News
News
November 20th
Kathy and I have become fans of The Breast Cancer Fund at breastcancerfund.org. Unlike other breast cancer charities they seem to have a more aggressive focus on prevention. They had a press release today that highlights recent research that shows increased cancer risk in women that work in canneries and auto parts plants. There is a link between these workers and their exposure to plastic and increased breast cancer risk. Its kind of scary if you consider all the plastics we are all exposed to everyday. Please take a few minutes to read the press release it might help you reduce your risk of breast cancer. Check out their site if you get a chance.
**Please note that we have absolutely no financial or business connection to the organization mentioned above. We are simply passing on information we have recently discovered that our customers might be interested.
Scott
Kathy recently posted a couple videos that may be helpful as you look for safe bath products for your kids or your selves.
Click to see the videos: Head to Toe Baby Wash or Bottom Balm
Movie Recommendation:
Just watched the first half of "Home" on YouTube. Interesting viewing and so far I'm convinced that I should give up meat. The usage of water to create 1 pound of beef is not sustainable. Check it out, it's free and educational.
Product Review!
Blog Home
Wow! Seriously!
As the father of a 4 year old daughter this CNN.com article smacked me right in the face. To add to the growing body of evidence that BPA is really bad for us a new study shows developmental issues in girls in utero! See the quote and click on it to read the whole article:
"Scientists tested 244 pregnant women and their 3-year-old children for BPA exposure. They found when the mothers' BPA levels were high, the children were more likely to show signs of hyperactivity, anxiety and depression. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday, found these behavior problems in girls – not in boys...
...Experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics support the research findings and praise the design of the study. "It adds to the growing body of literature that BPA is harmful and it adds weight to the extensive calls for regulating BPA," explains Dr. Jerome Paulson, chair of the AAP's Council on Environmental Health."
The research can be found in the journal Pediatrics.
We've been looking for a charitable organization...
If you are a regular visitor to the Ilumina Organics site or you have seen our advertising you are probably aware that we are serious about the elimination of BPA and its sister chemicals from plastic. We refer to these chemicals as EA chemicals as in Estrogenic Activity chemicals. We also called them ED chemicals for Endocrine Disruptors but quickly learned that ED is already taken by another group of sufferers. :-) Recently we came across a charity/advocacy organization that seems to align with our position on EA chemicals. The Breast Cancer Fund is really focused on BPA but unlike another major breast cancer charity which has chosen to remain neutral they have taken a better safe than sorry approach to the chemical. We encourage you to take a look at their site and learn about what you can do to help ban BPA and also prevent breast cancer.
Here's a portion of an article announcing success in passing legislation in California banning BPA:
As reported by the New York Times yesterday:
The trade group's announcement came after [Gretchen Lee] Salter, the policy manager of the Breast Cancer Fund, had spent the past six years on the frontlines of a major battle over California legislation to ban BPA from those products.
Salter's group and others were able to declare victory when Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed A.B. 1319 into law last week -- only to see ACC say three days later that the problem does not exist.
To Salter, something didn't ring true.
"The amount of resources they poured into states trying to regulate baby bottles and sippy cups and the amount of resources they poured into California," Salter said, then paused. "To all of the sudden say, 'Folks, there is no problem here, we don't use BPA anyway.' It's this weird, almost Orwellian double speak."
ACC had doggedly insisted that BPA is safe, and the group has fought fiercely against federal and state legislative proposals to ban the chemical, which public health advocates have linked to a hormonal disruption and other developmental problems in children.
Disclosure forms shows that ACC has invested heavily in lobbying in California since 2005, when the first bill limiting BPA was introduced in the state Legislature. (Read complete article.)
Is Your Shampoo Making You Fat? We got a great mention in this article, totally unsolicited!
Is your shampoo making you fat?
Ban the nasty chemicals!
Check out this article on CNN.com about a bill in congress that will ban endocrine disruptors!
Kathy and Scott are Proud to Announce....
Kathy and I are very excited because Ilumina Organics will soon be in
another Wholefoods in California. When we actually get the an order and
have a date for when it will be on shelf I will add more information to
this post.
Kathy's Thoughts on Building Community:Challenge Day
I recently had the opportunity to volunteer for Challenge Day at my
local High School. Mt. Shasta High. I’ve lived most of my life in large
metropolitian areas but have recently chosen to live in a small mountain
community. I went to many high schools growing up because we moved
often. I wouldn’t wish a large school experience on any student. The
clicks, gangs, teasing, bullying, harassment all over the place.
Basically it is stressful being in school, and many times doesn’t feel
safe. Definitely not loving, supportive and accepting.
I volunteered for Challenge Day because I wanted to give back to my
community. I wanted to see the faces of a group of young adults that
aren’t part of my single 40ish business world. I did not want to
remember what it was like to be in high school…but I did and the reality
is that the same issues are there as are in society. How to be liked,
accepted or fit in and if not then how to survive. This is also true in a
small town school.
Challenge Day or Be the Change (utube it) is an AMAZING program to bring
about the awareness of how bullying and teasing can hurt to the core
and sometimes do terrible damage for years to come. It allows the
students and adults to see that we are so much more alike than we are
different, and that listening(and being truly heard) is so much more
powerful than you could ever imagine.
I look around at our new media that has most of us looking over our
shoulders for something bad to happen, or someone bad to happen, and no
wonder our youth are responding with more and more bullying. I have to
say that Challenge Day gave me hope. Hope that maybe at the very least
these students will “get it” that we all just want to be seen for who we
are and feel okay. I wish that I had had a challenge day, back in the
day, and I hope more schools will find ways to offer this experience to
their students.
We had a recent meeting with the adult volunteers. We were all wondering
what more can we do to help? Lots of ideas flew around the room but the
biggest agreement was that we can support the students to continue to
find ways they want to Be the Change. To be living examples of the
Change in our own lives, and to hopefully share the experience with
others to commit to this change.
Check it out and be the change…
http://www.challengeday.org/
BPA leaching into water bottles, baby bottles etc.
I just read this article on the impact of BPA leaching into water
bottles, baby bottles etc., and how its leaching may be connected to
cancer, obesity and impotence. The article was from a guy's health blog
that I stumbled upon and was very compelling. I guess the estrogen
mimickers that leach out of the plastic bottle and into the water, food
or body care are called xeonohormones and they act like steroids in the
body. The article also mentioned that the plastic lining in carton
milk, water, soup etc leaches BPA as well. Time to reacquaint myself
with my crock pot for soup making and be thankful I have a stainless
water bottle as well as a BPA/EA free plastic one.(purchased from
iluminaorganics.com) I don't know how long it will take for the
majority of the public to get the message that this stuff is
dangerous...I am glad however for the information and to know that I
have options. I can filter water and carry it safely, I can chose to
eat food not packaged in plastic however it can be challenging at times
to find. Basically it means I have to cook from scratch,(which at
times can be scary:) and I am grateful that we made a choice in our
business to make sure our baby/ body products were in either glass or
estrogen free plastic. I can rest a bit easier and hope that others get
the message soon. Check out this article for more details and our site
for safer products:)
http://rayshealth.com/plastic-containers-bottled-water-estrogen/
Johnson & Johnson and Wal-Mart Sued for Selling Toxic Baby Shampoo By Sarah Pierce
If you purchased Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo or Wal-Mart brand
Equate Tearless Baby Wash, you may want to stop using it. A class action
lawsuit has been approved this month that claims these products may
contain a toxin linked to cancer. The class action lawsuit, filed
earlier this year, accuses Johnson & Johnson and Wal-Mart Stores of
selling shampoo and baby wash that allegedly contains methylene
chloride, an ingredient banned by the FDA in cosmetics because it’s
linked to cancer. The law firm that filed the lawsuit is also
investigating Target’s Night-time Bath and Body Wash, which is not
currently named in the suit. A third Johnson & Johnson plant is now
also under investigation for alleged quality concerns. The new Johnson
& Johnson plant is one that manufactures Pepcid and Mylanta among
other products. You can read the details on that investigation at
Legafi. Check out topclassactions.com to learn more.
From President Obama's Cancer Panel Report (National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS)
The Panel was particularly concerned to find that the true burden of
environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With
nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of
which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un-
or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential
environmental carcinogens is widespread. One such ubiquitous chemical,
bisphenol A (BPA), is still found in many consumer products and remains
unregulated in the United States, despite the growing link between BPA
and several diseases, including various cancers.
Phthalates Defined
Defined: Phthalates, called “plasticizers,” are a group of industrial
chemicals found in, among other things, toys, food packaging, hoses,
raincoats, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wall coverings, lubricants,
adhesives, detergents, nail polish, hair spray and shampoo. Phthalates
have been found to disrupt the endocrine system. Several phthalate
compounds have caused reduced and some sperm counts, testicular atrophy
and structural abnormalities in the reproductive systems of male test
animals,studies also link phthalates to liver cancer.
In July 2008, as a result of pressure from EWG and other health groups,
the U.S. Congress passed legislation banning six phthalates from
children’s toys and cosmetics. Legislators in Washington, Vermont and
California have restricted phthalate use in children’s goods, and
several major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Lego, Evenflo
and Gerber say they will phase out phthalate-laden toys.
Source: Environmental Working Group
BPA linked to Ashtma!
The case against BPA continues to grow as researchers sharpen their focus. Check out the article in the LA Times Online on February 4th. Type in BPA and Childhood asthma and you should be able to find the article that explains that researchers in Texas have found a link between BPA and Asthma. You may also be able to find the actual research in the February issue of Environmental Health Perspectives
What is EA and why should I care?
Almost all existing plastics – as well as silicones, rubbers, and
papers – release chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA). This includes
most products packaged in plastic containers.read more
Baby Eczema Treatment & Prevention
Lately it seems that there are more babies with eczema than without
it. After babies arrive, perfectly soft in their “birthday suit,” their
skin seems to become irritated and uncomfortable to live in. That’s
when baby eczema treatment becomes necessary. Why does this happen? read more
Chemicals to Avoid in Hair and Skin Care Products
Your skin was designed to protect you by providing you with a natural
protective oil layer. When this natural layer is removed by harsh
chemicals, which are often used as hair and skin care ingredients, we
become more exposed and susceptible to skin irritation and disease. read more
5 Reasons to Buy Organic Skin Care from Ilumina Organics
Top Reasons to Buy Organic Skin Care from Ilumina Organics, plus FAQ about organic skin care, what chemicals to avoid, and what ingredients to look for. read more