TIP TALKS
The e-Newsletter of the
Toxics Information Project (TIP)
January, 2014
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IN THIS ISSUE
**TIP ACTIVITIES: GMO Labeling Bills, Surveys
**ACTION ALERTS: JAN.31 Day of Action on TPP Fast Track,
Big Food Dirty Tricks, Valentine to Protect the Bees
**NEWS - BAD: BPA & Other Toxic Chemicals Driving Up Health Costs
**NEWS - GOOD: Labeling DOES Matter
**HEALTHY NEW YEAR: “Cutting Costs” Tips '
Free Food Storage, Cheap Organic Veggies "to Go"
**RESOURCES: Avoiding Toxic Nail Polish
Note: If you don't use it - you can pass the info
on to friends or family that do.
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TIP ACTIVITIES:
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GMO LABELING - A LEGISLATIVE LOCOMOTIVE!
The movement to require labeling of GMO ingredients in
our food here in the U.S. has taken off in recent months!
With Connecticut & Maine passing bills that won't take
effect until three other states (including two adjacent ones)
do likewise, tremendous energy has been released on
this cause.
Here in RI, we had a great hearing on Wednesday, before
the House Health, Education & Welfare Committee.
It had to be moved to a larger room, because of the crowd,
and so many spoke that the hearing, which started at
4:30 p.m. with brief testimony on a couple of other bills, lasted
all the way to about 8 p.m., with folks limited to 2 minutes
each on the GMO bills in order to let everyone have a turn!
And, all but 3 or 4 people were supporting GMO Labeling!
Not only Rhode Islanders, but wonderful folks from Connecticut
joined us to testify, as well as Jean Halloran, representing
Consumers Union in support of the bills.
NEXT STEPS: Now, we'll be continuing our efforts by using
surveys as a means of both research and education, with
the help of Mark Hengen, a professor of environmental
education at Johnson & Wales University, and his students,
along with Michelle Hernandez, our service learning intern
from Brown University. Others will be spreading the word
via social media, events and more.
We have been assured that passage of an amended bill
(with some good, needed tweaks) out of the HEW committee
is expected - after which sponsors will be finding partners
to launch a similar bill in the Senate. Stay tuned!
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URGENT ACTION ALERT: The Ugliest "Trade" Bill in History -TPP
Stopped in their (Fast) Tracks? Today is the Day of Action!
The Obama administration’s plan to ram two potentially devastating
international trade agreements through Congress appears to be dead,
according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s announcement on
Wednesday, January 29, that he opposes plans to fast track the deals.
However, in the House, Nancy Pelosi has remained silent.
ACTION #1: Sign the petition telling her to take a stand:
"Leader Pelosi: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has now
gone on record opposing the Camp-Baucus fast-track bill.
Now it’s time for you to publicly oppose fast track and use
your leadership position to help stop the TPP." Go to:::
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/pelosi_reid_tpp?akid=9872.1913626.jtqoF8&rd=1&t=4
Just in case there’s still a little life left in them, today’s the day
to speak out. Thanks to the work of more than 75 organizations,
including the OCA, today, January 31, has been declared an
inter-continental day of action to stop fast track—and stop the
trade deals that would weaken U.S. and world food safety
standards, threaten domestic and international food sovereignty
laws, and allow transnational corporations to sue governments
for alleged future lost profits unless the corporations are allowed
to freely peddle their unproven, unsafe goods with reckless
regard for existing food safety laws. Let’s not take any chances.
Please join in today by taking at least one action!
ACTION # 2: Tell Congress: Don’t Fast-Track Dangerous Trade Deals!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12779
AND
ACTION #3: Join the Thunderclap &
Call your Representatives in Congress:
www.thunderclap.it/projects/8467-stop-fast-track-for-the-tpp?locale=en
and www.stopfasttrack.com
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BIG FOOD DIRTY TRICKS - STOP ATTEMPT TO PREEMPT!
Big Food is up to its dirty tricks again. Monsanto is joining with
the junk food lobby in trying to push legislation through the U.S.
Congress that would limit your right to know what you're eating.
Politico published a draft of the proposed bill, which would bar
states from requiring labels on food that has Genetically Engineered
(GE) ingredients as well as limiting the Food and Drug Administration's
ability to compel food companies to use GE labeling.
It would even let companies label GE foods "natural"!
Does that sound right to you?
Take Action Now:. Your members of Congress need to know
that you demand the right to know what you're eating.
Send a message to your members of Congress today:
http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=2050&tag=201401GEActionFoodRevolution
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EARLY FEBRUARY ACTION ALERT:
Pledge to Help Bees this Valentine’s Day!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12957
Love food? Love flowers? Then we need your help to deliver a
“Give Bees Some Love” Valentine’s Day card to your local
Home Depot and Lowe’s Stores! A new study co-authored by
the Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research Institute found
that seven out of 13 samples of garden plants purchased at top
retailers in Washington D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area and
Minneapolis contain neurotoxic pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
Neonics, made by Bayer CropScience & Syngenta, are routinely applied
to Monsanto's GMO Bt-spliced corn, canola and cotton seeds. This
fastest-growing class of toxic insecticides has been linked by numerous
studies to the mass die-off of honeybees. That’s why they’ve been banned
in the European Union. But here in the U.S.? They’re still in use—and
still being sprayed on plants you may be buying for your home garden.
How do we get bee-killing plants and insecticides out of garden centers
and urban and rural environments? We started by asking the CEOs of
two of the largest national chains—Home Depot and Lowe’s—to stop
selling them. More than 500,000 people have signed petitions, including
almost 75,000 who have signed the one started by OCA. But it seems
we haven’t yet caught their attention. So the OCA is joining with other
organizations, from all over the country, who are asking activists to
swarm their local Home Depot and Lowe’s stores Valentine’s week
(February 10th-16th). Please sign up to deliver a Valentine asking
your local Home Depot and Lowe’s stores to “show bees some love”
and stop selling bee-killing pesticides and garden plants pre-treated
with these pesticides.
TAKE ACTION: Sign Up to Deliver a “Give Bees Some Love” Valentine
to your Local Home Depot or Lowe’s Store
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=12957
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“CUTTING COSTS” TIPS:
Free Food Storage Materials:
No need to buy Saran Wrap for your lunch sandwiches,
or plastic food containers for leftovers. Do as we do -
use your emptied bread bags and the glass jars of various
sizes from nut butter, jam, tomato sauce, etc. Forever free!
Quick, Healthy Veggie With Lunch?
Imagine & Pacific offer organic soups in the vacuum packed
boxes. Can be as cheap as $3 each on sale for 32 ounces
- four servings per container. And some flavors are bursting with
nutrition! Pacific Carrot Ginger Soup has 200% of recommended
Vitamin A & Imagine's Sweet Potato Soup has 100% Vitamin A.
Bring them with you "on the go" in one of those glass jars.
(By the way, these soups make great sauces too - especially
the Imagine mushroom flavor)
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BAD NEWS: BPA AMONG TOXIC CHEMICALS DRIVING UP
HEALTH CARE COSTS, EXPERTS SAY
lynne.peeples@huffingtonpost.com 01/22/2014
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/22/bpa-health-care-costs_n_4644372.html
Health care spending in the U.S. has surged more than eightfold since
the 1960s. Skyrocketing in that same time: Rates of chronic disease,
use of synthetic chemicals, & evidence that many of these widely used
substances may be wreaking havoc on human health. "We know that
these chemicals are reaching people. We know that chemicals can
cause disease," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, chairman of the department
of preventative medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in
New York. "Those diseases cost money," Landrigan added.
New research published on Wednesday offers an example of this
financial burden, widely overlooked in the health care debate. The use
of bisphenol A, or BPA, in food and beverage containers, according to
the study, is responsible for an estimated $3 billion a year in costs
associated with childhood obesity and adult heart disease.
"One could argue that's absurdly conservative," said Leonardo Trasande,
an associate professor in pediatrics, environmental medicine and health
policy at New York University's Lagone Medical Center and author of the
study. Trasande's calculations didn't take into account other health
issues that studies have begun linking to BPA exposure, such as prostate
and breast cancers, asthma, migraine headaches, reproductive disorders
and behavioral problems. Trasande added that he was conservative in
what he considered a safe level of exposure to the chemical. Scientists
have warned that even minute amounts may do significant damage.
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GOOD NEWS: AS FOOD LABELS GET CLOSER LOOK,
INGREDIENTS VANISH By Candice Choi, 12/17/13 AP
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/food-label-ingredients_n_4461198.html
Take another look at that food label. An ingredient or two may have
vanished. Food makers are quietly phasing out certain additives
High-fructose corn syrup, among the ingredients listed on a can of
soda, is far lesscommon than a decade ago. As Americans pay
closer attention to what they eat, food and beverage companies
are learning that unfamiliar ingredients can invite criticism from
online petitions and bloggers. The risk of damaging publicity has
proven serious enough that some manufacturers have reformulated
top-selling products to remove components that they say are safe
but that are sufficiently mysterious to draw suspicion.
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HOW TO AVOID TOXIC NAIL POLISH & FIND SOME
ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES
by Edwina Duenas, January 18, 2014
www.care2.com/causes/how-to-avoid-toxic-nail-polish-and-find-some-eco-friendly-alternatives.html?cid=email_na#
Alternatives to toxic nail polish and the toxic three -
formaldehyde, toluene & dibutyl phthalate.
In 2006, public health advocates raised questions about the so-called
“toxic trio” of chemicals found in many popular nail polish brands. The
“trio” consisted of the carcinogen formaldehyde, a hardening agent,
toulene, which helps distribute color evenly, and dibutyl phthalate, a
plasticizer that prevents polish from chipping. While these toxins
helped people achieve the finished look they wanted from a manicure,
inhaling these chemicals could lead to developmental defects and cause
damage to your nervous system and the environment over time. Exposure
to toxins poses considerable health threats to salon professionals and
children. Following the initial uproar, many brands removed these
materials from their products. Manufacturers that state they are free of
toxic trio materials are dubbed “three-free products.” This effort makes
products safer to use for people and the environment, and increases
transparency for consumers.
Notably, the European Union has banned the use of toxic chemicals in
cosmetics for years now, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
has not yet taken any regulatory action. As such, a 2012 report by
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control revealed that a
number of products used in nail salons claimed to be “three-free” when
in fact they were not. Of 25 products tested, including nail thinner and
top coat polishes, only five out of three-free seven claims could be
substantiated. Of course, the report noted that the department only
tested a small number of products on the market today, the message
was clear: not all manufacturers list ingredients truthfully on labels.
See:
www.care2.com/causes/how-to-avoid-toxic-nail-polish-and-find-some-eco-friendly-alternatives.html#ixzz2rzQzmMwt
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CONTACT US WITH YOUR THOUGHTS,
COMMENTS, QUESTIONS!
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Liberty Goodwin, Director
Toxics Information Project
P.O. Box 40572,
Providence, RI 02940
Tel. 401-351-9193
Website: www.toxicsinfo.org
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