Amy here from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE). Great article on the hidden dangers of household items, like our friend here, Mr. Phthalate Duck. I know I personally cringe every time I see one of those at a baby shower. Wanted to let you know PPNNE is also committed to this issue. We offer weekly green tips for better health on our blog http://www.good-chemistry.org Hope you have a chance to check it out. Thanks for all you do!

Amy, Thanks for taking the time to weigh in, it's great to see another organization working on these issues. And a big thanks for sharing our research on your Good Chemistry blog. Lisa

Support the environment and art by supporting Emergence, a large outdoor installation at AU Museum; references  icebergs, calls attention to fragile beauty of our environment: http://georgiajunegoldberg.com/museums_commissions.php

I've been talking to my classes about the cancer-chemical connection primarily with this book, but I find it really hard to ride the line between motivating and depressing. Not everything is toxic, and we can avoid many product that are - they're just not necessary to our lives. But when I warn them against certain shower curtains and frying pans, they roll their eyes in annoyance or put their heads down in despair.

Any thought from anyone about getting a message across about keeping ourselves safe without prompting a backlash from teens who just want to enjoy life already??

If you believe you should pay it forward to those you know and care about, as well as those that enter your life's path, and help to educate them to the dangers in our household cleaning supplies, and get paid for it, please contact me.

I work for Metametrix and wanted to let everyone know that we have a simple urine test that will show your phthalate and paraben exposure levels - your doc can order it for you.
http://bit.ly/40PqJZ

Melinda, Thanks for joining the conversation here on Enviroblog. With all due respect, we believe that your time and money is better spent avoiding these chemicals in our daily life and advocating for laws that protect all people from hazardous chemicals. Your exposure to chemicals like phthalates and parabens changes daily, so a simple
test may not provide any useful information about your present or future health. Instead, read the label (here are our tips how: http://bit.ly/4xXj5i), use fewer products and join our effort to reform cosmetics safety: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/about.php.

Marie, Many adults also roll their eyes or throw up their hands about this issue. We work hard to make practical, not extreme, suggestions for change, prioritizing the biggest risks so if people only make a few changes, they make a difference. One idea is to show them our '10 Americans' presentation - it's online ((http://bit.ly/54hb1y) and/or you can order the DVD here: http://bit.ly/5mBfhZ.

This short, entertaining presentation by EWG's co-founding president Ken Cook explains why low-dose exposures to chemicals DOES matter.

Also, have you heard of Teens Turning Green? Could be a good resource that speaks to your students on these issues: http://www.teensturninggreen.org/.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

OMG, In 1990's I worked closely with Greenpeace on getting vinyl out of children's toys. We also, used the rubber duck, as our show and tell toy for the cause. CNN will be doing a special in March on Toxic Towns and Lake Charles, La., my hometown will be featured. It is also featured in a movie, BLUE VINYL, which was done by Judith Helfand and Dan Gold on the Vinyl Industry and can be rented if you are interested in watching it.
Lake Charles creates large amounts of this product made from waste from the processing of oil and gas. The largest toxic spill known to man was also in Lake Charles, covered up of course by industry. The chemical, EDC, is a byproduct of vinyl, and over 140 million lbs. of it were spilled into the chicot acquifer. This is working its way to our only drinking water source. Well water is out as a possibility as it has already hit the 250 foot sands. Vinyl, from cradle to grave, is one of the most toxic chemicals known to man. The problem is is that it is cheap and lots of things can be made with it, including medical IV lines, medical drip bags, children's toys etc... DANGER DANGER MR. ROBINSON... The fight continues! Thank you for taking the time to write the book but I would have HEAVILY ADVISED that you do not ingest this product as it does not leave your body and is stored in your fat cells. If you breastfeed, it will leave your body though, and go directly to your baby. DIOXIN. UCK.Thank you for writing this book.

Thanks Lisa!