July '16 Tip Talks Newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
**LIB TALKS: Keeping it Brief (TT Criteria) Sharing the Important Comments of Another “Canary”,
**GOOD NEWS & ACTIONS: Two Stories & One Action on Fire Retardant Regulation, Pesticide Labeling, Atrazine Ban & Pipeline Halting Petitions.
**ZIKA, PART II: Another Puzzle – The GMO/Mosquito Connection
** RESOURCES: Don’t Let Summer Fun Get Contaminated - Toxic Garden Hoses Info, New GMO Narrative Film, “Consumed”
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**KEEPING IT BRIEF: This month, as I return from one trip and head out on another, I’ll mostly let another voice be heard. Below are some significant comments by another “Canary” (Chemically Sensitive Hooman). Otherwise, just want to note the most common criteria for items to include in TIP TALKS: Time Sensitivity, encouragement (when I can find Good News), important information, potentially effective actions, and truly useful resources. This month has all the above! Blessings, Liberty G
**COMMENTS FROM A “CANARY” ON A BLOG
#1 Liberty does not define herself as chemically sensitive,
YET HAS HEADACHE FOR 4 DAYS AFTER CASUAL ROUNDUP EXPOSURE ???? And she is an activist regarding clean food and environment???? Wonder how many folks really have it and are not being counted???? (Note: Liberty actually knows she has some chemical sensitivities)
#2 Also note info on the termite-related pesticide being included in more and more building materials. This is likely one of the reasons so many of us have extreme reactions to various sorts of new construction. Perhaps we had better ASK whether chems mentioned are used in ANY part of manufacturing process b4 accepting materials anywhere near us???
These termite chems produce the most severe and long-lasting reactions at the lowest doses for me, far worse than Roundup. Weeks and weeks, not days. Similar thing seems to have happened to Cyndi recently??? There are less expensive non toxic ways to do long term discouragement of termites [which also help with mold resistance!!!]
#3 We also need similar Roundup testing of our clothing. Residues in "Roundup-ready” GMO [non organic] cotton is the most likely cause for my reactions last summer to a brand of jeans that I had been able to wear new and off the rack without problems around 10 years ago. If these were tested and problems/garment returns correlated with pesticide residue, might help get it off our backs as well as out of our food supply!!!!
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GOOD NEWS - & ACTIONS
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BOSTON CHANGES FIRE CODE TO ALLOW FURNITURE
FREE OF FLAME RETARDANTS IN PUBLIC SPACES
New bill protects public from exposure to toxic chemicals, reflecting growing demand nationwide for flame retardant-free furniture. Boston, Mass. ( Wednesday, March 23, 2016) Boston City Councilors passed a bill today to amend the city’s Fire Prevention Code, allowing hospitals, schools, colleges, and other public buildings with sprinkler systems to use furniture free of toxic flame retardant chemicals.
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE PASSES BILL
TO PROTECT CHILDREN, FAMILIES, FIREFIGHTERS
FROM TOXIC FLAME RETARDANTS
BOSTON, Mass.—The Massachusetts Senate voted unanimously today to ban 11 toxic flame retardants from children’s products & upholstered furniture sold or manufactured in the commonwealth. The vote was hailed as a significant victory for public health & the environment by firefighters, legislators & public heath advocates, who also called on the House to pass the bill swiftly. "The value of flame retardants is certainly doubtful and given the extremely high cancer rates of firefighters the more toxic chemicals we can get out of our environment the less exposure we will have,” said Ed Kelly, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. “This bill will ensure the health and safety not only of firefighters, but our children and all citizens of Massachusetts."
In order to become law, S.2293 must also be passed by the House of Representatives, which has until July 31 st to act. If the bill becomes law, Massachusetts will join 13 other states, including Maine, Vermont, Minnesota and Washington, in restricting the use of one or more flame retardants. Due to public pressure some major retailers and manufacturers, such as Ashley Furniture, Macy’s and Crate and Barrel, have voluntarily phase out flame retardants from their products, but the transition has been slow, and it is often hard for shoppers to know which products are safe and which are not.
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:
**CONTACT MA HOUSE MEMBERS
TO URGE THEM TO DO LIKEWISE (BY JULY 31)
**CONTACT THE RETAILERS AND MANUFACTURERS WHO ARE PHASING OUT FIRE RETARDANTS TO THANK THEM – AND TELL THE ONES WHO HAVEN’T TO DO SO
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ACTIONS
VETO NEEDED OF SHAM “GMO LABELING” DARK ACT
Despite the tens of thousands of calls, faxes, tweets, and emails by CFS members like you, the House passed the sham GMO labeling bill on July 14th.The bill now goesto Obama’s desk. We need to tell President Obama to veto this new DARK Act!
Though its supporters call it a “labeling” bill, it actually exempts most current GE foods from any labeling. That’s right, according to the FDA’s comments to Congress it would leave out large sectors of GE foods from any labeling requirement. This bill is really a non-labeling law masquerading as a labeling law. The FDA pointed out many other significant problems with the bill that if signed will cause mass consumer and market confusion. Meanwhile the bill preempts the strong GE food labeling laws of Vermont, Connecticut and Maine, the GE fish labeling law of Alaska, and the GE seed labeling laws of Vermont and Virginia - a profound violation of the democratic decision making of millions of Americans. When President Obama was running for office in 2008, he promised he’d label GMOs as President. This is President Obama’s last chance to get GMO labeling right – by vetoing this sham labeling bill and supporting plain language, mandatory on-package labeling. Tell him so at:
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=19203
and also at:
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_Monsantos_corporate_coup/?t=4&akid=1911.94384.WZEx9E
PREVENT ANOTHER PERVASIVE POISON
FROM PROLIFERATING
It’s time to talk about atrazine, one of the most widely used endocrine-disrupting pesticides in the U.S. Here are the top three things you should know about it:
So how is this stuff still legal?! Good question. It shouldn’t be.
That’s why EWG is teaming up with Food Revolution Network to demand that the EPA ban atrazine once and for all. Join them at:
http://signforgood.com/banatrazine/?code=EWG1&redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fshpg.org%2F278%2F173083
STOP FAST-TRACKED PIPELINES
Right now, we have the chance to end a senseless program that fast tracks the construction of pipelines in our nation's wetlands, which provide habitat for many animals and plants, not to mention the critical role they play in improving water quality. Add your name to help us end this program and protect our vital wetlands.
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PESTICIDES & THE ZIKA MUTATIONS (PART TWO)
Zika Outbreak Epicenter In Same Area Where GM Mosquitoes Were Released In 2015 Oxitec first unveiled its large-scale, genetically-modified mosquito farm in Brazil in July 2012, with the goal of reducing “the incidence of dengue fever,” as The Disease Daily reported. Coincidence? Also, see more on pesticide effects.
http://www.panna.org/legacy/panups/panup_20060228.dv.html
http://www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0196383-pesticide-impact-on-plant-dna.html
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RESOURCES
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TOXIC GARDEN HOSES?
DON’T LET SUMMER FUN GET CONTAMINATED
In 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Ecology Center tested over 200 garden hoses from national retailers. The hoses were tested for hazardous metals & bromine, an indicator of brominated flame retardants, and a subset were tested for phthalates.
The flexible plastic of PVC hoses frequently contained elevated lead, bromine, antimony, & phthalates. Non-PVC hoses did not contain these contaminants. See further results, at: www.ecocenter.org/healthy-stuff/reports/garden-hose-report-2016
NEW GMO NARRATIVE FILM
JUST RELEASED –It took filmmakers, Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones, over 7 years to get the first narrative film, "CONSUMED",
off the ground that tackles the subject of GMOs. Everybody told them they couldn't do it but they went ahead and made it anyway. They were passionate to expose the truth behind GMOs and the impact they are having on people and the environment.
RENT OR BUY THE FILM NOW DIRECTLY THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT: www.consumedthemovie.com/buythefilm
Food Democracy Now! gets you a 15% off coupon with the following codes:-15% off coupon to buy: FDNBUY
-15% off coupon to rent: FDNRENT Watch the trailer here:
www.consumedthemovie.com/#media
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BENEFIT TIP WHILE SURFING THE WEB at: www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=818190
(Uses the Yahoo search engine)
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** SUPPORT TIP WHILE SHOPPING AMAZONJust go to: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/14-1862385 and the
link will take you to the site with TIP already selected as your charity. You then shop on smile.amazon.com the same way you would have shopped on www.amazon.com., but the donation will go to us (at no cost to you).**********************************
**OR MOST OF ALL, MAKE A DONATION:
Mail a check to TIP at the address above.
(We are a tax deductible organization)
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Liberty Goodwin, Director, Toxics Information Project (TIP)
P.O. Box 40572, Providence, RI 02940 Tel. 401-351-9193,
E-Mail: liberty@toxicsinfo.org Website: www.toxicsinfo.org **************************************