With cold and flu season in full swing, there’s more than a few parents worried about how to treat their children's colds without traditional medication and the answer just may be a dose of salt water.
Researchers in Europe recently reported that a nasal spray made from Atlantic Ocean seawater eased wintertime cold symptoms while preventing them from returning among children ages 6 to 10.
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Long recognized as a disease that largely afflicts the residents of the world’s wealthier nations, Cambridge scientists are now advocating additional research into the little understood links between environmental pollution and type 2 diabetes.
PS: TreeHugger has been nominated for two Bloggy Awards—Best Topical Weblog and Best Group Weblog. Please vote for us now! (Hint: To find us, scroll toward the bottom of the page.)...
With all of the focus on China
exporting toxic materials to the rest of the world, it’s often lost in the media-frenzy how damaging some of the products being shipped back to China for recycling are for the people charged with breaking down the materials for recycling into something else for sale in a first-world store.
In fact, a recent report in the British Telegraph highlights the problem in one town in China which has become a virtual graveyard for all those unwanted Christmas gifts of season’s past. Perhaps not surprisingly the effects on the villagers and their children have been enormous, with 82% of children testing positive for clinical lead poisoning in recent testing.
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In a study done recently, researchers found that
the number of incidents of testicular cancer among first generation immigrants to the nation of Denmark was much lower than that among native males.
And although there is no consensus as to what specifically is causing the variations in the rates of this cancer from nation to nation and thus the cancer itself, it’s quite possible that the results of this study can help researchers pinpoint it’s root cause by focusing future research on the environmental factors to which young male citizens of Denmark are exposed more frequently than their counterparts in other areas of the world.
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We featured
plants that improve indoor air quality before but these modern looking objects, designed by Parisian designer
Mathieu Lehanneur, take air-filtering a step further. Bel-Air is ‘a domestic spacecraft’ whose live plant absorb the toxic compounds in the air. Dirty air is sucked in, filtered by the plant and out comes purified air. ...
With all of the concern over lead in toys, and the international attention that’s been focused on it, the folks at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Foundation have been quietly testing toys for asbestos. And, intriguingly, they’ve found it in a variety of products including the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit and two brands of play clay including Art Skills’ Clay Bucket; along with home products such as cleanser, roof sealers and duct tape.
The CSI Fingerprinting Kit has a collection of plastic tools and three types of powders, two of which had high levels of asbestos, which is especially concerning because kids will be touching the powder as they search for fingerprints.
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We first reported on this Magic Soapbox in June
June. The film was a great blend of loving a family for who they are and who they aren’t. Now the film is available on DVD so we thought we’d check in with Sara to see how things are going and if we can expect any new updates on the dvd....
Coal is dirty. In late October of 1948 a temperature inversion occurred over the towns of Donora and Webster, Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River. The odd inverse of hot and cold air trapped the coal smoke and pollution billowing from a zinc smelter and a steel mill. The
thick pollution nestled into the towns and resulted in the deaths of about two dozen people. The shocking toxicity eventually inspired federal air pollution legislation in the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, coal is still polluting Pennsylvania. Mercury and selenium are well known pollutants emitted through the burning of coal for power generation. A
study conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health now sheds light on how dangerous levels of mercury and selenium are winding up in the fish downwind of coal plants. ...
Ralph Lauren recently launched a line of organic cotton bedding and towels they're calling
LaurenSpa, marking the first time we've seen the ubiquitous designer incorporate green into its products. Though certainly meaningful, it brings up a lot of the issues inherent in any big mainstream company going green, so we sat down both sides of the argument to duke it out. It's Point/Counterpoint time!
Point: It's great to see a label like Ralph Lauren finally embracing the green movement by making extensive use of
organic cotton.
Counterpoint: Okay, but if they really cared about "going green," they would have begun using environmentally-preferable materials a long time ago. Even Nike has been blending organic cotton into their garments for over a decade....
5 -- the number of pounds of cosmetics (well, 4 pounds 6 ounces) women who use make-up every day can absorb through their skin, over the period of one year, according to Richard Bence, a British biochemist, as reported in the
Telegraph newspaper.
"We really need to start questioning the products we are putting on our skin and not just assume that the chemicals in them are safe. We have no idea what these chemicals do when they are mixed together, the effect could be much greater than the sum of the individual parts," according to Bence. "If lipstick gets into your mouth it is broken down by the enzymes in saliva and in the stomach. But chemicals get straight into your bloodstream, there is no protection."
20 -- the number of different cosmetics some women use every day. Are you going to take the chance that some of those
contain lead? Learn more about avoiding toxics in our guide to
How to Green Your Women's Personal Care....
A recent study released by the UN shows that at least half of the 328 children tested while living near Dandora, one of Africa’s largest dumps, currently have levels of lead in their bodies exceeding international limits. And that’s not to mention the fact that it’s also polluting the nearby city of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital in the process. Of course, you might not get the chance to read that as front page news too often, as the very real problem of lead in toys has taken on a life of it’s own in American media, almost to the exclusion of dealing with the problem it poses to children and adults across the globe.
Though that reality probably wouldn’t have surprised legendary economist and thinker Adam Smith one bit, as he once observed of the general sentiments of humanity, “If he was to lose his little finger tomorrow, he would not sleep tonight; but, provided he never saw them, he will snore with the most profound security over the ruin of a hundred millions…”
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Arm & Hammer has developed a dye- and fragrance-free version of its Essentials Liquid Laundry detergent for people with sensitive skin. Made from naturally derived surfactants and biodegradable plant-based soaps, the dermatologist-tested detergent also contains no phosphates, bleaches, or petroleum-based cleaners.
This new formulation is more concentrated, which means more value for money and less packaging for the same amount of product.
You can also get Arm & Hammer's Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets that are made from 100 percent plant-based soaps, although we recommend skipping the disposables and making your own. Simply mist a moist washcloth with a dab of liquid fabric softener and toss into the dryer. Adding half a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle is also said to do the trick.
::Arm & Hammer...
TreeHugger tries to remain vigilant in our efforts to turn our readers on to greener sex tips, and we've found more than a few ways to get down without dirtying the planet (and yourself, for that matter), from
buying green sex toys to
recycling them when the good vibe has gone bad. As any good car mechanic will tell you, keeping the moving parts well lubricated is a key to continued smooth operation; with that in mind, we present the products from
Yes. Completely free of parabens, glycerin, hormones, silicones and petroleum products, they offer both water and (plant) oil-based lubricants designed to "change your world from the inside." In addition to the list of nasties the products
don't contain, there is one that we're pleased to see: the big O, as in organic ingredients. But don't take our word for it; check out the
"yestimonials" to see if the name of the product inspires you to say the same, and be sure to swing through
How to Green Your Sex Life and
How to Green Your Personal Care for more details on staying green between the sheets.
::Yes via
::NotCot.org...
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1) New forums user throughware (welcome!) ponders, "I recently joined and was shocked that there were a lot of topics about not using disposable diapers, but nothing so far about not using disposable feminine products. Just curious as to why I haven't been able to find anything on the forums about these types of products, because they DO exist." While this is news to some and not to others, an interesting side discussion takes off about the dichotomy between disposable diapers and feminine products.
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2) User exformation (another new user -- thanks for stopping in!) has an interesting idea: a click-to-donate website for global warming. "I imagined this would work would by generating ad revenue, then purchasing carbon offsets or other beneficial carbon reducing ventures. I believe the most important part about this is not just to donate to help solve this problem, but to encourage more active, positive action. Because I believe this flurry of activity right now will cause an avalanche of support for this cause soon and we are starting to see that happen. What I'm hoping for is the proverbial 'tipping point'." Who would be willing to click once a day?
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3) Forums user snwbrder0721 points to a recent op-ed about the health benefits of organic milk over conventional milk...or the lack of health benefits, according to the article. "Try as they may, proponents of organic foods have not been able to produce evidence that the food produced by conventional farms is anything but safe." Hmm. One forums user has found a way around the debate: home-produced breast milk. The perfect green company and leaf burning: yay or nay, after the jump...
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It is called the 'precautionary principle'. If a mountain lion is stalking outside your home and looks hungry, the best thing to do is not go outside and act like a nice juicy meal. No, you stay away, and try to think of how to get it to leave. This makes sense. But somehow when those lions turn into chemicals (like
BPA) the U.S. seems not to apply the same rules. The book,
Exposed - The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products: What's at Stake for American Power, by Mark Schapiro highlights the growing gap between U.S. policy regarding chemical safety and that of the rest of the world. It gives a 'behind the scenes' look into how the U.S. has lost the edge in environmental policy, and illustrates clearly how this lack of governmental leadership will negatively impact our economy as well as our personal safety....
Who is Fred Butler? And what does he/she have to do with your laundry? "
Fred Butler®" is the registered trademark and penguin mascot of a new dry-cleaning product-service which is the brainchild of German industrial gas giant, Linde. Linde's concept augers change and causes journalists at the
Oakland Tribune to ponder the end of friendly and personalized corner laundry service amidst reports that the Europeans are moving in to take over the American dry-cleaning industry. What is behind the buzz?
Dry-cleaning is a dirty business. The current dry-cleaning solvent, perchloroethylene, was heralded as a huge advance when it was introduced to replace the explosion-susceptible flammable solvents which preceded it. For decades, this chlorinated hydrocarbon has efficiently removed the greasiest burger drips and stickiest splashes for customers concerned about their fine textiles. But the solvent is a danger to groundwater and suspected of causing serious health damage--at least among workers at dry-cleaning shops. Bans on the solvent are progressively forcing dry-cleaners to look for alternatives.
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In what is perhaps a first, TreeHugger sees eye-to-eye with the
New York Post. And of all things, we're in agreement about sex. Specifically, the
toys that are sometimes used during sexy time. Rather than kicking off its stock sensationalist reportage seemingly having hired some down-and-out Hollywood screenwriter to scribe a screaming headline the likes of "KISS YOUR ASTEROID GOODBYE!," "AXIS OF WEASEL," or "HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR," The Post instead gives shockingly good head-on-its-shoulders accounting of the problems and solutions concerning toxic phthalates in unregulated sex toys. The erstwhile tabloid's first smart move was talking with our old friends at
Babeland who advise sex toy shoppers to do what folks in the above video do: "smell the vibrator... If it’s greasy or smells funny, it’s probably got phthalates in it."...
Vinegar is a pretty versatile substance. Basically just acetic acid, it can be used to replace many commercial cleaning products which can be harmful to the environment. Our guide to
greening your cleaning says, "most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications.". Also, if you're like me, some cleaning products can give you a bit of a headache after use, which shouldn't happen with vinegar. Another benefit is cost - some cleaning products are very expensive, but vinegar can be bought quite cheaply....
Companies have often gone to great lengths to exploit widely held consumer beliefs, however misguided, and translate them into higher profit margins. In recent years, we have seen efforts by firms operating in a variety of industries, ranging from the food industry (see latest non-fat/vitamin enriched/sugar-free/etc fad) to the cookware industry (see a recent post on the Teflon pan/PFOA exposure myth
here), to capitalize on some of these misperceptions by airing and marketing them.
One such misperception that has managed to persist in the public domain over the last few years is the perceived carcinogenic risk posed by sodium lauryl sulfate, a chemical commonly found in beauty care products. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, including an article published by the American Cancer Society definitively positing
no link between SLS and cancer, this urban legend
remains ingrained in many consumers' minds. We decided to go on our own little fact-finding expedition to get to the bottom of this widely-held myth....
Here's a filter you might want to wear whether or not you're breathing urban air. Designed by
Carl Hagerling,
Claes Nellestam and
Martin Pråme, this minimal gray scarf is lined with a flexible carbon filter that cleans all you inhale. It's also equipped with an air quality sensor that let's you know when to scarf up. Although personal-protection-turned-fashion is sad comment on the air quality of cities, this could also be a great way to prevent the spread of colds during the winter. ...
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the
if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
Just when you thought you’d heard it all, it turns out the EPA is finally getting around to keeping rat poison out of the hands of children.
Back in the day, cribs were made of metal and babies got lots of fresh air and sunshine. Now, most kids get put in shiny new cribs from Wal-Mart or Babies R Us, and guess what; they are made from particle board and are full of formaldehyde. Environment California found a half dozen products – out of 21 nursery furnishings it tested – emitted formaldehyde at levels high enough to trigger allergy and asthma attacks in children.. The regulators are all over cribs for safety, space between bars and little pieces, but not a word about formaldehyde; it is not even checked. 
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