Flame Retardents - What's the scoop?

It's been all over the news the last few months and weeks so you may be wondering, what's the scoop?

A recent study published in "Environmental Science and Technology" looked at the flame-retardant chemicals used in dozens of baby products. "The objective of this study was to survey a large number of baby products that contain polyurethane foam to investigate whether flame retardant chemicals were present and to determine the concentrations in the foam." The samples consisted of polyurethane foam from baby products including car seats, strollers, changing table pads, nursing pillows, portable crib mattresses,infant sleep positioners,high chairs, nursery rocking chairs/gliders, baby walkers, baby carriers, and miscellaneous bathroom items.

The Results:
The results (page 21 and 22 of the study) show that

-80% of the baby products tested in this study contained a known and identifiable flame retardant, and all but one of these flame retardants were either brominated or chlorinated - the two most toxic types of flame retardants!

-5% contained the chemical Penta, which was banned by almost a dozen states as a neurotoxin.

-9% had small amounts of the chemical TCEP, which California has stated is a human carcinogen.

-36% had chlorinated tris labeled as a "probably carcinogen" by to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So what's the concern?
Flame retardant chemicals are known to migrate from the product into the air, by turning to dust, so children [and adults] can be exposed twice - through skin contact and also through breathing. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens. Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,"is concerned about, not only cancer, but reproductive or neurological effects as well, with the developing brain." The study also points out that "infants are in a very sensitive development stage and may be more susceptible to adverse effects than an older child or adult". Another study revealed that "children with higher concentrations of PBDEs, another type of flame retardant, in their initial cord blood scored lower on tests of mental and physical development at 12–48 and 72 months". Furthermore, a study published in the Envirnomental Health News showed that "high levels of brominated flame retardants can alter pregnant women’s thyroid hormones, which are critical to a baby’s growth and brain development".

In February, Walmart announced that it would bypasses federal regulators to ban controversial PBDE flame retardants. In my humble opinion, when a large corporation like Walmart BANS a chemical and possibly forgoes revenue, we should take notice.

So now what?
It's impossible to know if every product you purchase contains flame retardants but there are a few things you can do to limit exposure. Here are a few practical solutions:

-Avoid products labeled as meeting California TB 117. This is an out-dated law that requires fire retardants. Even if you don't live in California, it still affects you since manufacturers don't make two different products.

-Since you cannot tell by looking, call the manufacturer and ask if any flame retardants were used.

-Wash hands regularly. Flame retardants end up in our household dust, which ends up on our hands.

-Capture dust. Wipe surfaces and hard wood flooring with a damp cloth or mop. For carpets, vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly.

-Wipe your screens. Electronics contain flame retardants. Some of the most contaminated dust is that found on TV and computer screens. Wipe them regularly and wash hands after touching them.

-Purchase snug-fitting pajamas for little ones. Carters, Old Navy, Children's Place and others make snug-fitting pajamas that clearly state that there are no flame retardants (usually on a big yellow tag).

-Purchase products made from organic materials. These will not contain flame retardants.

-Purchase mattresses that do not contain flame retardants. Naturepedic carries infant through adult bedding. They also make infant changing pads.

-Purchase chemical-free wool rugs - wool is naturally fire retardant.

FUEL Lunch Gear

My kids aren't in school yet so we don't have to worry about packing a lunch, but like most parents, I know that having snacks and drinks along on outings can save the day (and my wallet, too!).

Back in my day we used the "brown bag" and "baggies" to carry our food but I prefer a re-usable product that helps reduce waste. I began to investigate some possible options. Many I found contained PVC, phthalates, BPA, and even the possibility of lead! I don't like to think about my children having a side of toxins with their sandwich. Then I stumbled upon FUEL products.

Fuel products have a bunch of positives:
*Of greatest importance to me is the fact that the products are BPA, PVC, Phthalate, and Lead-free! In addition, they have an eco-friendly commitment.

*These products are "cool" and will be a hit with the kids. All the products feature fun and functional designs and are available in several bright colors. They can be mixed and matched or you can use one color per child to avoid arguments.

*The designs foster independence. All of the products are easy to open, even for preschoolers. The Lunch Bag has a durable velcro closure and most other products have screw on lids. Having your child be able to get their food on their own is always a plus.

*The lead-free thermal lining on the Lunch Bag and double wall vacuum insulated stainless steel walls on the Duo Thermal Containers keep the foods hot or cold for extended periods of time.

*The products are easy to clean. A damp cloth does the trick on the lunch bag and most of the items are top-rack dishwasher safe.

-They are durable. The Lunch Bag features sturdy nylon construction and has, along with my Uno Snack Containers, Sandwich Box, Duo Thermal Containers, and Stainless Steel Bottle, been tested for several months now - being thrown, swung and stashed, and all remain in good condition!

*If you do run into a problem, most FUEL items carry a 5 Year Warranty against defects caused by normal household use!

*On top of all that, they are affordable!

The not so positive:
While the products that we were given to review are all made of polypropylene, stainless steel, and nylon, I did see two products on their site made of melamine, which I'm not comfortable using (click here to find out why).

The final verdict?
Fuel has a great line-up of affordable, kid-friendly products that provide safer alternatives to counterparts containing BPA, PVC, Phthalates, and lead. The reusable quality helps teach children about reducing waste while providing easy clean-up for moms.

A Safer Gift

This post is a little off topic but I wanted to share an idea. Everybody is always stumped when it comes to what gifts to buy my family for birthdays, Christmas, etc. They know I am very particular about what comes into our home since I'm trying to keep it as toxin-free as possible and that limits the standard gift ideas like Barbies and Mr. Potato Head. My husband and I have a hard time coming up with ideas since we have enough toys and we have a small home so we don't need more clutter. But we came up with a great idea that I wanted to share: Memberships to museums, zoos, science centers and the like offer great opportunities for learning and making memories! We have a membership to the zoo, which also gives us free or discounted passes to other venues. We can enjoy a nice family outing and we are even able to take in our own lunches to keep things BPA-free and organic during our visit!

What are some of your favorite "out of the box" safer-gift ideas?

We're a nut-free household - in some ways!

Some people may think we're a little nutty, but when it comes to actual nuts, we have to be careful. My youngest is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I'm still not sure how that happened. Science seems to swing from one end of the spectrum to the other on consuming nuts during pregnancy but the mode of thinking when I was pregnant with my children was to avoid peanuts/nuts during pregnancy to limit the chance of allergies. Well, I didn't eat any with either pregnancy and I have one with nut allergies and one without - and no family history of nut allergies - so I'm not sure if science really knows the answer on that one. In any case, I CRAVED peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while I was pregnant and needed to find a substitution that tasted like peanuts. I tried soy nut butter and even with so much jelly on it that the bread turned soggy and purple, it was not for me. Desperate, I went to a larger grocery store in search of an alternative. I found pea butter. Yes, it is actually from golden brown peas. While it's probably not the healthiest food out there since it's mixed with icing sugar, it does taste like a mild peanut butter and has the same consistency. It is produced in a nut and peanut-free facility. It is also gluten free, soy-free, and sodium-free. But best of all it allows us to have PB&J, or other treats like candy cakes, in a way that isn't going to be life-threatening to my child. So if you are looking for a safe alternative to peanut or tree nut butter try No Nuts Peabutter!

Don't forget the Sunscreen! But which one?

Everybody needs a little vitamin D from the sun but for extended periods break out the sunscreen! If you are worried about slathering your body, or your child's, in chemicals, I share your concern! That's why I did a little research to find a few that I felt comfortable with! I checked for some options on SkinDeep which scores products from zero through ten on level of toxicity, with ten being the highest. I found a bunch of options but most were brands I had never heard of and weren't available locally (I like to see and read the products I'm testing before I buy!). I decided to tested two brands that were easy to find in "regular" stores and had a low toxicity score.

The least toxic sunscreens are chemical-free and natural sunscreens. They use titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to provide physical barrier against UVA and UVB rays. These types of sunscreens rest on your skin and leave a bit of a white glow, however most are non-staining.

The first sunscreen I chose to test was California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion. My my children have sensitive skin and this non-invasive formula is allergy tested to be hypoallergenic. The active ingredient is highly micronized titanium dioxide. Because it is "highly micronized" it didn't leave as much of a white tint to the skin. It went on smoothly and easily which is a plus considering my impatient and squirmy children! The product says that it retains effectiveness after 80 minutes of activity in water or perspiring and I concur. We did reapply after close to 2 hours of fun in the water as a precaution. At a price of between $15-$20 per tube, it's a bit on the pricey side but I was able to score some with a BOGO offer at BabiesRUs.

The second sunscreen I chose was Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen For Face & Body 2.9 oz (87 ml). This sunscreen uses uncoated, Non-Nano Zinc Oxide to protect from both UVA and UVB rays. it has a slight fragrance to it, probably from the lavender oil but it is pleasant. It went on smoothly with only a tint of a whitish glow. I have to admit that I did not read the container very thoroughly. I figure we had at least an hour until we had to reapply but around 45 minutes I started to see a little pink coming on and ran to reapply. "For maintained protection, sunscreen reapplication is recommended every 40 minutes or after swimming, sweating, and/or towel drying as needed". Oops! Thankfully I caught it before anybody got sunburn but with 2 active young children, reapplying less than an hour after application is tough. Pricing is a little less than California Baby but if you are reapplying it every 40 minutes rather than every 80 minutes, you are using it up twice as quickly.

Conclusion: For our family California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion works best - great protection for a reasonable amount of time, no fragrance, and perfect for my little ones' sensitive skin!

The Future of Food

With more and more pesticides, additives, preservatives, and dyes being used in our foods, I wonder what the future holds for our food supply. Watch "The Future of Food Conference" to find out what leading experts on food, including Prince Charles, Eric Schlosser, and Wendell Berry, have to say about how food production is changing to respond to growing demand from consumers for healthier and more natural foods.

Pacific Natural Foods Giveaway!

If you love soup, Pacific Natural Foods' soups are a safer choice to the traditional canned varieties because the company uses aseptic containers. Unlike most canned foods which contain BPA in their lining, aseptic packaging is BPA-free. Safer is better but the taste is extraordinary! And now you have the opportunity to try some for Free! I will be selecting 3 winners to receive a coupon for a FREE Pacific Natural Foods product of their choice! Here's what you need to do:

Mandatory for entry: Read my review here and leave a comment below with your favorite thing about Pacific Natural Foods!

You will get one additional entry for each of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

1. "Like" Safer Choices on Facebook (link on top right) and leave a comment with your Facebook name.

2. Follow Safer Choices and leave your name.

3. Follow Safer_Choices on Twitter and tweet the following: "Enter to win a free Pacific Natural Foods product at http://saferchoices.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaways ". *Be sure to leave your twitter name in your comment.

4. Blog about this giveaway and link to http://saferchoices.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaways and leave the link to your post in the comment.

Good luck!

The details: This giveaway will end on May 14th. I will use Random.org to select the winning comment numbers. The winners will be announced May 16th. A coupon for a free Pacific Foods Product of your choice will be mailled to each winner upon receiving required contact information. If no contact information is provided within 14 days, a new winner will be selected.

THE WINNERS ARE: Stephen, Terry, and Kiersten. Congratulations! Please send your address to saferchoices.blogspot.com so I can mail your prize!