The European Union Commission is considering lifting the ban on US poultry treated with antimicrobial substances, a move that is opposed by European consumers organizations, the European poultry industry, farmers unions and environmental and health NGOs. It is not the first time European constituents are expressing concerns over US agricultural products (GMOs are at the center of a much heated debate at the moment while growth hormones are banned). It is very tempting to accuse them of protectionism, a political game EU members seem to have perfected hiding behind consumer safety or even cultural exception. Yeah, that would be easy. But again, can we seriously blame them to be worried about their health and safety. Continue Reading »

How To Reduce Fire Retardant Chemicals In Your Home

All California furniture has been required to meet an open flame flammability standard for foam since the 1980s. This standard is also followed by some national manufacturers outside California. It is primarily achieved by adding potentially toxic fire retardant chemicals (BFRs and CFRs) to the polyurethane foam inside furniture. These chemicals migrate from the furniture and are found in dust, dryer lint, pets, and people. Since there is no labeling requirement, there is no way to learn what chemicals are inside your furniture. But there are things you can do!

Here are some suggestions to minimize exposure to potentially toxic fire retardants in your home: Continue Reading »

This is a documentary that will shake you and might make you want to ask questions. This is not the first documentary unraveling the deceitful tactics of profit/power-driven corporations, amid the weaknesses of the individuals whose job is to protect and serve the people. The issues Marie-Monique Robin raised in The World According to Monsanto are fundamental to the future of applied molecular genetic research, the welfare of humankind and the preservation of environmental diversity. She brings an ethical, social, economical and environmental perspectives that should have been at the heart of the research and development, regulatory and commercialization processes. Continue Reading »

At a press conference in Ottawa on Friday, Canada Health Minister Tony Clement said the government would take “prudent” action in banning the sale and importing of baby products containing the chemical. Canada will be the first country to regulate and limit the use of bisphenol A. Laboratory studies have shown that when infants are exposed to the substance, it can lead to future behavioural and neurological problems. However, he said that the levels of bisphenol A (BPA) that most Canadian adults are exposed to is not harmful. This announcement has led many retailers to pull products containing bisphenol A from their shelves such as Wallmart, which announced that it will immediately stop selling products with BPA in its Canadian stores, and will stop selling baby bottles with the chemical in U.S. stores next year. More info on CTV Canada.

Penta, deca, octa are not pets’ names but chemistry names (actually the number of bromine atoms per molecule of diphenyl ether) for a family of polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDE) used to retard combustion of electrical and electronic equipment that would be caused by an internal ignition or a small external flame like a … candle. In an unprecedented move, the European Court of Justice restored the ban against decaBDE.
It might sound like a middle age battle, as the Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Norway were fighting the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Besides this – amusing – detail of history, this episode translates the growing concerns of the hazardous impact of brominated and chlorinated halogens and hydrocarbons on human health and the environment. It is also a display of the PR and lobbying efforts of bromine manufacturers to make fire resistant testing always more stringent. The tactic is simple: fear and fact manipulation. On the other side, 120 distinguished scientists, biologists, researchers and physicians have come together to rebut these facts and warn the electrical and electronic community of the potentially harmful consequences of enabling this new standards. Click here to access the court order.

We are many to believe children are completely adverse to hand washing. In this final post on the topic, I share some experiences that tell otherwise.

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Part III b): Soap and the antimicrobial solution

Why are bar soaps still in popular demand? What is so special about antimicrobial hand soap? And why disease outbreaks are still occurring even when hand sanitizer dispensers are widely available? Are non-alcohol hand sanitizers really safer than alcohol ones?

This is the post to read to get some answers Continue Reading »

Part III – a) Keeping My Home Germ Free & Effective Hand Washing

Avian flu, rhinovirus, SARS, norovirus, MRSA, e-coli, salmonella, malaria and cholera are names of diseases and conditions that are increasingly prevalent in our modern world. Health professionals all around the globe are constantly assessing the pandemic risk, issuing warnings and recommending steps to prevent those pathogens from spreading. Foodborne, airborne and Viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) (1) illnesses are particularly contagious through direct contact with a contaminated surface and in presence of a sick individual. Cross-contamination usually passes from hands to eye, to mouth and to nose. The solution health professionals, from the CDC to your physician are promoting is simple: wash your hands and avoid contact with a contagious individual. Experts will often add to the usual list of recommendations the use of antimicrobial products. Despite these precautions, contagious diseases outbreaks are on the rise, and the environmental and social change will most likely cause a migration of “new” germs (2) and lead to an increase of outbreaks. The next three posts look at some solutions to prevent the spread of contagious illnesses.

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Even when the obvious overrated environmental claims abuse the green ideologist inside of me, the pragmatist who meets the ideologist regularly found some benefits to what green experts Steve Ashkin and Scot Case call greenwashing and blame manufacturers and marketers for bringing confusion in the buyers mind, and a practice Joel Makower sees as – mainly – sloppy marketing (see previous post).
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The Fire Retardant Dilemma is one of these issues that have started to receive some media and public attention for their short and long-term effects on our health and the environment. As I rediscovered last Friday at the 4th Symposium on this topic, the urgency of addressing the issue of fire retardant chemicals has to do with several upcoming meetings (1) that might seal the presence of brominated and chlorinated hydrocarbons in many household and office products for the next decade (or longer) all over the US. It is also an issue that could have a pervasive effect in how we address such issues: it is not about whether we are in favor or against fire retardants but rather which ones should be used to delay or prevent the ignition of such items as bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture, TVs, VCRs, monitors, computers and so on. Continue Reading »

This is the time of the year the kids bring back home contagious illnesses they caught who knows where and from. Soon the siblings get sick as well, and we have to take time off from work. Schools and classmates are the usual suspects, but chances are hand hygiene negligence played the most part. To reduce the incidence of pathogens we are stocking antimicrobial products in our home cabinets, a behavior that is not without incidence on health, safety and the environment. In a three part series, I intent to address the issues surrounding this controversial topic, starting with revisiting the roots of poor hand hygiene, then sorting out some “staggering” evidence and finally offering some sound solutions that everyone – including schools and your work place – can easily adopt while keeping toxic products at bay and lowering our carbon footprint.

Part 2 – Our immune system is up against a steep hill. Continue Reading »

This is the time of the year the kids bring back home contagious illnesses they caught who knows where and from. Soon the siblings get sick as well, and we have to take time off from work. Schools and classmates are the usual suspects, but chances are hand hygiene negligence played the most part. To reduce the incidence of pathogens we are stocking antimicrobial products in our home cabinets, a behavior that is not without incidence on health, safety and the environment. In a three part series, I intent to address the issues surrounding this controversial topic, starting with revisiting the roots of poor hand hygiene, then sorting out some “staggering” evidence and finally offering some sound solutions that everyone – including schools and your work place – can easily adopt while keeping toxic products at bay and lowering our carbon footprint.

Part 1 – Is catching a contagious illness an ineluctable outcome of social life?
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The Clorox Company
Mr. Don Knauss
CEO & Chairman

Dear Mr. Knauss,

I am responding to your letter of January 2007. I am apologetic to have delayed my answer, but I have been very busy working with schools and childcare centers in helping them develop and implement green practices. You are not without knowing that while our kids spend about one third of their time in an indoor environment they are exposed to many chemical irritants that can trigger chronic illnesses such as asthma and dermatitis as well as increased sensibility to pathogens.
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