicated that there aren't truly "BPA-free" lids for glass jars so I was curious. Here is Eden Foods response:
"We have exhaustively searched for an ideal lid for our glass jars. Unfortunately the truism 'there's no such thing as a perfect food package,' was again confirmed. Regardless, and in keeping with our mission, we identified the best there is.

The inside of the twist caps has two coats of sealer on it between the food and the metal of the cap. The first applied coating has BPA present in it. The second protective sealant does not, isolating the first coating from contact with the jar's contents.

The potential for migration of BPA is reduced by the following:

1. The additional protective vinyl base overcoat facing the food, isolating the epoxy, BPA containing coating. The coating
containing BPA can never be in contact with the food.
2. The cap's inner surface is separated from the food by an area of air/vacuum.
3. The surface area exposed to the food is substantially less for a twist cap than for canned goods.

Today's most stringent regulations for food product safety is in the European Union where these twist caps have been tested as safe as regards to BPA for use on food products. Currently, we are told, there is no known viable alternative to BPA based epoxy coatings that provides the same level of corrosion resistance and is as safe as our current systems. We continually push our cap suppliers to develop BPA free constructed caps that will deliver required corrosion resistance, shelf life, and safety."