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.
« New study and new dangers of the old toxic Teflon chemical | Main | Scientists: Lead contamination in drinking water is never safe. »
Mercury in your medicine cabinet?
Special to Enviroblog by Sonya Lunder, EWG Senior Analyst
Mercury was on my mind a lot last December, but imagine my surprise to find out it was also in my medicine cabinet!
Pawing through my mom's cabinet over Christmas I saw a suspicious item on the top shelf. It was a dust-covered vial of Merthiolate, once a common skin antiseptic made of thimerosal.
Mercury was a common ingredient in skin antiseptics of the past, and prior to 1999 was widely used as a preservative in vaccines. Mercury is still found in some eye drops, ear drops and nose sprays.
Since then FDA has asked manufacturers to remove mercury from kid's shots, but it is still used in several shots--particularly the "multi-dose" Fluzone, Fluvirin, Afluria and FluLaval shots. You should ask for a "preservative-free" shot and see a complete list of other mercury-containing shots for adults here:
My parent's Merthiolate was half full and had a pricetag for $0.44, so clearly some of the old stuff sticks around for a while. If you find it make sure the lids are secure and call your local government or check Earth911.com to find safe disposal locations.
p.s. The Boric Acid sitting beside it is also suspect. Perhaps I'll post on that later.
« New study and new dangers of the old toxic Teflon chemical |
As you are no doubt aware, almost everyone has mercury leeching out of their fillings and fish have varying degrees of mercury. As the economy is in recession, I hope the public's concern about such issues will not diminish. We will need to disseminate the facts about our environment and the role we can play in addressing these complex issues.
As the president of a consulting firm and author of The Green Market I am a champion of sustainable business, but I also understand that to be sustainable a business must be viable. The Green Market provides a information for people seeking to invest in the rising tide of ecological interest. Included in The Green Market is a Green Link Library, a comprehensive alphabetized list of resources addressing all things Green. Original articles address subjects like CleanTech, the Obama Effect, Green ethics and marketing.
I welcome your comments
The Green Market
http://thegreenmarket.blogspot.com
I would be interested in your post about Boric Acid. To my knowledge its still recommended to put as power along walls to rid house of pests, but not good for pets and children. I don't use it therefore.
If you kept the merthiolate, I would love to purchase all you have. I bought a case of the stuff just before it went off the market. But that all evaporated in the attic. Now it is nowhere to be found. Nothing works like that stuff for cuts.