babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Rocket fuel in your water supply?
If you can believe it, yesterday’s decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the amount of perchlorate — a chemical used in rocket fuel, flares, and missiles — in our drinking water is controversial.
If the sheer concept of drinking a chemical needed to launch aircraft isn’t enough, evidence shows perchlorate has direct effects on children’s endocrine systems. Perchlorate is particularly toxic to fetuses and infants because it disrupts the thyroid’s ability to regulate certain hormones for growth and development.
In 2008, the Bush administration said no to regulating the chemical. According to a Washington Post investigation, the White House edited an EPA report on perchlorate to play down its negative effects.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans may be affected. Here’s the breakdown: Continue reading »
EPA is warning parents about moth balls.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a Brooklyn-based company was discovered trying to import an illegal shipment of Fuji Lavender Moth Tablets from China. The product contains the highly toxic chemical para-dichlorobenzene and has not been registered with the EPA.
Why should you care about an illegal mothball bust, you ask? Because in addition to not being cleared for import into the U.S., these moth tablets are packaged in brightly colored bags that could easily be mistaken for candy by young children.
Inhalation of para-dichlorobenzene can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress and other illnesses. If swallowed, it can damage the nervous system and, in extreme cases, can cause coma or death.
About 4800 pink and purple bags of Fuji Lavender Moth Tablets were seized in New Jersey, but the EPA isn’t certain they haven’t already entered the market in the U.S. In a statement, EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck says she wants to make parents and caregivers aware that these tablets might be out there. Continue reading »
As a child, I remember hearing about a little girl who was injured after standing too near an open flame while wearing a nightgown. Her gown caught fire and she was badly burned. This happened in the 1970′s, just prior to the introduction of flame retardant chemicals in childrens’ sleepwear. Since that time, these chemicals have found their way into all kinds of products intended for babies and children. It’s in clothes, bedding, cribs, strollers, baby carriers and more.
But while manufacturers who make products with flame retardants do so to prevent what happened to that little girl from happening to others, experts are beginning to fear these chemicals are doing more harm than good. Continue reading »
Think you’ve been steering clear of mercury by avoiding tuna? Think again. The EPA released study last week showing mercury and PCBs in all the fish they studied.
The National Lake Fish Tissue Study, conducted over five years and compassing fish from all regions of the United States, found toxins accumulating in all the fish they tested. Just under half of lakes had levels of mercury above the 0.3 ppm the EPA deems safe for humans. Continue reading »
Next to air, water is the most essential element for human survival. Our bodies and brains need it to keep going and drinking enough of it can substantially reduce the risk of certain diseases. Because even mild dehydration can cause kids to lose focus and have difficulty with short-term memory, we urge them to drink up all day long. But if they are drinking from the fountains at school, there’s a chance they may be doing more harm than good. According to an Associated Press investigation, drinking water in thousands of schools in all 50 states has been found to have unsafe levels of contaminates including lead, pesticides and other toxins. Continue reading »
They’re loaded with nasty chemicals, and yet fire retardants are still being applied to thousands of baby products. But maybe not for long.
A new bill has been introduced in California to do away with the state’s demand that manufacturers load cribs, strollers, changing tables and more with fireproofing.
And in this case, as California goes, the rest of the country really will go! Continue reading »
So much for going green. The Environmental Protection Agency flip-flopped this week on the safety of that recycled rubber meant to cushion your kid’s hind end when they come flying off the slide at their favorite park.
The EPA has long championed the recyled tires as good for the environment. Not anymore. Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0