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IN THIS ISSUE
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**LIB
TALKS: It’s The Season To Be Sick?
Combatting The “Teflon Flu” Provided By Dupont, We Can’t All Sue, Beyond
the Cough & Congestion Blitz - Handling Some Other Household &
Automobile Concerns, Clever Consumer Campaign Reminder,
**RHODE
ISLAND NOTES; The Good Seed: A Great Next-Door Neighbor
**GOOD NEWS: Dupont Losing Its Suits per Teflon Chems, Corporate Lawyer Turns Into Public Protector, Junk Soda Gets More Expensive
**ACTIONS: Get Unsafe Industrial Chemicals Out of Our
Drinking Water, Take the Antibiotic IQ Quiz
**RESOURCES: Car Seats, Chemicals & Kids, Indoor
Air Pollution
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LIB TALKS
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**IT’S THE SEASON TO BE SICK: As I finish preparing our monthly TIP TALKS,
our area is suffused with bugs – that is to say, everyone I know or talk with
is or has been sick – mainly with a virulent form of flu. And, guess what? That includes me and my hubby.
We’re two weeks into it – and even a doctor we know has reported having
it – for a total of 6 weeks!
(I’m not kidding).
So, first of all, be tolerant if any glitches or typos turn up in this
issue. Secondly, note that much of the
actions mentioned relate to – guess what?
(winter woes)
** COMBATTING THE “TEFLON FLU” PROVIDED BY
DUPONT: This month’s Good News is that
the knowing polluters at Dupont are paying the price – see how several lawsuits
have trimmed their money-laden sails.
(They are being required to pay compensatory AND punitive damages, but take
steps to restore some of the water they have poisoned). And, there is a very inspiring story of the
corporate lawyer turned hero. Finally,
the junk soda people are getting a bit less rich in some areas.
**WE CAN’T ALL SUE – BUT WE CAN SPEAK OUT – AND MAKE
EDUCATED DECISIONS. Sign the petition
to get unsafe chemicals out of our drinking water. Then, take the antibiotics quiz and learn more about these
sometimes confusing substances – which may cure you – or sicken you, depending
on many factors.
**BEYOND THE COUGH & CONGESTION BLITZ: - HANDLING
SOME OTHER HOUSEHOLD & AUTOMOBILE CONCERNS: The best defense vs. the flu or any other miniscule invader is a
healthy immune system. So, the rest of
this month’s TIP TALKS focuses on a few very common threats to that. (Battle the bugs via avoiding the nasty,
toxic chemicals). Included are details
of common Indoor air pollutants to avoid, and a report on Car Seat & Car Interior hazards – which are least
toxic, and how can you reduce exposure
for you and your kids?
** CLEVER CONSUMER CAMPAIGN REMINDER: That’s the person
reading this newsletter! Like all TIP
TALKS, it will increase your consumer IQ and abilities. Remember, if you tell the
supplier/retailer/producer what you will or won’t BUY – they care. (Note: This TIP TALKS should also provide a clear
warning – don’t even think of using Teflon pans!)
Blessings, Liberty G
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RHODE ISLAND AREA NOTES:
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THE GOOD SEED – A GREAT NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORIt’s just across the Pawtucket line – 10 minutes from Providence – and it’s an oasis of health sustaining products. To make it even better, they actually have monthly discounts that compete with the big guys. Anyone in RI or Southeast MA should check out our favorite health food store. (Also has savvy owners to help you figure out the best product to buy.) Visit: THE GOOD SEED, NATURAL FOODS MARKET,138 Central Avenue, Seekonk, MA 02771,Tel. 508-399-7333. www.goodseedmarket.com
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GOOD NEWS
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www.reuters.com/article/us-du-pont-verdict-idUSKBN14P1VD
A U.S. jury in Ohio ordered DuPont on Thursday to pay
$10.5 million in punitive damages to a man who said he developed testicular
cancer from exposure to a toxic chemical leaked from a Dupont plant, the
plaintiff's lawyer Robert Bilott said. The
federal jury had awarded Kenneth Vigneron $2 million in compensatory damages in
December. Bilott said the jury also awarded attorneys' fees, to be determined
at a later date. This is the third and
largest verdict that jurors in the Columbus, Ohio, federal court have issued
against DuPont for injuries linked to perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA or
C-8, which is used to make Teflon. The $12.5 million in damages is more than
double the amount awarded in a case decided in July. "The jury has sent a strong message that we hope DuPont will
listen to," Bilott said in an email to Reuters. DuPont faces more than 3,400 lawsuits over the leak of the
chemical from its Parkersburg, West Virginia, plant.
THE LAWYER WHO BECAME DUPONT’S
WORST NIGHTMARE
(An extended story, but a good and inspiring read,
exposing a lot of what goes on behind corporate doors. The Good News is this corporate lawyer who
was moved to protect vs. the pollution)
www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html?_r=0
IN A DEVASTATING BLOW TO
THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY,
www.vox.com/2016/11/9/13571902/soda-taxes-vote-san-francisco-oakland-boulder-albany Julia Belluz Nov 9,
2016 Vox News In a major
blow to the beverage industry, all four cities that voted on soda taxes
yesterday passed them in landslide victories.
San Francisco, Oakland, and Albany, California, voted in ballot
measures that would levy a penny-per-ounce tax on distributors of sugary
drinks. The people of Boulder, Colorado, also said yes to a 2-cent-per-ounce
excise tax on distributors. "This
is an astonishing repudiation of big soda. For too long, the big soda companies
got away with putting profits over their customers' health," said Jim
Krieger, the executive director of Healthy Food America. "That changed
tonight."
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ACTIONS
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A
recent Harvard study found unsafe levels of industrial chemicals called
perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, in the drinking water of 6 million
Americans. PFASs have been used for decades to manufacture products ranging
from pots and pans to food packaging, and have been linked with cancer, hormone
disruption, high cholesterol and obesity.
Despite the prevalence of these unsafe chemicals in our drinking water,
the Environmental Protection Agency has only issued non-binding health
advisories to keep our drinking water safe. Tell the agency we need enforceable
limits of these chemicals.
When we think about air pollution, most of us
visualize big industrial plants billowing out smoke. Most people believe that
they’re safe from these pollutants when they’re inside their homes. But in
reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, according to a
study by the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air in the
United States can be up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air.
For more information on Indoor Air Pollution
sources and remedies, including a discussion of various filter types, see the
full article at::
Flame retardants are still widely used in car seats
despite
no data showing a fire safety benefit to children
December 13, 2016 By Kara
West Environmental Health News
HealthyStuff.org,
a program of the Ecology Center,
recently released their 2016 Car Seat Study: Traveling
with Toxics: Flame Retardants and Other Chemicals in Children’s Car Seats.
Flame retardants (FRs) were found in all 15 tested car seats, particularly in
the fabrics. HealthyStuff
researchers found that most car seats still contain brominated FRs. which tend
to be persistent (they don’t break down), bioaccumulative (the build up in the
food chain and in our bodies), and—here’s the kicker—often toxic. The good news
is manufacturers have stopped using some of the worst flame retardants, such as
Chlorinated Tris, a known human carcinogen. Instead, HealthyStuff researchers
found more phosphorus-based, halogen-free flame retardants. Gillian Miller,
Ecology Center Staff Scientist notes, “Eliminating halogens is important,. But
some halogen-free FRs also pose health hazards, so these need to be thoroughly
evaluated as well.”
The
health risks associated with the detected chemicals range from endocrine
disruption to cognitive impairments and cancer. Flame retardants are not
chemically bound to the fabric, foam, or plastic in which they are found. The
chemicals release over time. Meanwhile, our children are strapped in—perhaps
wearing as little as a diaper on hot days—where they may inhale, ingest, and/or
absorb the off-gassing chemicals.
The
report celebrates one more piece of good news: HealthyStuff testing confirmed
UPPAbaby’s 2017 “Mesa Henry” model to be free of chemical flame
retardants...and is still compliant with current flammability standards. The
secret? Wool, which has natural fire retardant qualities. This car seat will be
available in March 2017. HealthyStuff will be launching a car seat challenge in
2017, asking all manufacturers to follow UPPAbaby’s lead and introduce flame
retardant free car seats.
Advice for car seats and
the car environment as a whole—because every surface and material in the car
itself is likely coated or infused with flame retardant chemicals.
CHECK THE REPORT
& ratings to see where your
favorite brands rank.
VACUUM the car interior
and the nooks and crannies of car seat at least weekly. Also dust surfaces with
a wet cloth. Chemicals that migrate out, including flame retardants, can cling
to dust particles. Open the car windows when possible
LIMIT THE TIME your
children spend in their car seats. Only use the car seat during travel, not a
place for your child to nap or sit outside the car.
LIMIT DIRECT SUNLIGHT on
the car seat and high temperatures in your car. Flame retardants and other
hazardous chemicals may be released at a higher rate when your car becomes hot.
When possible, park in the shade or in covered parking. Window coverings in a
car also substantially lower the interior temperature on a warm day.
CONTACT CAR SEAT
COMPANIES. Let them know you expect them to manufacture products without toxic
chemicals, which threaten the health of our children and natural
resources. To read more about the study
and to view the full methodology, results, and rankings, visit www.HealthyStuff.org.
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TIP WHILE SURFING THE WEB at: www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=818190
(Uses the
Yahoo search engine)
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** SUPPORT TIP WHILE SHOPPING AMAZON
Just go to: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/14-1862385 and the
link will take you to the site with TIP already selected as yourcharity. You then shop on smile.amazon.com the same wayyou would have shopped on www.amazon.com., but thedonation will go to us (at no cost to you).
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**OR MOST
OF ALL, MAKE A DONATION:
Mail a
check to TIP at the address above.
(We are a
tax deductible organization)
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CONTACT: Liberty Goodwin, Director, Toxics
Information Project (TIP)
P.O. Box
40441, Providence, RI 02940 Tel. 401-351-9193,
E-Mail: liberty@toxicsinfo.org Website: www.toxicsinfo.org ******************************************************************