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I N THIS ISSUE
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**LIB TALKS: Brief, But Significant, Action vs.
Monsanto, Organic Moves Forward, Indoor
Air Quality Info Basics
**RHODE ISLAND/MA AREA NOTES;
** GOOD NEWS: Organic Growth – More
Farms Transitioning, Monsanto in Trouble
(On several fronts).
**CLEVER CONSUMER CAMPAIGN: Tell F-Rated
Restaurants to Scrap Antibiotics, Ten Things
That Destroy Indoor Air Quality
**RESOURCES: From New PRHE Blog: EPA Plans
For Calculating Chemical Risks Just Don’t Add Up
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LIB TALKS
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**BRIEF, BUT SIGNIFICANT: This month’s
TIP TALKS, as you can see by the date, is last
minute & being produced in the midst of even
more than usual busyness. So, it will be a bit
briefer than some. However, the items included
are very meaningful, and many are encouraging!
** MOVES VS. MONSANTO GROWING: It is really
good to hear more & more recognition of the harm
done by this corporate monster. Several different
moves to curb its power are described in today’s
Good News section.
**ORGANIC MOVES FORWARD! J More & more
farmers are learning the techniques and benefits
of growing organically! See the article about
transition in the Midwest in our Good News.
**AIR QUALITY INFO BASICS: I’ve included a great,
simple but comprehensive article listing what to
avoid in your home.
Blessings, Liberty G
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RHODE ISLAND/MA AREA NOTES:
LOCAL (NEW ENGLAND) RESOURCE OF THE MONTH
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MIKE POWERS, SIMPLY SAFER PREMIUM LAWN CARE,
P.O. Box 1018, Wrentham, MA 02093
Office Phone: 508-384-4444 Toll Free: 1-866- 467-2337
Organic Lawn Care Services - Serving Massachusetts
& RI. Lawn Programs, Seeding, Organic Insect Control,
Tree & Shrub. www.saferlawns.com,
http://www.saferlawns.com/contact/
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GOOD NEWS
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ORGANIC GROWTH: MORE FARMS TRANSITIONING
IN IOWA, ILLINOIS, WISCONSIN
Iowa Sees 42% Increase from 2008-2015
Sept. 13, 2017 By John Kruse, TH Media
CASCADE, Iowa — Kim and Marvin Lynch’s dairy farm
in Cascade was certified as organic in 2009, but the
process wasn’t easy. The Lynches had to discontinue
using fertilizers, insecticides and synthetic herbicides
in the fields of their third-generation farm for three
years before it could be certified. Their cows could
no longer be given a regular regimen of antibiotics.
Kim Lynch said the transition was challenging, but
since then, her family’s farm has flourished. “It’s
definitely more labor-intensive. It’s also more
financially stable,” she said. “Our only regret is
that we didn’t do it earlier.” The Lynches are
part of a growing trend in the tri-state area
of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Read more at:
www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/community/article_e4e87d3e-97c3-11e7-97a4-3f37b20af1a9.html?mc_cid=9d5231f854&mc_eid=6f212b5778
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MONSANTO IN TROUBLE WHILE CITIZENS MOBILIZE
Excerpts From the Monsanto Tribunal Newsletter, 9-24-17
The legal opinion of the Monsanto Tribunal has been spread to
all corners of the world by social and
official media. We have sent the text to a wide
range of organizations and legal associations.
Monsanto is in trouble, not only because of the
tribunal, but for many reasons: the authorization
of Monsanto’s flagship Roundup (and its ingredient
glyphosate) is expiring in the EU. People no longer
accept damage to their health, & sue Monsanto
in court. The Tribunal and court cases have
been exposing the way Monsanto works, and
this helps to inspire others to show the true
cost of Monsanto’s business.
Films and books are released on this
important topic as you can read below.
Out in the fields, nature defends itself: more
and more weeds are resistant to Roundup!
Monsanto’s ‘solution’ to this problem, another
very toxic herbicide dicamba – turns out to be
a complete failure.
All this indicates that Monsanto’s toxic agriculture
and extortion have reached their limits. An ever-
growing number of people understand that
we can and have to feed the world without
poisoning it. A recent UN Report denounced the
myth that pesticides are necessary to feed the
world. On the 11th of October there will be an
official hearing in the EU Parliament. Monsanto
has been invited but will not show up, nor will
BfR. Soon the EU member states will have to cast
their vote for the final decision. One of the largest,
France, has previously announced it would vote
against the renewal of the license for glyphosate.
Monsanto exposed: the Monsanto Papers continued:
Over this year, an incredible amount of secret
documents from various industries and companies
were made public. In March 2017, an American Judge
ruled – over Monsanto’s objections – that certain
internal documents could be unsealed in the frame
the multidistrict litigation glyphosate cancer case.
Observers were quick to rename these
documents the ‘Monsanto Papers’.
http://en.monsantotribunal.org/main.php?obj_id=462530790
MORE ON MONSANTO: Monsanto May Have Written
Its Own Studies about Glyphosate Safety.
EPA Classified Roundup as Carcinogen 30 Years
Ago…but Mysteriously Reversed Decision.
Exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup Pesticide
Doubles Cancer Risk
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CLEVER CONSUMER CAMPAIGN
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** CLEVER CONSUMER (That’s you!) CAMPAIGN
REMINDER: TIP TALKS seeks to increase your
consumer IQ & abilities. Remember, if you tell
the supplier, retailer, or producer what you
will or won’t BUY, they care. ******************************************
CLEVER CONSUMER ACTIONS
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F” IS FOR FACTORY FARMED:
GET ROUTINE ANTIBIOTICS OUT OF OUR FOOD
Sign the Center for Food Safety petition to tell
the restaurants that received an "F" rating
on their 2017 scorecard to adopt strong policies
that prohibit the regular use of these antibiotics
in their meat and poultry!
See the scorecard & take action at:
https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=19431
10 THINGS THAT DESTROY INDOOR AIR QUALITY
www.care2.com/greenliving/10-things-that-destroy-
indoor-air-quality.html
Most indoor air quality is terrible and needs
some improving to reduce the number of toxins
we’re breathing in on a daily basis. Here are
10 things that you can do to significantly improve
your air quality.
Lose the Toxic Laundry Detergents:
Most laundry detergents (even many so-called
“natural” ones) contain harmful carcinogens
like 1,4-dioxane, nonylphenol ethoxylate,
alcohol ethoxylate and other toxic ingredients.
Many people have the incorrect idea that
truly natural laundry products have inferior
cleaning ability to toxic chemical ones,
which is simply not the case. All the toxic
ones do is increase your family’s exposure
to cancer-causing substances and hormone
disruptors. If you can smell it on your clothes,
bedding and towels, you’re breathing in
these potentially harmful substances.
Switch to healthier, natural options
available at your health food store.
Related: Does Your Laundry Detergent
Contain 5 Common Carcinogens?
Drop the Dryer Sheets: Dryer sheets may soften
your clothes, but at great potential expense to
your health. That’s because they’re among the
most toxic things we use in our homes. Most
dryer sheets have been found to contain
numerous volatile organic compounds
that can damage your health. The air from
dryer vents was found to contain acetaldehyde,
acetone and ethanol, toxins that have been linked
to cancer and nervous system damage. Is the
risk of cancer and brain or nervous system
impairment worth the risk? I certainly don’t
think so, particularly when there are many
great alternatives for soft clothes, such as:
baking soda, vinegar, wool dryer balls and
others. For more information check out
my blogs: Why You Should Stop Using Dryer Sheets
Now & 6 Natural Alternatives to Toxic Fabric Softeners.
Eliminate Air Fresheners: Most so-called
air freshening plug-ins, wicks, mists, aerosols
and other products contain hormone-disrupting phthalates that can lead
to a host of health
problems, from infertility and birth defects,
aswell as allergies and asthma. Instead,
use a 2-ounce spray bottle filled with 30 drops of
your favorite essential oils and topped up with water.
Related: The Shocking Truth about Air Fresheners
Cull Your Cleaning Products: Most commercial
cleaning products contain toxic ingredients like
butyl cellosolve and chlorinated phenols, which
have been linked to bone marrow, kidney, liver,
respiratory and circulatory problems. Switch
to baking soda, vinegar and natural essential
oils instead. Learn more in my blog. Related:
6 Worst Ingredients in Household Cleaning Products
Nix the Lead Wicks: Most candles have lead wicks,
which when burned will find its way into your
air supply. There is no acceptable amount of lead,
which has been linked to learning impairment,
aggressive behavior, even brain diseases. Instead,
choose vegetable wax candles free of scents and
lead wicks.
Pick PBDE-Free Toys and Household Products:
PBDE, which is short for polybrominated
diphenyl ethers, are used as flame retardants
in many plastic products and electronics.
They have been found to accumulate in fat,
blood, breast milk, placental tissue and the
brain. While the consumer goods industry
regularly claims the benefits outweigh the
harm, that simply is not true. A growing body
of research links these chemicals to cancer,
hormone impairment and liver damage.
VOCs in Paints: Most people know that paint
contains harmful VOCs, but it’s easy to switch
to natural VOC-free paints. Keep in mind that,
even in those, VOCs can be added when color
is injected into the paint, particularly in
darker shades of paint.
Filter Chlorine in Your Shower: Chlorine in our
water supply has been linked to a higher risk
of birth defects and miscarriages in pregnant
women and may produce toxic byproducts
that cause cancer in anyone. Add a filter to
your showerhead to prevent chlorine from
becoming airborne, where you’ll inhale it
directly into your body and bloodstream.
Most showerhead filters are quite affordable
and worth the small price.
Scrap Scented Garbage Bags: Many garbage bags
now contain Febreze and other scents, which have
been found to contain the cancer-causing and
nervous-system damaging chemicals like acetaldehyde and BHT. Choose
scent-free garbage bags to
avoid the off-gassing of these chemicals into y
our air. Related: Exposed: What’s Lurking in Febreze?
Stop Using Toxic Personal Care Products:
Whether it is cologne, perfume, hair spray or
other personal care products, most products
are full of toxic garbage we were never meant t
o inhale. The one ingredient known as “fragrance”
typically has over 400 other ingredients, mostly
obtained from petrochemicals. There are many
natural personal care and beauty products that
are free of toxic ingredients. Or make your own!
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RESOURCES
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NEW BLOG FROM: PROGRAM ON REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH & THE ENVIRONMENT
University of California, San Francisco
EPA PLANS FOR CALCULATING
CHEMICAL RISKS JUST DON’T ADD UP
September 19, 2017, Tracey Woodruff
The United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is making major changes in how it deals
with hazardous chemicals, & the first 10 chemicals
EPA is considering have a whopping combined
production volume of over 1 billion pounds per year.
That’s about 3 pounds of chemicals per person in
the U.S., and we know that Americans are widely
exposed to these chemicals — some taint our
drinking water, others contaminate our homes,
or waft from our dry-cleaned clothes. As we wrote
earlier this year, Congress recently overhauled
the federal law, the Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA), which is supposed to address toxic
chemicals in everyday products like furniture,
toys, building materials and cleaning products.
One of the EPA’s first actions under the new TSCA
is to evaluate risks to human health (a process
known as “risk evaluation”) for the 10 chemicals
shown in the table below.
These first 10 assessments are critical because
these chemicals are widespread in our homes
and workplaces, and because these assessments
will set the precedent for how EPA evaluates
chemical risks for decades to come.
Table of the first 10 chemicals EPA is evaluating under
the new TSCA with recent news stories where available.
https://prheucsf.blog/2017/09/19/epa-plans-for-calculating-chemical-risks-just-dont-add-up/
And a Non-GMO Shopping Guide!
www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/
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**BENEFIT 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 your charity. You then shop
on smile.amazon.com the same way you would
have shopped on www.amazon.com.,
but the donation 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 below.
(We are a tax deductible organization)
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CONTACT: Liberty Goodwin, Director,
Toxics Information Project (TIP)
P.O. Box 40572, Providence, RI 02940
Tel. 401-351-9193, E-Mail: liberty@toxicsinfo.org
Website: www.toxicsinfo.org