Although I advocate homemade green cleaners, I do get that many people still won’t use them. There are time constraints for sure. Also, in some households, people refuse to take the time to learn how to mix and use homemade cleaners.

That’s okay. For years, my son and I lived alone. We made almost all our own green cleaners. Now I live with other people and homemade cleaners are more problematic, because everyone in the house needs to know how to mix and use them. I can’t force people to use homemade cleaners correctly. This is a longer story, for another time, but to cut to the chase, since I started living with others, we do buy more store-bought green cleaners. I’m not crazy about it, but I’m also not nuts about a filthy house.

In any case, there will always be folks who want to buy, not make household cleaners, so we should take a look at how to actually buy green and safe cleaners.

Image © Flickr User Zepfanman.com

The number one rule!

Ignore pretty packaging – Pretty waterfalls, little green leaf and flower designs or green colored bottles mean NOTHING. Companies will try to trick you into buying their “green” cleaner by using super awesome green looking packaging, but don’t fall for it.  You must read labels to be sure a product is green and safe.

Terms you DO want to see on cleaning product packaging include:

• Ammonia free
• Chlorine free
• Plant based
• Biodegradable
• Certified organic
• Solvent free
• Phosphate free
• Chemical free
• Fragrance free
• Dye and artificial color free

Obviously, read the entire label. Often, a cleaner will contain one certified organic ingredient or state that it’s fragrance free on the front, but one or two good claims does not a green product make. You need to look at the whole picture.

Image by greschoj via sxc.

Terms you DO NOT want to see on cleaning product packaging include:

• “Poison” or “Danger.” Federal law mandates that when a product displays these terms the product has the highest possible level of hazard.

• “Caution” or “Warning” according to law, means the product carries a moderate hazard.

• “Wear gloves when using” or “Only use in a well ventilated area” and other likewise terms are big bads. Honestly, this is common sense. If you must wear gloves to handle a cleaner, obviously there’s a big safety problem.

• No terms at all. If you can’t find ingredients listed on a package, skip it.

• Terms you can’t pronounce or easily understand. “Essential orange oil” or “Vinegar” or “Lemon juice” or “Baking soda” are things you know are mostly safe when used correctly. However, I’d be willing to bet you don’t know what terms like diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isopropanol or triethanolamine mean and you sure don’t know if they’re safe or not.

Look at the packging

Go a step further

• The Household Product Database
• Look at Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for products

Image © Franny-Anne

Consider homemade green cleaners

You can easily make homemade green cleaner. Bonus, making homemade cleaners can save you $1,600 in five years. If you need help getting started, check out the following:

• Homemade Green Cleaner Safety
• Homemade Green Kitchen Cleaners
• Homemade All-Purpose Cleaners & Safer Mold Cleaners
• Easy Homemade Organic Liquid Hand Soap
• Green and safe kitchen pantry homemade cleaners

I try to update both my Ultimate Green Dollhouse Guide and my Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide annually. This year though, I’m trying to cover all the safety issues parents are concerned about – read how to choose a safe and eco-friendly play kitchen set or dollhouse for more info.

Paint and other finishes are commonly used on play kitchens and dollhouses (not to mention other toys). Many are toxic, but there are some safer paints and finishes on the market.

Why are traditional paints and finishes dangerous?

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gases that are emitted by various synthetic materials (both liquids and solids), are found in abundance in traditional paints and finishes, with oil-based paints containing the most VOCs. Plenty of health issues can occur from VOC exposure. According to the EPA the following are issues…

“Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.”

VOCs are worse indoors than out, which is a major reason why you need to buy safer, low-VOC products if they’re used in your home. Research has found that indoor VOC levels average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoor levels. Shockingly, after immediate exposure to some activities, like paint stripping, levels in your house can be up to 1,000 times greater than outdoor levels.

You can also be exposed to VOCs even if you’re simply storing a product with high VOC levels, as some VOC products release fumes even if they’re just sitting around in your cupboard. See a list of VOC products.

Paints, lacquers and varnishes also contain solvents, monomers, softening agents, biocides and much more that are harmful during the manufacturing stage, during application and sometimes for the life of the product, not to mention disposing of such products. The EPA actually has paint on its top-five list of environmental hazards.

Are zero VOC and low VOC paints the same?

“Zero VOC” paint means paints that have < 5 g/L of VOC. “Low VOC” paint are paints with a wide range of VOCs from 50 g/L to as much as 250 g/L.

Are there downsides to safer paints and finishes?

Downsides of safer paints include cost (way more expensive) and they usually don’t coat as well, meaning many coats are needed or you’ll need to repaint more often.

Where can I find low-VOC paints? 

• Green Seal offers a list of low-VOC paints as does Indoor Advantage Gold.
• Yolo Colorhouse
• Milk Paint
• Green Planet Paints
• Mythic Paint

You can also make homemade beeswax finish for natural products.

I try to update both my Ultimate Green Dollhouse Guide and my Ultimate Eco-Friendly Play Kitchen Guide annually. This year though, I’m trying to cover all the safety issues parents are concerned about – read how to choose a safe and eco-friendly play kitchen set or dollhouse for more info.

One of the common materials used in play kitchens and dollhouses is plywood, or particleboard or MDF (names vary).

What’s the deal with plywood?:

Pressed wood products, such as hardwood plywood wall paneling, particleboard and fiberboard are used to make all sorts of product, such as home furnishings and toys like play kitchens and dollhouses. The problem with plywood is that it’s almost never ethically sourced and it contains formaldehyde. In plywood formaldehyde is present because it’s a main component of glues and adhesives used to hold these “wood” products together. According to the EPA, the worst sort of plywood is medium density fiberboard (MDF), because it contains a higher resin-to-wood ratio than any other pressed wood product. Most recognize MDF as being the highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.

Formaldehyde is linked to numerous health problems, such as watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and breathing difficulty. Research also shows that formaldehyde absolutely causes cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. In higher concentrations and via long-term exposure, formaldehyde is thought to be deadly according to some research.

Concentrations of formaldehyde are typically found to be several times greater indoors than outdoors because when you gather formaldehyde-emitting materials in a confined space they offgas in said space, allowing formaldehyde levels to become more concentrated.

Is plywood getting safer?:

On July 7, 2010, President Obama signed into law Senate Bill 1660, which established the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act (the “Act”). This Act amends the federal Toxic Substance Control Act and requires the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) to develop a new federal regulation by January 1, 2013, to implement provisions of the Act. So maybe plywood is getting safer. We’ll have to wait and see.

Is there any safer plywood now?:

According to the California Air Resources Board, there are safer and less safe plywood choices. They recommend that if you buy pressed wood products, you purchase the low-emitting products possible.

• Pressed wood products made with phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin or methylene diisocyanate (MDI) resin, emit much less formaldehyde than UF products.
• Choose UF pressed wood products that are sealed with non-toxic finishes that reduce formaldehyde emissions, such as eco-friendly paints or other water-resistant coating.
• If you purchase UF pressed wood products, look for the Composite Panel Association (CPA) or Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association (HPVA) stamps. These products meet certain safer formaldehyde emission standards.

Tricky plywood:

Other safer plywood tips:

E-waste has been on mind lately, mainly because I’ve been debating the issue of real books vs. digital readers. Since e-waste is a large part of the digital reader vs. book debate, we’ll should look at e-waste before we look at the pros and cons of digital readers vs. real paper-filled books.

Photo ©dreamjay via sxc.

What is e-waste?

E-waste is technology waste, comprised of waste created by cell phones, laptops, monitors, iPhones, e-readers and other electronics. Sadly, e-waste is considered to be one of the fastest growing waste issues in the United States and other countries.

What is eCycling?

Just like it sounds, eCycling is the recycling of electronics. As of right now, there are few significantly useful eCycling programs in place. Recycling electronics poses its own set of problems and some of this so called recycling actually involves shipping electronics away from the United States – not recycling them at all.

Some crazy facts about electronics in America:

Photo ©rolve via sxc.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) electronics are a booming business. Various statistics from CEA back this up, for example, they note:

• The consumer electronics industry was expected to exceed revenues of $174.9 billion in the United States last year and that’s a growing number. By then end of this year, CEA estimates electronic sales to be at an all-time high of more than $182 billion.
• During the holiday season 80% of consumers will purchase new electronics.
• American families own approximately 24 electronic products per household.

E-waste is bad for the planet: Our planet cannot sustain the huge amounts of e-waste each year, not in a healthy manner anyhow. E-waste includes plastics (and PVCs), chromium, lead, mercury, and other nasty items that can be dangerous for the earth. Cell phone, for example, seem small, but according to Earth 911, “Their exterior coatings are often made of lead, and their lithium-ion batteries can explode if exposed to high temperatures or direct sunlight, which are common conditions in landfills.” Toxic substances found in electronics can seep into the soil and air.

E-waste is bad for humans: Once electronics are tossed into landfills, the toxic substances found within them can leech out and exposure causes health problems for humans, such as lung cancer, brain swelling, muscle weakness, damage to the heart, liver and spleen, severe hormonal disorders and many more issues. According to Earth 911, recent studies out of the Zhejiang University in China shows that pollution from the processing of e-waste can cause DNA damage, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Earth 911 also points out that there are more than 30,000 full-time workers in the U.S.  working in the electronic recycling industry – and they’re exposed to the same health risks.

Improper e-waste is not private or safe: Improper recycling of e-waste allows your private information into the public. Once you enter info into a cell phone or hard drive, it’s there for anyone to access. Proper recycling techniques help keep your personal information private, tossing something into the trash does not.

Migrant child from Hunan province sits atop one of countless piles of unrecyclable computer waste imported from around the world. Guiyu, China. December 2001. ©2006 Basel Action Network (BAN)

A lot of e-waste recycling is totally unethical: Here in the U.S. we often deal with our problems by shafting them off on someone else. Many recycling programs and human minds in the USA are basically working on an, “Out of sight, out of mind” mentality vs. actual recycling mentality. The Basel Action Network (BAN) is an organization focused on confronting the global environmental injustice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade – meaning, they don’t think it’s okay to pass out toxic trash off to other countries. You should be appalled with the practice of dumping electronics as well – it’s one of the worst solutions to a problem ever. BAN estimates that maybe as much as 80% of U.S e-waste ends up on foreign shores.

Coming up we’ll be looking more into ethical electronic recycling, digital books vs. paper books and much more.

A new report released today by the Breast Cancer Fund shows that the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) was found in many canned foods marketed to children. Every single food sample researchers tested was positive for BPA, with Campbell’s Disney Princess and Toy Story soups testing the highest. So much for fantasy food.

The Breast Cancer Fund report, BPA in Kids’ Canned Food (pdf), sent 12 canned food items—two cans of each of six canned meal products marketed to and largely consumed by children—to Anresco Laboratories, for independent testing and found that the following products all contained BPA.

• Annie’s Homegrown Cheesy Ravioli
• Campbell’s Disney Princess Cool Shapes, Shaped Pasta with Chicken in Chicken Broth
• Campbell’s Spaghettios with Meatballs
• Campbell’s Toy Story Fun Shapes, Shaped Pasta with Chicken in Chicken Broth
• Chef Boyardee Whole Grain Pasta, Mini ABC’s & 123′s with Meatballs
• Earth’s Best Organic Elmo Noodlemania Soup

On my post the other day about insulated lunch bags, reader Sabrina left an interesting comment. She said, “I have a concern about all of these products using PET. Doesn’t it contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals?” She then referred me to a link at Healthy Child Healthy World that digs into the issue of whether or not PET bottles are releasing endocrine disruptors.

The research on how PET may leach various phthalates is in the early stages and is inconclusive, but that’s beside the point. What Sabrina actually got me thinking about is safety vs. green living, and how they don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Sometimes better safety and green living co-exist easily. Take green cleaning products. Not only is it safer to make homemade cleaners because you cut out chemicals that can hurt your kids, but it’s eco-friendly as well. Homemade green cleaners are green because they cut down on massive amounts of packaging and don’t release harmful toxins into our air, soil or water.

Not everything is so cut and dry though. For example…

Child car seats are basically big hunks of plastic. Plastic, as we all know, is made with non-renewable oil. Additionally, I’ve never seen even one car seat (as of yet)  made with organic fabrics and few are made with child-safe dyes. Car seats are about as opposite of eco-friendly as you can get. Yet, obviously car seats are 100% safer than tying your baby down with a nice recycled box and some organic hemp rope – know what I mean?

Or take the lunch bag situation I mention above. Plastic coated lunch bags, vinyl, recycled plastic and other materials may contain more chemicals than an old fashioned organic cotton lunch sack, making them less green. But on the flip side, if you’re talking safety, organic cotton is a horrid insulator. Even with an ice pack melting all over your organic bag, you’re going to run into food safety issues, because clearly the bag lacks insulation.

We could even bring ice pop molds into the mix. You’ve got silicone molds, which I’m a fan of, but some people think aren’t safe. Or you could go with plastic molds, that may contain chemicals, but they will massively reduce your household waste over packaged ice pops. Do you go with the plastic ice pop molds to avoid waste or say to heck with it and buy the packaged ice pops?

I’ve owned lots of items that aren’t eco-friendly, but that are necessary. For example, my son’s two car seats, child safety products like door latches and non-eco-friendly band-aids (because good luck finding the greener kind at your local store). We’ve owned bike helmets and non-organic sports safety gear (like pads and such) and non-eco backpacks because the less eco one fit my son better.

Overall, it can be a little bit of a mess if you live in today’s world and you’re striving to be safe and green. You can’t always choose both.

What to do? 

I can only speak for myself, but I try not to dwell too much on what I’m doing wrong in the world of green. That’s a recipe for mental anguish that I don’t need. If we need something for safety reasons, and it’s not available in an eco-friendly version, I’ll still bring it into my house if it’s necessary.

Sometimes I feel guilty sure, but then I remind myself that we haven’t brought a grocery store plastic bag or roll of paper towels into this house in years and years. We always use reusable water bottles and we drink plain old tap water vs. using bottled or a plastic, non-recyclable filter. We don’t buy a bunch of consumer junk we don’t need and we  buy used before new when we can. We use green cleaners and PVC-free shower curtains and glass dishes over plastic. I don’t have the greenest car on the market, but I did get the most efficient I could and I keep driving to a minimum. If we can’t afford the greenest sunscreen – well, we do the best we can.

It’s the green actions you DO manage that make the biggest impact. Little things add up. In the end, I want safe and I want green. If I can only have safety, I deal with it and hopefully make green amends in another area of my world.

What do you think? Is it hard to choose between safe vs. green at times? Tell me in the comments and take the poll below…

]]> http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/greenliving-vs-safety/feed/ 1 http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/deciding-sunscreen-buy-chemical-sun-exposure-worse/ http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/deciding-sunscreen-buy-chemical-sun-exposure-worse/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:06:42 +0000 Jennifer Chait http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/?p=8163

Safe sunscreen can be insanely expensive, which brings up the issue of which is worse, chemical exposure or unprotected sun exposure.

So – which is worse?

Too much unprotected sun exposure can result in skin cancer – and not just a few cases either. Each year more skin cancers occur than all the other cancers smashed together, and sun exposure is considered the leading reason why. Other bad stuff can happen if you get too much unprotected sun exposure though too, like prematurely aged skin and wrinkles, age spots, scaly and rough skin patches, cataracts and blindness, suppressed immune system and more.

• How to use sunscreen correctly – common sunscreen questions

So yeah, unprotected sun exposure is a big bad. But is chemical exposure just as bad?

Chemical exposure is no picnic. That’s why Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases their annual Safe Sunscreen Guides in the first place. EWG notes that…

Sunscreens ingredients can release free radicals onto your skin and into your body. The most common harmful sunscreen ingredients, according to EWG, can cause hormone disruption, altered body organs, skin and other allergies, DNA damage, skin irritation and more.

SafeMama only approves sunscreens free of, “Parabens, Phthalates, PEG’s (polyethylene glycols), Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, SLS/SLES, and a bevy of other chemicals” and for good reason. Chemicals like these can cause…

Cancer, developmental problems, hormone disruption, reduced sperm counts, testicular atrophy, eye irritation, skin irritation and more. Not to mention that sunscreens are a little bitty piece of the puzzle. We’re exposed to massive amounts of other chemicals and like-minded toxins daily due to toxic cleaners, environmental pollution, other body care products, plastics and the food we eat.

All of this stuff adds up to one big ol’ problem. Our bodies are full of junk – and we can’t be sure what all these chemicals and icky ingredients are doing to us. We do know that chemicals and pesticides can fester in our bodies for decades or longer and that babies are now being born already chock full of potentially harmful chemicals.

Things get more confusing when experts, semi-experts and even your neighbors start debating stuff like…

• Hey, maybe sunscreen doesn’t even prevent skin cancer – in fact, maybe sunscreen even cause cancer.
• Wait, flip-side that last remark, because plenty of others say that sunscreen does help prevent skin cancer.
• Sunscreen doesn’t block out our vitamin D requirements – or wait, maybe it does.
• Perhaps sunscreen lulls us into a fake sense of sun security.
• PLUS – now we’ve got the new FDA sunscreen rules to contend with too.

Sigh.

I could go on and on. Researchers and everyone else just cannot seem to make up their minds about sun exposure vs. chemical exposure vs. vitamin D needs.

What non-medical me thinks:

• I don’t like skin cancer or chemicals (go figure).

• I think that a little sunshine is ok because yes, vitamin D is a good thing. However, the majority of research I read agrees that we need very little unprotected sun exposure to gain the amount of vitamin D our bodies need (20-30 minutes of sun, twice a week). Also, the vitamin D argument is almost moot, because in this country, research also shows that almost no one wears the proper amount of sunscreen.

• I think we need to use a mix of sun protection tactics such as seeking out shade when possible, wearing protective clothing like hats, long sleeves and long pants and wear sunscreen.

• I think we do need broad spectrum sunscreen year-round. Even if it can’t be officially proven that sunscreen helps prevent skin damage and cancer, it seems obvious that it might, because it can help you avoid burns – which is surely causing DNA damage. I mean, look at sunburned skin – it looks super damaged – which can’t be good.

See some less expensive and still mostly safe sunscreen choices.

What do you think? Is chemical or unprotected sun exposure worse?

Last week the Associated Press reported that the FDA finally admitted that some chicken meat on the market contains arsenic. Long story short, 3-Nitro, approved in 1944, has been given to chickens, turkeys and pigs that people eat for years. Sadly, 3-Nitro contains a dangerous, poisonous form of inorganic arsenic, a substance known to be carcinogenic (cancer causing).

The National Chicken Council went on the defense right away saying, “Chicken is safe to eat. When used, 3-Nitro is given according to label directions approved by FDA.” Actually that’s funny because if the drug was being use according to directions, it seems like people wouldn’t be ingesting this drug at all. The label for 3-Nitro states, “If swallowed, call a physician, poison control center, or hospital immediately. Induce vomiting by giving Ipecac syrup as directed.” Geez, someone should tell them that Ipecac syrup isn’t recommended anymore… but, I digress, the point is that you’re not supposed to eat this stuff.

The FDA agrees with the National Chicken Council and says that people should not stop eating chicken that may have been treated with the drug.

Now what’s up:

Although 3-Nitro has been used since 1944, it’s just now come into question. Not because the FDA has been running any sort of rigorous testing, but more likely because of public pressure and outcry. Pfizer, who makes the drug has just announced that they’ll be voluntarily withdrawing 3-Nitro starting in July. This was a Pfizer decision, by the way, not an FDA command.

So yeah, 3-Nitro is not going to be fed to chickens any longer, and thus, it will no longer be fed to people who choose to eat conventional, factory-farmed chickens. That said, I’m quite sure that factory farmers will simply look for another handy drug to feed to animals. Others agree, for example, NPR reports,

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, said in a statement that the decision by Pfizer, maker of 3-Nitro, to voluntarily remove it from the market is “a good first step” but called for the FDA to ban arsenic-based drugs for animal feed altogether.

Go organic… go organic… go organic!

You know, the FDA, and other “give drugs to food sources” advocates keep pressing the fact that the arsenic is in such small amounts that no one should care, that it’s perfectly safe to keep eating. However, think about that for a minute. Is ANY amount of poison knowingly ingested a good idea? Is it?

• See organic foods your family should eat all the time.

If you gather up all those little bits of arsenic from all those chicken nuggets and chicken breasts and so on that you feed your family, and you put said arsenic in a glass and make your family drink it, the situation looks way more icky. Arsenic causes cancer and is a poison. Why on earth would you eat this on purpose?

Trust me, 3-Nitro is being pulled, but you can bet money that factory farmers will simply find and use a different poison. Seriously, remember last year’s strawberry cancer shenanigans? Manufacturers will put anything in food, because frankly, consumers will keep eating it. Don’t be that consumer if you can help it.

USDA Organic is far from perfect, but if you’re going to eat meat, you really, really need to consider only eating organic meat. Going organic is going to cut your chances of voluntarily eating poison by a decent percentage. Another option is to eat less meat, or no meat at all.

Learn more about safe, organic food:

• See Food, Inc.
• How to afford organic food
• See a recipe for homemade organic vegetarian pot pie.
• Unscrambling Organic Eggs: Separating Facts from Fiction

Do you buy conventional chicken, organic chicken, or no chicken at all. Let me know in the comments.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) has just released their 7th edition Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. There’s updated information on the total pesticide loads of 53 various fruits and vegetables. As always, EWG highlights the worst offenders with the “Dirty Dozen” and lists the “Clean 15” as well.

Apples Top the 2011 Dirty Dozen List

The disclaimer:

Many groups have been targeting EWG, and other pesticide watch dog groups this past year, saying, “Oh, it’s your fault people aren’t eating so many fruits and veggies.” I call that assumption insanely ridiculous. The organic industry isn’t the cause of the obesity epidemic or some national scare tactics. Still, likely due to this sort of pressure, EWG has included a little disclaimer, one that I don’t remember from previous years, that states:

“The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Eating conventionally grown produce is far better than skipping fruits and vegetables.”

I agree, but as EWG goes on to say, “With EWG’s Shopper’s Guide, consumers don’t have to choose between pesticides and healthy diets.” Amen. Every family can afford to buy some organics…

• For Less Expensive Organics Hit the Farmers’ Market
• Tips for buying organic food on a budget

The 2011 “Dirty Dozen”:

The Dirty Dozen list is made up of produce that has the largest concentrated amounts of pesticides. This means that the dirty dozen are the fruits and veggies you should always try to buy in organic form.

Last year peaches topped the list as the worst produce item to buy in conventional form. This year, apples have moved up from 2 to 1. According to EWG and the USDA, pesticides were in more than 98% of the 700+ apple samples tested. In good news, cherries dropped off the Dirty Dozen this year! The entire Dirty Dozen list is as follows.

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Imported Nectarines
7. Imported Grapes
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Domestic Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens

Onions Top the Clean 15 List

The “Clean 15″:

The Clean 15 are the fruits and veggies that are safest to buy in conventional form, meaning, the produce with the least amount of pesticides. I advocate buying organic food whenever possible. However, if you’re on a tight budget, these are the less problematic items to buy in conventional form, so you can save some money here, while still eating plenty of produce. The 2011 Clean 15 list includes (from least amount of pesticides to most)… 

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Domestic Cantaloupe
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

EWG President Ken Cook says, “Though buying organic is always the best choice, we know that sometimes people do not have access to that produce or cannot afford it. Our guide helps consumers concerned about pesticides to make better choices among conventional produce, and lets them know which fruits and vegetables they may want to buy organic.”

Pesticides are toxic poison, both for your body and the environment. Children, with their developing bodies are even more affected by pesticides than adults. With this in mind, use the new 7th edition Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides to help you choose your safest 5+ servings of fruits and veggies per day. EWG notes that if you pick your five servings of fruits and vegetables from EWG’s Clean 15 list rather than from the Dirty Dozen you can lower the volume of pesticides you consume by 92%.

Learn more:

• Organic Foods Your Family Should Buy All the Time
• Download and print a handy take-along shoppers guide (pdf) – this includes the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15.

*UPDATE (June 2011) see some less expensive sunscreen choices.

The other day after posting less toxic sunscreen can cost more than an eco-friendly car, I got some comments (here and via Facebook and email) that made me realize that some people aren’t using sunscreen safely. It’s not just online people I worry about either. I know a ton of people in my real world life who don’t practice sun safety as well as they could, or sadly, at all.

For example, skin cancer runs in my son’s dad’s family, yet my son’s dad is extremely lax about sunscreen (which yes, irks me to no end); especially since our son is blond and light skinned. I have friends with kids who NEVER put sunscreen on those kids – and I do mean never. I’m not utterly perfect either. My son and I are good with sunscreen, but bad about always wearing our sunglasses and we rarely wear hats.

In any case, sun protection is a huge deal. Since people don’t seem to get this, we should look at some facts about why you need to stay safe in the sun. Later we’ll look at some sunscreen and sun protection tips.

I’m not going to get too much into cancer issues here and now, but consider these facts from the American Cancer Society:

• More than 2 million cases of skin cancer occur annually in the United States. More cases than all other cancers combined.
• 1 in every 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point during their lifetime.
• 5 or more sunburns during your lifetime doubles your risk of developing skin cancer.
• 80% of lifetime sun damage occurs in childhood and kids sunburns can lead to skin cancer in adulthood.
• Melanoma is the second most common cancer in women ages 20-29;1 person dies almost every hour (every 67 minutes) from this disease.

What’s skin cancer have to do with the sunshine?

Currently research shows that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the major risk factor for most types of skin cancers. In turn, sunlight is the main source of UV rays. Tanning lamps and beds are also sources of UV radiation though. Folks exposed to high levels of exposure from tanning equipment are at greater risk for skin cancer.

See symptoms and signs of skin cancer.

What’s the deal with UV rays?

UV rays can damage the genes in your skin cells. Cell damage is a cause of cancer. Cutting your exposure to ultraviolet rays year-round, cuts your risk of developing skin cancer.

The most important thing to know about UV rays is that they can cause damage even when you can’t see the sunshine. Ultraviolet exposure does not stop just because it’s cloudy, raining or cold. Your chances of burning or tanning, of course, are much slimmer when there’s a cloud cover, but you are still exposed to rays in part. For example, today in Oregon it was cloudy for half the day, yet our UV Index was 3 – or a moderate level of exposure from UV rays.

Ultraviolet radiation has 3 wavelength ranges. Two are considered really harmful. One wavelength is UVA rays which quickly ages skin cells and can cause damage to cell DNA. UVB rays are another wavelength and these are the big bad – they’re the main rays that cause sunburns, direct DNA damage and most skin cancers.

Read an in-depth discussion about ultraviolet radiation or see understanding UVA and UVB.

NOT TO DWELL… but cloudy days are not super safe days!

I know, just above I mentioned cloudy days. However, over and over I hear people say…

• “I don’t need sunscreen it’s not sunny.”
• “You only need sunscreen in the summer.”
• “I don’t need sun protection in the snow.”
• “It’s raining, what do you mean wear sunscreen?”

People seem to think bright sun = danger. It’s rays that = danger, and UV rays, you cannot always see. So, not to beat a dead horse, but yes, you need sun protection (sunscreen included) year-round. The World Health Organization says the following:

“Do not underestimate the amount of UV radiation passing through clouds. Many surfaces reflect UV radiation and add to the overall UV levels you experience. Fresh snow is a particularly good reflector and almost doubles a person’s UV exposure. Recurring incidences of snow blindness or photokeratitis in skiers emphasize that UV protective measures must take ground reflection into account.

UV levels are highest under cloudless skies, and cloud cover generally reduces a person’s exposure. However, light or thin clouds have little effect and may even enhance UV levels because of scattering. Don’t be fooled by an overcast day or a cool breeze! Even a long stay in open shade, for example between buildings, may give a sensitive person a sunburn on a day with high UV levels.“

Other problems caused by unprotected exposure to UV rays:

• Sunburn and tanning. Although usually only sunburns are painful, both are signs of skin damage.
• Prematurely aged skin and wrinkles.
• Loss of skin elasticity and dry skin.
• Dark patches like age spots or liver spots.
• Pre-cancerous skin changes (such as scaly, rough patches).
• Cataracts – which are the leading cause of blindness in the world.
• Acute effects of UV radiation exposure on the eyes include photokeratitis and photoconjunctivitis (pdf).
• Suppressed immune system.

Some people are at more risk than others.

Next up: some basic information about how to use sunscreen. If you need more information right away, check out the following sites…

• The SunWise Program – an environmental and health education program all about sun safety.
• Skin cancer fact sheets for your state by the EPA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Skin cancer facts
• Misconceptions about tanning and sun safety
• A lot of information on tanning beds – which are NOT safe although the biz is booming

Just for kids: SunWise Kids website – great for elementary aged kids.