Green Treehouse

Your mommy friends heard about a report that says to ditch your plastic sippy cups. Your mom heard about a study that said limited exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) is just fine. Your neighbor cautions that the studies giving BPA the green light were funded by industry trade groups, who may have been seeing $$$ over health. Slightly unnerving, don’t you think?

Who, and what studies, are you supposed to believe? After all, the word on the street is that BPA is bad stuff–linked to breast and prostate cancer, among other health problems.

According to today’s front page of the Washington Post, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that it deemed BPA, the compound that has been found in plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, and other products, safe after relying on research backed by the American Plastics Council (a trade group). The big concern is that the chemical industry may have influenced that research to achieve desired results–i.e. approval for use in plastic. For example, the chemical industry has funded scientists to advise the government about the safety of chemical compounds. Sound vaguely similar to the Tobacco Industry? That’s part of the reason the plastic safety debate is turning heads.

In case you’re wondering, Bisphenol A is not new. It was first synthesized by chemists in 1891. Scientists have known that it’s an artificial estrogen since the 1930s, but DES–the estrogen yanked in the 1970s which was linked to reproductive cancers–stole the limelight. Bisphenol A was grandfathered as a presumed safe chemical compound by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1976. In 1993, the EPA set a BPA high-dose safety standard. In 1997, the first published university study found cancer links to low-level BPA exposure. In 1999, Consumer Reports discovered that BPA leaches from heated baby bottles. Between 2003-2006, BPA was found safe by an expert advisory panel, after relying on the findings of contractor, Sciences International. In 2007, Congress launched an investigation–after learning that the contractor involved also performed work for BPA manufacturers. The investigation into plastic and safety debate is now on…. Click here to see the full 117 Year BPA Washington Post summary.

Now the hard part, you get to make up your own mind.

Related Posts
Big Box Retailer Plans to Yank Plastic Bottles, Sippy Cups
Look Out Mom and Dad: If Others are Green Diapering, So Can You!

Related Products
SIGG Kidz Bottle .3L
thinkbaby Bottles

A preliminary government report produced by the National Toxicology Program suggests that the chemical bisphenol A, which is found in shatterproof plastic bottles, may be linked to hormonal problems, such as early puberty, and possibly even tumors.

According to the Washington Post, citing the Centers for Disease Control, “More than 90 percent of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol.” Exposure results when the chemical leaches out of plastic bottles or containers, such as plastic baby bottles or water bottles made with bisphenol.

Related Posts
Glass Bottles are IN
Selling your Kids on Water

Related Products
SIGG Kidz Bottle
thinkbaby Bottles

In baby circles, Phthalates are the latest uh, oh. Just the look of the word sounds threatening–not to mention trying to pronounce it. And it is.

Phthalates are man-made chemicals which can potentially interfere with reproduction. A new study shows that Phthalates are showing up in children’s bodies (in urine specifically). That’s not good news for children’s health.

Wondering how children are getting exposed in the first place?

Phthalates are used in the manufacture of cosmetics and plastic products. According to the Washington Post, children are exposed to Phthalates through the skin, liquids, and even air. Shampoos, lotions, powders, diaper wipes pose potential threats.

Want to know how to protect your child?

Avoid applying lotions and powders to your child, unless of course, advised to do so by a doctor. Opt for shampoos and other products that are proven to be Phthalate free. Ultimately, keep in mind the golden rule: the less chemical exposure, the better.

Wondering how much having a child will cost?  Any way you cut it, the price tag is shocking and new parents need to plan ahead.  At least that’s the message of today’s Washington Post feature, Expecting the Expenses.  Apparently, thinking about the long-term cost of raising a baby isn’t always on the new or expecting parent brain.  But according to a financial planner cited by the Washington Post that’s hardly surprising given that, “Most people don’t plan their own wants and needs.”

There are a number of online calculators that can help you estimate how much money you will likely spend raising a child.  Spending a few minutes to think about financing your baby is a good thing to add to your pre-baby checklist.  Of course, if you already have a child, it’s not too late to come up with a financial game plan.       

Today, the Washington Post reports that ”the vast majority of toys are safe.”  This news couldn’t come at a better time for holiday shoppers.  For those who remain concerned about toy safety in light of recent recalls, the Washington Post suggests this option:  go shopping with a lead-test kit, choke-test cylinder, or sound meter in hand.   

Did you know that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (”CPSC”), that agency that announces toy recalls, which we’ve been hearing from so much lately, employs ONE full-time toy tester.

Yes, you read that correctly. One. Uno. Full-time toy tester.

That figure has upset a lot of parents, including myself. This news has also ignited a flurry of activity within the blogosphere, as you can see at The Parents Bloggers Network.

Parents are speaking out about their concerns throughout the blogosphere, like Susan, a blogger at DC Metro Moms Blog and Toddler Planet, who writes, “I’m becoming increasingly concerned and frustrated about the safety of my children’s toys.” In another blog entry she writes, “What can we do to fix this?”

Recalls be gone. There is a five minute solution. One quick way to take action is by sending a letter to Congress.

As if that figure of ONE (let me repeat myself here, so we’re all clear …ONE) isn’t startling enough, The Washington Post further reports that CPSC has lost 15 percent of its workforce since 2004. Action is definitely needed right now, especially with the holidays just around the corner.

Sounds to me like that Illinois Senator who recently said, “Let’s face it, our consumer product safety system is busted and in need of major reform,” hit the nail on the head.