Jeneration Eden

Tag: Pesticides

  • Toss the Triclosan

    Toss the Triclosan

    If you knew that the hand soap your kids used regularly, that the toothpaste you brushed with every day, that the cutting board on which you chopped all of your veggies contained a known endocrine disrupting chemical, would you consider switching to safer products?

    For the sake of this blog, I’m gonna assume that the answer is yes. So, if you’re using liquid antibacterial soaps, certain dental care items or any number of antibacterial home products, you’re likely being exposed to triclosan  – a hormone disrupting pesticide – and a product switch is next on your to-do list.

    What’s all the hoopla about? Haven’t we been told that antimicrobial agents are good things that help protect us from germs and illness? Unfortunately, yes; when it comes to triclosan – and the related triclocarbon, which is found in antibacterial bar soaps – the market has led us to believe that with their use, we’ve got germ-fighting all wrapped up.

    But the truth is dirtier than that. With the ubiquitousness of triclosan (it can be found in many liquid soaps, countertops, deodorants, shower curtains, sponges, blankets, clothing — the list goes on…), we’re regularly being exposed to an easily absorbed chemical that has been found in breast milk and that can interfere with thyroid hormones that control brain function as well as testosterone and estrogen which, respectively, regulate sperm function and the onset of puberty. It is also linked to liver and inhalation toxicity.

    When it comes to the very frightening concept of bacterial resistance, triclosan is a player in that game as well. And, as a kicker, wastewater treatment doesn’t remove the chemical entirely, so it gets into our waterways and is very toxic to aquatic life.

    But at least the stuff works, right? Well, I for one wouldn’t argue with a US FDA Advisory Committee that found that the use of antibacterial soaps was no more effective than the use of soap and water to kill bacteria and microbes. Furthermore, a study done at health care facilities found that when used at certain higher concentrations, triclosan killed gram positive bacteria and not gram negative bacteria – the very bacteria that cause many hospital acquired infections.

    So I’d say no, the stuff doesn’t work. And, considering all of its downsides, it’s pretty clear that the the American Medical Association’s and American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations that we use plain soap and water instead of antibacterial soap products is right on the mark.

    So how does a dedicated hand-washer avoid triclosan? For starters, read labels. Since triclosan is required to be listed as an ingredient in things like soaps (and mouthwash and toothpaste and body wash), there’s no mystery there. Just buy a safe, plant-based soap such as Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap or Babyganics Foaming Hand Soap, lather up under warm water and stay there for around 20 seconds. Voila! Safe and effective cleaning.

    And when it comes to other products, do you really need to don a shirt laced with a hormone disruptor or slice a pepper on a chemical filled cutting board? I thought not…so beware of the antibacterial label.

    Make your home triclosan-free and clean up the healthy way…

     

     

     

     

  • Shoo, shoes!

    Shoo, shoes!

    I have a bad reputation. Oh stop it, not in that way. No, my bad rep comes from my insistence that anyone who comes into our home has to take off his shoes. And wash his hands. And do a little jig. Ok, not that last one.

    But I’m hard-ass about the first two and for good reason. Leaving shoes at the door and washing hands can reduce toxicants in the home up to 60%. That’s 60% fewer carcinogens, neurotoxins and infectious bacteria in your home. That’s 60% fewer dangerous chemicals in your child’s bedroom.

    We started these practices on the advice of our pediatrician when our first child was born and 12 years/4 children later I’m still pretty adamant about it. And my friends know it.

    Yeah, people get annoyed at the no-kicks rule, even if they don’t have holes in their socks or chipped pedicures. But I don’t care! Because I’ve learned that sticking to this practice is an awesome way to:

    1) Keep pesticides, arsenic, lead and other hard metals off our bedroom floors (the EPA has found that pesticides on shoes is a real source of toxic exposure for kids)

    2) Stop dog excrement and other bacteria from getting on my kitchen tiles (and while we’re on it, scoop up after your pooches, people)

    3) Keep grime out of the mouths of babes (they crawl, they touch, they eat)

    4) Protect wood floors from getting scratched and carpets from getting muddied (yup, I care about aesthetics too)

    5) Avoid howling kids (someone with extremely pointy shoes once stepped on my daughter’s tiny toe and I swear, from the sound of it, she now knows the pain of childbirth)

    Same idea for hand-washing. Sure, you enjoyed that peach on the way over here, but I’d rather those pesticides on your fingers not muck up my fridge handle. So come on in, knock off your shoes, head over to the bathroom and wash pesticides, bacteria, BPA (from handling receipts, for example) and germs off your hands. And no shortcuts. Use the soap – that’s why it’s there.

    I’ve trained my kids well in both these practices and its all become second nature to them. They take off their shoes and wash their hands without even thinking.

    Now I readily admit that I bend the rules sometimes. For our big housewarming party, I really wanted to wear my new stilettos and the hostess in me couldn’t, in good conscience, make everyone else go barefoot. And frankly, flexibility is key, in many aspects of life. Although I did make everyone do a jig.

    But really folks, this one is easy. Adopt these simple, yet powerful habits and you’ll reduce toxicants and increase indoor air quality in your home. And, hey, let your reputation precede you.