10 Easy Ways To Lower Toxic Consumption During Pregnancy

A study was recently done by the Environmental Working Group on umbilical cord blood. In a study group of 10 infants, researchers from 2 laboratories found 287 different chemicals and toxins were found in the cord blood.  This came to an average of 200 chemicals per baby.
And they only tested for 413 toxins out of the thousands that are out there.

Of the chemicals found in umbilical cord blood

• 28 were waste by-products
• 47 were from consumer products (teflon, stain repellents, etc.)
• 212 different industrial chemicals and pesticides that were banned over 30 years ago!
• Check out the video where Ken Cook from the EWG explains what all this means. (it’s about 20 minutes long)

With all that scary info, how do we protect the babies we carry, along with protecting our own bodies?

10 Easy Ways To Lower Toxic Consumption During Pregnancy

1. Use Natural cleaners in your home. Ever wonder why conventional products don’t list all the ingredients? We probably wouldn’t buy them if we saw them! Conventional cleaners can contain many different chemicals, scents, and even formaldehyde. 
2. Dust and Vacuum your home often. Toxins from the air actually get trapped in the dust, which then lands on your furniture, etc. So try and vacuum and dust once a week and don’t forget to clean off the return air vents and baseboards!
3. Use a BPA free water bottle. BPA (Bisphenol-A) is an endocrine (hormone) disruptor and can effect not only your hormones, but those of your baby. With a developing reproductive system, this can be quite detrimental. Use real glasses at home and if you need a water bottle for when you’re out and about, try something like Klean Kanteen stainless steel bottles.
4. Don’t use teflon pans. Within just a few minutes of heating, it can get hot enough to emit toxic gases. And if you’re like me, you use them until they are so scratched there isn’t any Teflon left! But throw any scratched pans away! If the gases are toxic I can’t imagine how bad it is to actually eat it! Try to replace them with stainless steel or cast iron pans.
5. Be careful with all plastics. Especially for food storage. BPA, Phthalates, and PVC in plastics can degrade and enter into your food. Fatty foods quicken this process and absorb more. Try replacing your Tupperware with glass storage containers. If you must use plastic, make sure foods are cooled before placing them in the container and never reheat the food in the plastic.
6. Use natural skin care products. Your skin is actually your largest organ and absorbs much of what we place on it. Conventional products are loaded with phthalates, dyes, perfumes, and chemicals. Alternatives are available. 
7. Use plants to filter your air. Our indoor air quality seems to get worse as the years go by. Our homes are full of cabinets that have formaldehyde in them, we use glue that emits toxins for our flooring and now a days PVC seems to be everywhere from windows to shower curtains. While we all can’t afford to “green” our houses completely, we can “green” them up with some plants. Houseplants can actually help remove toxins like ammonia, formaldehyde, and even benzene. The top five listed by Treehugger.com include peace lily, (although this plant may be mildly toxic when ingested -so a no-no around pets and babies!) bamboo palm, English ivy (supposed to be the best at removing formeldahyde, though I don’t know how to plant ivy inside!), mums, and Gerbera daisies. Other plants I have heard work well are aloe vera, spider plants, and Chinese evergreen. So put some plants around your house – especially in the bedrooms where you spend so much of your time!
8. Buy organic food whenever possible. Especially fruits and vegetables that are regularly sprayed with pesticides. Pesticides work by either attacking a bugs nervous system or the reproductive system. Do you really want to subject your baby to even a small amount of these toxins? Organic foods are expensive, so when you need to make the choice between organic or conventional when you’re shopping, try to at least buy organic foods that have thin peels (apples, peaches, strawberries, etc.) and buy things like oranges and bananas (with thick skins) conventionally. Check out this HGM article on 10 produce items you’re better off buying organic.
9. Stay away from smokers and smoke-y businesses. What you breath, your baby breaths too! Do your best to stay away from cigarette smoke as it is filled with multiple toxins. These toxins can affect babies developing nervous system as well as set them up for a greater risk of allergies as they grow up.
10. Exercise. How does this help with the toxic load your body carries? Well, toxins are stored in fat cells. So the more fat cells you have, the more toxins you carry as well. Now exercise during pregnancy isn’t always an easy thing, but try going for a walk once in awhile and make sure you’re eating good, whole foods and not junk food, so as not to add on extra “fat weight” but good healthy baby weight.

Decreasing our toxic load may take just a bit more time and thought, but it’s so very worth it in the long run!

Sexy For Her; Poisonous For Baby (& Her)

Your perfume, shower gel or deodorant could contain chemicals that disrupt hormones, affect immune or nervous systems, or trigger cancer, allergies or other health problems. And not only that, but the chemicals we wash down the drain in our daily ablutions pollute the environment and harm wildlife.

Such is the grim news from the Women’s Environmental Network who have just launched a campaign to end the cosmetics cover up. The campaign aims to empower women to take action and lobby for safer cosmetics and toiletries.

The concern is that women are being exposed to tiny doses of chemicals that can build up in the body. The long-term effects of such exposure are unknown. Chemicals to watch out for include:

Phthalates – found in hair sprays, perfume, nail polishes and some plastics
Parabens – used as preservatives in moisturisers and deodorants
Triclosan – an antibacterial used in deodorants, toothpaste and liquid soaps
Toluene – used in lacquers and nail varnish

Research published a couple of years ago in the USA found that people were being exposed to much higher levels of phthalates than anticipated. Cosmetics were thought to be the missing source. Phthalates have oestrogenic properties and, at high doses, damage male reproductive tissues and cause deformities in developing embryos. Recent research in the USA found phthalates in 52 of the 72 beauty products tested, including all 17 of the perfumes.

Meanwhile another US report looks at the cumulative exposure to phthalates from cosmetics, breast milk, soft PVC toys and even in indoor air because of leaching from PVC products. One source highlighted was PVC medical equipment – tubes, IV bags and blood bags. Many of these products are used in the care of premature babies and so deliver a phthalate dose at the most vulnerable stage of development. The report calls for a phase out of the production and use of phthalates. The EU is trying to get the most toxic phthalate, DEHP, restricted but the chemical industry is delaying them.






A few simple GENERAL and easy ways to avoid many toxins:

• keep informed (you are reading this -- you are doing great in this area)
  
• always take shoes off in house (use house shoes or socks)
• filter your water  (even a Britta filter for drinking water is better than nothing!!)
  
• buy from a store that makes avoiding toxic chemicals easier (we have found one).
  

We have made a simple decision to shop at a store that uses NO harmful chemicals in their products. It is VERY affordable, too.  We like it so much we always tell others (it turns out - that is the ONLY way they advetise)
If you want more info on this subject I'd be glad to give it to you.
peggycortez@yahoo.com

Contact WEN for how to get involved in the Cosmetics Cover Up campaign by ringing 020 7481 9004 or visit http://www.wen.org.uk/Contact Health Care Without Harm at http://www.noharm.org/ or ring 01759 368286 for more details about the US research. http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/magazine/news/newsarchive.htm