I have long believed that there are so many chemicals in our environment that affect our health and that of our families and loved ones. I wanted to start a topic that would allow for discussion, an exchange of ideas and suggestions that we can share to help minimize these toxins in our world. With the introduction of synthetic materials into our world, plastic, nylon, latex, etc.; with the fact that we have sealed our houses to cut down on heating and airconditioning bills; we spend our days in offices where the windows don't open and we have computers and printers and copy machines...we have seen a rise in the incidence of cancer, MS and other illnesses. These are all situations that have come about in the last 20-30 years, so in our lifetimes.
This is a huge area of controversy in today's times, just as global warming is. I can't imagine that with the amount of pollution the inhabitants of the earth create that anyone can believe that it doesn't impact the atmosphere and our planet. Perhpas what can be argued is to what extent, but there has to be an impact.
Most of the food you purchase in the grocery store is packaged in plastic and we live in homes painted with latex paint, carpeted in nylon or synthetic carpeting. The level of external estrogens imposed on our bodies daily is amazing when you think of it...and we question how the "average" age of the first onsent of menstruation in girls today is NINE!! And I see 18 year olds that have bigger bustlines than I do at 52!! And that over 60% of the women over 40 have uterine fibroids.
So perhaps here in this forum we can exchange ideas and offer support to one another to help clean up our home, our environment and perhaps our health in the process.
Dearest was kind enough to approve my posting this link which is to a blog that a woman wrote about her year trying to rid her life of plastic. I found it very interesting to read....
http://www.changeeverything.ca/blog/leslie_annd
Full Version: The Environment and Our Health
Luv
Hi, good topic. When I started recycling I was surprised at the amount of plastics we as a family of four use each week. Our 'Green Bin' is full and then some. It seems that some of our UK recycling is shipped around the world dumped in huge sites for poverty stricken people to sift through in an attempt to earn money. There was a story here quite recently about a man who put a letter in to his recycling bin in the south of England and it was discovered in China. I think I feel a letter coming on to my MP to find out what happens to recycling in this area.
So I am very interested in to know how envirowoman's recycling bin looks the way it does compared to mine and will be doing some reading on her site.
I did read the bit where she said people think she is 'eco nouveau'. I remember only a few years ago when people who said they ate organic food were consider different. The UK organic food market has grown significantly in recent years. Hopefully as demand continues to increase costs will reduce so that more people can afford more products.
robin
Hi, good topic. When I started recycling I was surprised at the amount of plastics we as a family of four use each week. Our 'Green Bin' is full and then some. It seems that some of our UK recycling is shipped around the world dumped in huge sites for poverty stricken people to sift through in an attempt to earn money. There was a story here quite recently about a man who put a letter in to his recycling bin in the south of England and it was discovered in China. I think I feel a letter coming on to my MP to find out what happens to recycling in this area.
So I am very interested in to know how envirowoman's recycling bin looks the way it does compared to mine and will be doing some reading on her site.
I did read the bit where she said people think she is 'eco nouveau'. I remember only a few years ago when people who said they ate organic food were consider different. The UK organic food market has grown significantly in recent years. Hopefully as demand continues to increase costs will reduce so that more people can afford more products.
robin
Hi Luv,
Great topic, glad you've started it - shall be reading and posting!
Have a great weekend, meno-buddies!
Hugs, Jonie
Great topic, glad you've started it - shall be reading and posting!
Have a great weekend, meno-buddies!
Hugs, Jonie
This is a topic that concerns me too and I'm really glad you started the thread -
We are exposed to so many xenoestrogens, like the xenoestrogens found in synthetic materials and the hormones that farmers use to fatten up their animals ..... it really is scary and has all kinds of consequences for our health. The food industry are worse than the tobacco companies - they mislead the poor public in so many ways ... one being that if you buy something that states its low in fat, its usually laden with sugar but they dont tell you that do they... Sorry, I've kind of deviated from the topic
Cant wait to read more on this one -
Gez~
We are exposed to so many xenoestrogens, like the xenoestrogens found in synthetic materials and the hormones that farmers use to fatten up their animals ..... it really is scary and has all kinds of consequences for our health. The food industry are worse than the tobacco companies - they mislead the poor public in so many ways ... one being that if you buy something that states its low in fat, its usually laden with sugar but they dont tell you that do they... Sorry, I've kind of deviated from the topic
Cant wait to read more on this one -Gez~
What a great topic...I remember a cartoon I saw in a newspaper a while ago. The first panel showed a guy in 1960, holding up a food container and proudly exclaiming "Wow, Plastic lasts FOREVER!!"....then fast forward to 2007; a guy standing in a huge landfill, surrounded by millions of plastic bottles and sadly commenting "Wow...plastic lasts FOREVER."
I think a great deal of cancers are caused by environmental toxins. I also think that some office buildings contribute to the ill health of their workers. My mother worked in a bank for 20 years. In one year, 6 women ON THE SAME FLOOR developed breast cancer. Coincidence? It got reported to the CDC...but they never heard back. They're called 'cancer clusters' and they can occur in towns, neighborhoods, or structures. (Think Erin Brockovich.)
So what am I doing about it? Hmmm, probably not enough. I try to buy organic food, but the harsh reality of it is that it is much more expensive than the non-organic stuff. We've switched to organic eggs, but I confess I still buy regular poultry and beef, and I know that farmers load their animals up with hormones to plump them up (has anyone looked at the size of chicken breasts in the grocery store these days---they're HUGE---the poor chicken!)
I've always got the windows in my house open..even when it's freezing outside. New furniture and rugs have all been treated, sometimes with formaldehyde, to preserve the fibers. When I had my bathroom remodeled a year ago, the smell of chemicals used to install the tube, the caulking, etc, was so pervasive I wondered if it was harmful to me.
One more thing: back when I used to jog every day...(before meno hit, and my joints gave out), I couldn't believe how much car exhaust I would breathe in during one simple 5K run. I'm just glad I don't live in a big city where smog is a problem.
Okay, that's my 2 cents for now...eager to hear what others have to say...
I think a great deal of cancers are caused by environmental toxins. I also think that some office buildings contribute to the ill health of their workers. My mother worked in a bank for 20 years. In one year, 6 women ON THE SAME FLOOR developed breast cancer. Coincidence? It got reported to the CDC...but they never heard back. They're called 'cancer clusters' and they can occur in towns, neighborhoods, or structures. (Think Erin Brockovich.)
So what am I doing about it? Hmmm, probably not enough. I try to buy organic food, but the harsh reality of it is that it is much more expensive than the non-organic stuff. We've switched to organic eggs, but I confess I still buy regular poultry and beef, and I know that farmers load their animals up with hormones to plump them up (has anyone looked at the size of chicken breasts in the grocery store these days---they're HUGE---the poor chicken!)
I've always got the windows in my house open..even when it's freezing outside. New furniture and rugs have all been treated, sometimes with formaldehyde, to preserve the fibers. When I had my bathroom remodeled a year ago, the smell of chemicals used to install the tube, the caulking, etc, was so pervasive I wondered if it was harmful to me.
One more thing: back when I used to jog every day...(before meno hit, and my joints gave out), I couldn't believe how much car exhaust I would breathe in during one simple 5K run. I'm just glad I don't live in a big city where smog is a problem.
Okay, that's my 2 cents for now...eager to hear what others have to say...
Good topic - I agree.
One step I take to eliminate plastic in my family's life is to buy filtered water by the gallon at my local natural food coop. I purchased 6 glass one gallon jugs, very nice ones, about a year ago. We take them once ot twice a week to the store to refill them for 25¢ per gallon. The store has a special filter installed in the water line serving a small stainless steel sink dedicated to this function.
I use a 16 oz glass bottle that some kind of drink (Sobe) came in to carry water around for drinking when I am out and about. I just keep refilling it from the one gallon jugs. No plastic exposure and no plastic waste. We in america - and I presume in many other countries - are generating mountains of plastic bottles from all the bottled water being consumed. While recycling is better than tossing, not using plastic in the first place is even better.
We have four reusable shopping bags. When I buy fruit and veggies, whether at a grocery store or farmer's market, I always buy them loose and never place them in one of the plastic bags from the rolls typically mounted near the produce , even if the items have to be weighed. I just set all the apples or whatever on the scale, print out the label and stick it to one apple . This is all to both reduce exposure to plastic AND to reduce my family's impact on the planet. Resources are wasted in producing all this plastic which only gets tossed as soon as we unpack things at home - and so many of the plastic shopping bags in particular can be seen littering the edges of roads.
Paint is another item we can do something about. Just google "low VOC paint". I just did, and one site that came up, with lots of good info, was a site called ***
From that site (and it goes on to list and describe newer and alternative types of paints one can buy):
Indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air, and according to the EPA, is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health. Paints and finishes are among the leading causes.
Paints and finishes release low level toxic emissions into the air for years after application. The source of these toxins is a variey of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) which, until recently, were essential to the performance of the paint.
New environmental regulations, and consumer demand, have led to the development of low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes. Most paint manufacturers now produce one or more non-VOC variety of paint. These new paints are durable, cost-effective and less harmful to human and environmental health.
Anyway, my contribution to this topic for the day.
*** Administrator Note: Commercial website has been removed.
Please follow The Power Surge Message Board and Insta-Chat Guidelines
One step I take to eliminate plastic in my family's life is to buy filtered water by the gallon at my local natural food coop. I purchased 6 glass one gallon jugs, very nice ones, about a year ago. We take them once ot twice a week to the store to refill them for 25¢ per gallon. The store has a special filter installed in the water line serving a small stainless steel sink dedicated to this function.
I use a 16 oz glass bottle that some kind of drink (Sobe) came in to carry water around for drinking when I am out and about. I just keep refilling it from the one gallon jugs. No plastic exposure and no plastic waste. We in america - and I presume in many other countries - are generating mountains of plastic bottles from all the bottled water being consumed. While recycling is better than tossing, not using plastic in the first place is even better.
We have four reusable shopping bags. When I buy fruit and veggies, whether at a grocery store or farmer's market, I always buy them loose and never place them in one of the plastic bags from the rolls typically mounted near the produce , even if the items have to be weighed. I just set all the apples or whatever on the scale, print out the label and stick it to one apple . This is all to both reduce exposure to plastic AND to reduce my family's impact on the planet. Resources are wasted in producing all this plastic which only gets tossed as soon as we unpack things at home - and so many of the plastic shopping bags in particular can be seen littering the edges of roads.
Paint is another item we can do something about. Just google "low VOC paint". I just did, and one site that came up, with lots of good info, was a site called ***
From that site (and it goes on to list and describe newer and alternative types of paints one can buy):
Indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air, and according to the EPA, is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health. Paints and finishes are among the leading causes.
Paints and finishes release low level toxic emissions into the air for years after application. The source of these toxins is a variey of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) which, until recently, were essential to the performance of the paint.
New environmental regulations, and consumer demand, have led to the development of low-VOC and zero-VOC paints and finishes. Most paint manufacturers now produce one or more non-VOC variety of paint. These new paints are durable, cost-effective and less harmful to human and environmental health.
Anyway, my contribution to this topic for the day.
*** Administrator Note: Commercial website has been removed.
Please follow The Power Surge Message Board and Insta-Chat Guidelines
QUOTE (Gez @ Oct 20 2007, 06:49 AM) 
This is a topic that concerns me too and I'm really glad you started the thread -
We are exposed to so many xenoestrogens, like the xenoestrogens found in synthetic materials and the hormones that farmers use to fatten up their animals ..... it really is scary and has all kinds of consequences for our health. The food industry are worse than the tobacco companies - they mislead the poor public in so many ways ... one being that if you buy something that states its low in fat, its usually laden with sugar but they dont tell you that do they... Sorry, I've kind of deviated from the topic Cant wait to read more on this one -
Gez~
We are exposed to so many xenoestrogens, like the xenoestrogens found in synthetic materials and the hormones that farmers use to fatten up their animals ..... it really is scary and has all kinds of consequences for our health. The food industry are worse than the tobacco companies - they mislead the poor public in so many ways ... one being that if you buy something that states its low in fat, its usually laden with sugar but they dont tell you that do they... Sorry, I've kind of deviated from the topic
Cant wait to read more on this one -Gez~
Gez,
It's not a deviation....what they put in our food is part of the entire environmental health problem....so contribute on!!
Luv
WOW!! So many people have jumped on here, how excellent.
Terrible Toodle....
Send your web links to Dearest and ask her if it is okay to post them on this site. If she okay's it, you can come back and give them to us again.
On another thread, someone asked about storing food in plastic containers/bags. One of the things I recalled is that my mother used to use PYREX containers to store and even freeze in. Today you can buy PYREX bowls with plastic lids. While the lids may be plastic, as least your food isn't sitting in plastic containers. I also read that storing liquids in plastic is worse than storing solids because every surface of the container comes in contact with the food when you pour liquids in.
To store meats and such in the freezer, you could wrap them in butchers paper or wax paper and then put them in the plastic ziploc bag. At least that would keep your food from being in direct contact with the plastic. And I have started washing and reusing my ziploc bags to cut down on waste. I have been looking for substitutes on line. If I find anything I'll post it here.
Luv.
Terrible Toodle....
Send your web links to Dearest and ask her if it is okay to post them on this site. If she okay's it, you can come back and give them to us again.
On another thread, someone asked about storing food in plastic containers/bags. One of the things I recalled is that my mother used to use PYREX containers to store and even freeze in. Today you can buy PYREX bowls with plastic lids. While the lids may be plastic, as least your food isn't sitting in plastic containers. I also read that storing liquids in plastic is worse than storing solids because every surface of the container comes in contact with the food when you pour liquids in.
To store meats and such in the freezer, you could wrap them in butchers paper or wax paper and then put them in the plastic ziploc bag. At least that would keep your food from being in direct contact with the plastic. And I have started washing and reusing my ziploc bags to cut down on waste. I have been looking for substitutes on line. If I find anything I'll post it here.
Luv.
Ina ddition to glass bowls with plastic lids, pint and quart mason (canning) jars are good for storing things like leftover soup, as well as dry items like split peas, lentils.
as far as the deleted link, all anyone has to do is google "low VOC paint". The first site listed is the one i was quoting from above. It is not actually a commercial site - does not apperar to sell anything - but rather is dedicated to "ideas for sustainable living". The paint section is very interesting, with many ideas. I did not know milkpaint was still around.
Another way to keep toxic substances out of your life is to refrain from using pesticides and herbicides. We obsess - or some of us do, I sure don't - over perfect weed-free lawns, etc and freak out over insects. Learning to live and let live is good for the planet and good for one's spirit. I still remember reading somewhere "when did weeds become enemies". We go after them like they can actually harm us.
TT
as far as the deleted link, all anyone has to do is google "low VOC paint". The first site listed is the one i was quoting from above. It is not actually a commercial site - does not apperar to sell anything - but rather is dedicated to "ideas for sustainable living". The paint section is very interesting, with many ideas. I did not know milkpaint was still around.
Another way to keep toxic substances out of your life is to refrain from using pesticides and herbicides. We obsess - or some of us do, I sure don't - over perfect weed-free lawns, etc and freak out over insects. Learning to live and let live is good for the planet and good for one's spirit. I still remember reading somewhere "when did weeds become enemies". We go after them like they can actually harm us.
TT
Luv, I'm glad to see this thread is so busy. I knew it would be!
I've been thinking about this whole plastics issue so much over the past few months, and have read some of Envirowoman's blog. It's overwhelming to even begin to think of trying to eliminate plastics from our lives. While I knew that would be impossible, I'm finding it easy to make small changes here and there, and I know these changes have to help. I've begun to bookmark various website pages on the subject, and find it handy to refer to them.
I'm storing my homemade ice cream in one of those glass pyrex dishes with the plastic lid (thanks to your suggestion), and while it's a very heavy container in my freezer, it's working out very well. I have stashed many plastic containers in "the back room" for now, not wanting to throw them away; perhaps I'll give them to a thrift shop, swapping them for more suitable containers.
I recently bought a cotton shower curtain to replace my vinyl curtain, which is supposed to be one of the more dangerous plastics, polyvinyl. It's working out great.
Has anyone heard of an area in the South Pacific Ocean where a huge, swirling mass of plastic is known to exist? It's said to be the size of Texas and is there as a result of how the ocean currents flow in that area. Some people pooh-pooh the notion, but after understanding how huge our plastic habit is, I tend to believe this could be true.
Terribletoodle, I'm glad you brought up weeds and how they're thought of as our enemies. I call them wildflowers, and have made a hobby of identifying and photographing them. It's fun and interesting. I've been an organic gardener for 20 years, and though I live in farm country where pesticides and herbicides are used, my little oasis here is chemical-free... well, except for drift.
I've been thinking about this whole plastics issue so much over the past few months, and have read some of Envirowoman's blog. It's overwhelming to even begin to think of trying to eliminate plastics from our lives. While I knew that would be impossible, I'm finding it easy to make small changes here and there, and I know these changes have to help. I've begun to bookmark various website pages on the subject, and find it handy to refer to them.
I'm storing my homemade ice cream in one of those glass pyrex dishes with the plastic lid (thanks to your suggestion), and while it's a very heavy container in my freezer, it's working out very well. I have stashed many plastic containers in "the back room" for now, not wanting to throw them away; perhaps I'll give them to a thrift shop, swapping them for more suitable containers.
I recently bought a cotton shower curtain to replace my vinyl curtain, which is supposed to be one of the more dangerous plastics, polyvinyl. It's working out great.
Has anyone heard of an area in the South Pacific Ocean where a huge, swirling mass of plastic is known to exist? It's said to be the size of Texas and is there as a result of how the ocean currents flow in that area. Some people pooh-pooh the notion, but after understanding how huge our plastic habit is, I tend to believe this could be true.
Terribletoodle, I'm glad you brought up weeds and how they're thought of as our enemies. I call them wildflowers, and have made a hobby of identifying and photographing them. It's fun and interesting. I've been an organic gardener for 20 years, and though I live in farm country where pesticides and herbicides are used, my little oasis here is chemical-free... well, except for drift.
This is great stuff!
I found some information about trash bags made from corn. If you do a google search on compostable trash bags you will find places you can buy them from.
I liked the Mason Jar idea. I see where they also sell wide mouth jars and in 1/2 pint, pint, quart and even half gallon size. Like you Red, I'm not throwing my plastic containers away yet, but I am going to get myself some Mason jars and some Pyrex.
Nite all.
I found some information about trash bags made from corn. If you do a google search on compostable trash bags you will find places you can buy them from.
I liked the Mason Jar idea. I see where they also sell wide mouth jars and in 1/2 pint, pint, quart and even half gallon size. Like you Red, I'm not throwing my plastic containers away yet, but I am going to get myself some Mason jars and some Pyrex.
Nite all.
Hormones in the Water!!!!
So on the news last night they had a story on how 70% of the male fish caught in our local rivers contain the sex organs of both male and female fish. They attribute it to estrogen in the water. Estrogen coming from the urine of women on birth control pills and HRT as well as chemicals from manufacturing plans and landfills whose runoff eventually ends up in the rivers. Imagine that!!! While they claim that the water purification system does an excellent job of removing most of the estrogen I don't believe them. Got to find a water filter that now removes hormones from the water!! They recommended not eating any of the fish caught in these rivers....NO KIDDING!!!
So if the estrogen levels in our water are so high that male fish also have female sex traits...what are we doing to ourselves.
So on the news last night they had a story on how 70% of the male fish caught in our local rivers contain the sex organs of both male and female fish. They attribute it to estrogen in the water. Estrogen coming from the urine of women on birth control pills and HRT as well as chemicals from manufacturing plans and landfills whose runoff eventually ends up in the rivers. Imagine that!!! While they claim that the water purification system does an excellent job of removing most of the estrogen I don't believe them. Got to find a water filter that now removes hormones from the water!! They recommended not eating any of the fish caught in these rivers....NO KIDDING!!!
So if the estrogen levels in our water are so high that male fish also have female sex traits...what are we doing to ourselves.
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