Most people are unaware of the prevalence of chemical flame retardants all over their homes and workplaces. From mattresses to furniture to electronics, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs slow down the burning of flammable materials. But at what cost? PBDEs are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) — once they get into your body, they stay there [...]

Some of the most widely used creations from the “petroleum revolution” of the 50s and 60s are the multitude of plastics that exist in our world today. Plastics can be considered to be either the most wonderful creations of all time, or the bane of our modern existence. There’s no doubt that plastic has revolutionized [...]

We hear a lot these days about “The Cure”, whether it’s for cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, or a multitude of other diseases. What we hear far less of though, is practical information on how to prevent all of these things. Why is that? Wouldn’t you rather not get a disease instead of suffering [...]

So how many readers would say that they own some swanky vinyl goods? I’d wager to say every single one (including me)…Vinyl, a.k.a. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is everywhere. From kids toys to faux leather furniture and clothes, to packaging for all sorts of items, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid. But did you know that [...]

OK, let’s resume this list. In my last post, I left off after 6 ingredients: fragrance, triclosan, formaldehyde releasers, parabens, FD&C colours, and PTFE + PFOA. So on with the list: 7. polyethylene glycols (PEG): PEGs are used as penetration-enhancers, dispersants and texture-modifiers in cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes, etc. Usually listed as PEG-100, PEG-20, etc. on [...]

Every day, most of us slather on multiple “products” for our bodies: shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, lotion, lip balm, perfume, deodorant, multiple makeup products, etc., etc., etc.. What we don’t always think about however, is what’s in all those things. Today’s mainstream body care products are nothing like what our grandparents used. They are [...]

This is a great place to start. In recent years, organic food has been popping up everywhere, from Farmers’ Markets to grocery stores to WalMart, the king of “cheap at whatever the cost”. So is this just in fashion right now? Something urban preppies do to look upscale and trendy? The answer: absolutely not. To [...]

After talking about it for years, this blog is finally going live! As I mention in the About section, environmental health is an emerging field of scientific research. Ten or fifteen years ago, very little was known about the health effects of everyday items and products around us. Things we apply to our bodies, put [...]