TIP TALKS
The e-Newsletter of the
Toxics Information Project (TIP)
July, 2012
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**GOOD NEWS: Sometimes we win a few! See progress being made vs.
lawn pesticides and fire retardants. And the AMA & CU noticing GMOs!
**TIPS FOR HEALTHIER LIVING: Three more good pointers on sunscreen
concerns and choices, and 7 tips for healthy painting.
**REAL RESEARCH (Not corporate PR): Genetic engineers help dispel myths
about GMOs, telling truth on their hazards & ineffectiveness. Three BPA
articles report on regulatory failure & new evidence of health effects..
GOOD NEWS
**PESTICIDE FOES WIN THE DAY IN DC: CHEH'S BILL GOES TO MAYOR
Historic Pesticide Bill Aims to Protect Children, Waterways
http://www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2012/07/pesticide-foes-win-the-day-in-dc-chehs-bill-goes-to-mayor
SafeLawns Blog 7-10-12
Non-essential "cosmetic" pesticides will be restricted from all
government-owned property in Washington, DC. Though the bill passed
today only applies to the District of Columbia, its significance may
be felt nationally.
Washington, D.C. - After more than a year of strategic planning and
fierce opposition from synthetic chemical lobbying groups, a Washington,
D.C., councilor today was able to unanimously pass the nation's most
comprehensive municipal law to restrict pesticides. Rep. Mary's Cheh's
bill, the Pesticide Education & Control Amendment Act of 2012, is now
awaiting the signature of DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who is expected to
sign the historic legislation within 10 days. This is believed to be
the first pesticide bill in the United States that reaches onto private
property in certain instances - by eliminating synthetic chemical
pesticides from all property within 25 feet of a waterway and also
any privately owned schools and daycare facilities where children
congregate.
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GMOS SHOULD BE SAFETY TESTED
BEFORE THEY HIT THE MARKET SAYS AMA
The American Medical Association called for mandatory pre-market safety
testing of genetically engineered foods as part of a revised policy
voted on at the AMA's meeting in Chicago Tuesday. Currently biotech
companies are simply encouraged to engage in a voluntary safety
consultation with the Food and Drug Administration before releasing
a product onto the market.
After the policy was announced Tuesday, Consumers Union senior scientist
Michael Hansen released a statement saying: “We wholeheartedly commend
AMA for coming out in support of mandatory pre-market safety assessment
of (genetically engineered) foods, but are disappointed that AMA did
not also support mandatory labeling. ... Studies in the scientific
literature have suggested that genetic engineering could introduce
new food allergens, increase the levels of known allergens, raise or
lower nutrient levels and have adverse effects on the animals that eat
such foods.”
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CALIFORNIA ACTS TO MAKE COUCHES SAFER
www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/070312_california_acts_to_make_couches_safer
The days are numbered for California's flame retardant regulation that
put pounds of toxic chemicals in your couch.
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TT TIPS
THREE SUNSCREEN SAFETY TIPS YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW,
BUT DEFINITELY SHOULD Necessary News, June 19, 2012
http://www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/061912_3_sunscreen_safety_tips_you_probably_dont_know_but_definitely_should
1. Slathering is safer than spraying. course my daughters would far
prefer a quick spray down instead of the lengthy manhandling process
I put them through. And, frankly, I would too! But, spraying means
breaking down the product into tiny particles, and tiny particles mean
easy inhalation, and inhalation can lead to lung damage. Not to mention
the fact that sprays are flammable and if you’re near a grill or open
flame, you can start yourself on fire. (Seriously, this just happened
to a guy a few weeks ago. He sprayed on sunscreen, walked over to his
grill, and phoom! – caught fire and nearly died.)
2. Higher SPF does not mean better protection. were at the store and
I was taking far too long reading labels and my daughter says, “why
don’t we get the one with the highest SPF? Isn’t higher better?” That
seems like common sense, right? Not entirely. Increases in SPF only
improve protection slightly (e.g. SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays and
SPF 50 blocks 98%). After 50 there’s no real advantage at all and the
FDA is considering barring manufacturers from using anything higher
since it confuses and misleads consumers. What’s more, SPF only
measures one kind of harmful ultraviolet ray; all sunscreens need
to be reapplied frequently.
3. A white-ish hue is good for you. daughters cringe a little when they
see their ghostly reflections in the mirror after applying sunscreen
(they’re at that age). And, given the option in other people’s homes,
they grab brands they assume won’t leave them with this embarrassing
hue. But, the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide that cause this coloration
are far safer than the potentially hormone-disrupting chemicals like
oxybenzone, used in almost all non-mineral sunscreens. And, if it’s a
mineral sunscreen and it’s not leaving a white-ish haze, it’s likely
because the minerals have been nano-sized (shrunk down teeny-tiny) and
we don’t really know if those itsy-bitsy particles permeating our skin
and winding up in our blood streams are safe or not (preliminary studies
aren’t very comforting).
So, which sunscreens are safe AND actually work? Check out the
Environmental Working Group’s handy-dandy guide for recommendations
and general sun safety tips. And, let me know what you think! What’s
surprised you about sunscreen? What’s it like at your house? Any tips
or tricks for getting your little ones safel
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SEVEN TIPS FOR HEALTHY PAINTING
http://www.healthychild.org/blog/comments/061812_seven_tips_for_healthy_painting/#ixzz20iMVNYi9
Ask Us, June 18, 2012 By Margie Kelly, Communications Manager,
Healthy Child, Healthy World. There’s nothing like a fresh coat of
paint to improve the look and feel of a room. In the process of making
your home beautiful, however, you don’t want to contaminate the air you
breathe for days or even years by choosing paints that aren’t healthy
for you or the environment.
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REAL RESEARCH
NEW REPORT ON THE DANGERS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
by Richard Schiffman Published on July 5, 2012 by Common Dreams
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/07/05-0
“Aren’t critics of genetically engineered food anti-science? Isn’t
the debate over GMOs (genetically modified organisms) a spat between
emotional but ignorant activists on one hand and rational GM-supporting
scientists on the other?”
These questions are posed by Earth Open Source, a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to assuring the sustainability, security, and
safety of the global food system. They answer their own questions in a
new study “GMO Myths and Truths.” The myth, they say, is that GM foods
have been proven safe. The truth is that there are hidden dangers which
corporate-funded research has not yet adequately investigated.
What makes this report unusual is that it was authored not by the
usual food activists and environmentalists, but by two well known
genetic engineers with help from an investigative reporter. The team
conducted an exhaustive survey of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific
studies and concluded not only that GM food crops pose significant, if
largely under-evaluated, health risks, but that they have so far failed
to deliver on their promise to increase crop yields and lower herbicide
and pesticide use.
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BPA: THE FDA IGNORES MOST DATA FROM INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS, RELYING
ON STUDIES CONDUCTED BY SCIENTISTS FUNDED BY BPA MANUFACTURERS.
www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/op-ed-the-fdas-catch-22
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PLASTIC INGREDIENT (BPA) MAKES FISH COURT OTHER SPECIES
July 11, 2012 by Michael Marshall New Scientist
www.newscientist.com/article/dn22047-plastic-ingredient-makes-fish-court-other-species.html
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BISPHENOL A EXPOSURE LINKED TO BRAIN TUMOR DIAGNOSIS.
www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2012/05/2012-0605-bpa-brain-cancer-meningioma
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COMMENT FROM LIBERTY G: BPA IS PREVALENT IN CANNED GOODS LINERS.
EVEN WHEN THEY REPLACE IT, THEY OFTEN USE ANOTHER FORM OF BPA –
WHICH MAY BE WORSE! AVOID CANS!
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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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