ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« Envirohealth News: Home on the trash heap, and recycle your CFLs! | Main | Just shoot me: The vaccination quandry »
Chemical Index: Find the information you're looking for
We quietly added a new feature to the EWG homepage this week, and it's one I think Enviroblog readers might find very useful.
The Chemical Index (which you'll find on the lefthand navigation) documents all of the chemicals EWG has researched or done work related to. You can go in, click on a chemical you want to learn more about, and get a list of EWG's research, related news items, and the health effects of that chemical. Health effects (like hormone disruption) and routes of exposure (like through personal care products) are also cataloged, so there are lots of ways to search.
Let's have an example, shall we?
Say you heard something about PCBs on the news. In fact, you've been hearing about PCBs on the news for years, but the news anchors are so vague that you don't think you really understand what they are. Instead of searching the internet and turning up dubious information, or hunting through EWG's site to find what you're looking for, you can just click on PCBs in the chemical index. There you'd find EWG's report on PCBs in farmed salmon, as well as this simple explanation:
PCBs are persistent contaminants that impact the brain, nervous and hormone systems. PCBs were banned in the 1970s but despite the ban, human exposure continues from fatty foods. EWG is working to clean up food fed to farmed salmon, which contain high concentrations of these chemicals.
and this description of the health effects and routes of exposure:
Health Effects related to Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): Endocrine system, Reproduction and fertility, Persistent and bioaccumulative, Cancer, Immune system (including sensitization and allergies), Brain and nervous system, Birth or developmental effectsRoutes of Exposure related to Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs):
* Environment: agriculture
* Food: fatty foods, fish
* Found in people
* Miscellaneous: electrical insulators, electrical transformers
* Water: sewage sludge
So there you have it. Yet another useful, research-based tool from EWG.
« Envirohealth News: Home on the trash heap, and recycle your CFLs! |
Leave a comment