Smell ya lata, Triclosan

Big news this week...that sleeping giant the FDA is finally lumbering closer to a decision that would reduce the use of triclosan -- which most commonly appears in hand soap and some toothpaste but also in many products carrying the Microban label. 

Tons of coverage from all the major news outlets, because there's just so much great drama to be had here. Chemical danger lurking in your bathroom! Industry shakeups! The FDA's official announcement is here; NBCnews.com's story here, the New York Times' coverage is here, and even Forbes weighed in here.

Echoing the growing sentiment among scientists, physicians and environmentalists that triclosan does more harm than good, the FDA on Monday proposed a new rule that gives manufacturers the burden of proof to show that triclosan and its antibacterial cousins are safe and effective.

It's an interesting plan. Instead of saying one way or another whether or not antibacterial chemicals should be appearing in the vast majority of everyday household products, the government is instead taking the stance of being a big pain in the a$$ to manufacturers. If the rule passes -- some time in 2016 -- the FDA still will not actually be regulating the chemical. Companies which cannot over the course of the next year provide data proving safety and effectiveness of antibacterials will have to stop using the chemicals in their products.

Nothing comes off store shelves. No bans. Just a bunch of big, big corporations with their feathers ruffled because somebody's asked them to make safer products. By comparison, Canada has declared triclosan outright toxic. 'Nuff said.

The link for submitting public comments on the proposed rule is here. Note how difficult and convoluted they make for consumers to get involved. It may very well take all 180 days for me to figure out how to submit an actual comment.

I urge you to look through the news coverage, read up on the issue, and raise your voice. It's taken the FDA too many decades to act, but consumers can do what they do best -- make some noise -- every day.

Yours in cleaner living,
Jazzy

Happy Friday!

It's Friday! Holiday crunch time. I'm working on a couple product reviews, but they're taking a while because I want proper before/after photos and I'm a loser who can't manage to carve out the time I need to do it right.

In the meantime, I leave you with this look at the toxics lurking in your holiday decorations. Read it first, THEN decide how much you hate me. And for the record, it's not easy, being this much of a Scrooge. But I do it with love.

Happy weekend,
Jazzy

Thank you, universe

Sometimes the universe brings you gifts that are just too good, you know?

Gisele Bundchen showed up in my FB news feed twice yesterday. This photo was one of them:

Post by Gisele Bündchen.

Where to begin...there's a lot to hate on here, since the whole thing reeks of privilege and narcissism. I'm not going to help matters, but what I'm concerned with has nothing to do with Gisele's perfect hair, flawless beauty or impossible figure.

It has to do with the baby.

If memory serves, that's baby Vivian. How old is she now? It looks like she might be nursing, but we don't know for sure. Doesn't matter. What does matter is that this baby has been caught in the middle of a very, very toxic publicity stunt, literally at the hands of her mother.

Maybe the aesthetician isn't really painting Gisele's nails. Maybe the hair stylists had already done Gisele's hair, and the whole thing is just a staged look at how the mega rich multitask (the lighting is what's tipping me off, plus the fact that there just happened to be a photographer hanging around with the beauty squad). But the message behind the imagery doesn't change, does it? 

Mrs. Brady got a lot of praise and support in the comments attached to the photo. I didn't read all 3,000+ comments, but for the sake of the argument let's guess that the point of this photo is to show how hands-on she is as a parent, how she doesn't let her globe trotting life/career interfere with parenting. Ok. But you want me to believe that someone with the resources to have a 'beauty squad' doesn't also have the resources to know what the chemicals in nail polish and hair products are doing to her infant?

Did we not just yesterday visit a pretty thorough piece about the effects of common household chemicals on the neurodevelopment of children? Click here to see it again.

Whether you agree or not, a photo like this has far-reaching implications. Just skim through the comments to see for yourself. Many, many women thanking Gisele for being not just a model, but a role model. Folks would be singing a very different tune (and bearing torches and pitchforks) if there was a cigarette somewhere in that scene. But no one seems to mind that little Viv has no choice but to breath in all the nasty fumes from the nail and hair products that the beauty squad is yielding. Last time I checked, that wasn't good parenting.

-- Jazzy 

Going straight to your head

Who remembers this one?

I've totally dated myself there, haven't I? No matter. It was a compelling public service announcement back then (poor grammar aside), and it still is today.

This is drugs.
This is your brain on drugs.
Any questions?

But this post isn't about drugs. Or maybe it is? Over the weekend Mother Jones ran this piece, originally published before Thanksgiving at OnEarth, that explores the link between environmental pollutants, toxins and the such and pediatric neurological development. 

The short of it is that a physician at Columbia and her team of researchers have found higher levels of neuro disabilities in children with higher exposures to a number of commonly-used chemicals. These range from pesticides, flame retardants, the chemicals in exhaust fumes, and more.

Dr. Federica Perera has been spearheading the 'Mothers and Children Study' which has followed the lives and health of hundreds of women and their children since 1998. The prospective study provides an invaluable amount of hard data regarding how chemicals cross the placenta, once thought to be nearly impenetrable, and what they then do to fetal development.

I'm not going to comb through every finer point of the article; you can read it yourself to see how researchers are seeing correlations between exposures and developmental problems like lower IQ scores, behavior issues and what the author calls neurodevelopment disabilities (ADHD, etc).

What I like about the piece is the growing momentum for the science behind the ideas. Industry is doing their best to refute studies and research claims, but at some point consumers will see it for what it is: smoke and mirrors. Who do you trust, the pediatrician who treats your child or the company that puts profit ahead of public health?

Look, I'm not trying to ruin your Tuesday. But this sh*t is real.

"Although levels of PBDEs (flame retardants) are now dropping in pregnant women, Americans still have the highest levels tested anywhere in the world. Flammability standards enacted in California in the 1970s resulted in the addition of PBDEs to everything from electronics to home furnishings nationwide. Unfortunately, the molecules easily migrate, accumulating in blood and breast milk and persisting for years."

Read the article. Think about what your brain, your kids brains, look like from just everyday living. Maybe they're not getting fried, but is a slow poaching any better? The end result is the same, no? 

I know what I'm NOT having for lunch.
-- Jazzy

Sales Flash

Not to be confused with 'flash sale', that thing where retailers have a sale that lasts just a few hours, driving demand by limiting customers' opportunity for a discount.

No, this is just a good old fashioned promotion, but a good one that I had to share. Last month I wrote a post about nail polish, and through my subsequent research read a lot about Zoya. The brand is quickly becoming one of the best-known "Five Free" lines, along with SpaRitual, meaning the lacquers do not contain the uber toxic ingredients of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, and camphor.

So lucky us; Ulta is running a Buy-2-get-1-free promotion on Zoya and SpaRitual polish. Fist pump!

My local Ulta had a great selection on colors, including the current holiday shades. I picked up three bottles of Zoya polish: Erikka, a light shimmery pink; Sarah, a glittery cranberry red; and Payton, a deep glittery purple. I can't wait to try one (or all) of these out, and you know that means a product review won't be far behind!

I've always loved the clever and witty names that OPI gives its colors, but now that I know about all those chemicals I'm so breaking up with salon brands. You can, too, if you get butt over to your nearest Ulta. Grab up some colors to go with all those great holiday outfits you'll be rocking in the next few weeks, or give them out as stocking stuffers.

-- Jazzy

Nasopharyngitis

The common cold. There's irony in the street name of a virus that changes every time it infects a new host, but it's 4 am and I'm too congested/tired to form any type of witty quip about it.

In any event, that's what kept me away from SMACK! last week. Hardly an excuse, but the last time I was sick I ended up with pneumonia and a cancer diagnosis. Yikes. You are all champs for understanding that sometimes there's just not enough left after dragging yourself through the day.

So this is me acknowledging my deadbeat stature, thanking you (again) for being patient and awesome, and trying to get back into the swing of things. Posts might be spotty this week, but at least you'll hear from me! And who knows, maybe I'll actually get the upper hand on this thing and get a decent night's sleep...

In sickness and -- hopefully, soon -- health,

Jazzy

Back to it

How was your Thanksgiving holiday? We had a really nice day, great company, delicious food. I avoided retail as best I could, running out only for toilet paper and a last-minute gift for the in-laws. 

It was a slow weekend. Did you watch Toxic Hot Seat? Let me know your thoughts. Me, I'm squashing the urge to ditch all the toxic comforts of modern living. Seriously, if I could find a cave somewhere that had wi-fi, I'd be all over it.

I did find this great piece over at HuffPo Canada, dispelling some of the shadier claims about 'natural' bath and personal care products marketed to babies and children. My favorite are the ones that boast "98% natural ingredients." Great, really. But it's the other 2% that I'm concerned about. The ingredients that AREN'T naturally derived (and even the ones that are can be suspect). 

Read the piece, share it on your Twitter or FB feed, spread the word to your friends that they need to PAY ATTENTION to labels, marketing claims and ingredients. It's basically meaningless to call something 'natural' or even 'organic' since many natural compounds can be harmful in their own ways. And, to quote the esteemed Alistair Moody, "Stay vigilant!"

Happy Monday,
-- Jazzy