The Green Pharmacist is launching a new and improved BlogSite in early December!!!!!!!!   You will find the premium Tips, Tools and Resources to live a Eco-Friendly lifestyle that simuatenously protects your Health along with the Environment.   More Details to Come………..

You’ve probably noticed the green cleaning section at your local supermarkets and you may be wondering why take the leap?  You are preserving the environment but you are simultaneously protecting your health.  It comes as no surprise that many chemicals found in household cleaning products contain – you guessed it –  carcinogens.  The Cancer Prevention Coalition notes several grim statistics and advise consumers to be empowered when buying household products.  The Safe Shopper’s Bible offers in-depth information and provides useful rating charts on a wide range of products currently on the market.

Several companies are now selling green household products while long-standing brands are offering green product lines.  I have opted to buy several of the green cleaning products however I also have learned that without high standards and regulations greenwashing can occur.   This has led me to explore the old school world of DIY – it’s inexpensive, non-toxic and is less time consuming than we think.

The  Cancer Prevention Coalition provides a list of hazardous chemicals in household products but more importantly they along with several other organizations including the The Worldwatch Institute and Washington Toxics Coalition have simple, clean lists of ingredients that consumeres can use for safe, effective homemade cleaners.

The following are basic items needed to create many Green, Clean Products:

• Vinegar

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Water

• Liquid Soap

• Lemons

Take it one step further and buy the organic versions of these items to doubly ensure you concoct the purest cleaners.  The Washington Toxics Coalition also provides:

Guidelines when creating your Non-toxic Concoctions:

1.  Avoid making cleaning products with hazardous ingredients such as bleach, ammonia, alcohols, turpentine, etc.  (the whole point in non-toxic alternative versions!)

2. Do NOT mix: chlorine bleach and ammonia, or chlorine bleach and a strong acid.

3. Avoid mixing up more product than you can use at one time which cuts down on storing products. (a good space saving tip as well!)

4. When storing homemade cleaners label the containers,

5. Remember to keep all cleaning products out of reach of children.

6. Discontinue using a homemade cleaner is it is ineffective that you need to use very large amounts. However, many homemade cleaners are very effective.

A Couple of Sample Cleaning Recipes (provided by the Washington Toxics Coalition )

Bathroom Cleaner

Baking soda

Liquid soap

Use baking soda in place of scouring powder. Sprinkle it on porcelain fixtures and rub with a wet sponge. Add a little soap to the sponge for more cleaning power. Rinse well to avoid leaving a cloudy film.

Window Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar

1 quart warm water

Few drops of liquid soap (optional)

I think it is almost impossible, at this point, for anyone living under the age of 40 to imagine a world without cell phones, smart phones, camera phones and texting. Unlike other Un-Green health habits such as irradiated lettuce, growth hormone laced chicken and 1,4 dioxane contaminated lotion, there isn’t an organic version of a cell phone.  Therefore, I am left with learning how to live in harmony with an iphone and the natural world while employing all of the tips, tricks and tools necessary to decrease radiation to lowest degree possible.

Scientific evidence is confirming the potential for cancer with long-term cell phone exposure.

Get Educated:

1. Research your cell phone radiation level with the EWG’s savvy online tool

2. Reduce exposure: check out the EWG and Dr. Mercola’s dedicated websites

3. Dr. Mercola recommends the Blue TUBE  (instead of blueTOOTH) headset technology

4. Children should have very limited use (emergency only) with cell phones

Go Green:

I also spend as much time in nature away from electronics.  It’s just unnatural and unhealthy to stay plugged in 24-7. And the greenest health tip – to actually talk face to face whenever possible.  I have friends locally in which I can easily replace a 2-hour cell phone conversation with meeting for dinner and cocktails.  The healthiest things you can do for your life are always the most fun!

I use to buy bottled water as often and at the rate it is recommended to drink it.  I loved the “convenience “of it, the “health” of it, the “tap-water-avoidance” of it.  I cringe when I think about the times I left my plastic bottled water in a hot car %$#!  I am wiser now and am living by the adage that when “you know better, you do better.”   This decision can actually result in cost-savings pretty quickly so price can’t be an excuse this time.   However, I did have to invest in a water filtration system before I buried my consistent bottled water habit.   Here are a few reasons along with resources to make you a more educated green health consumer:

1. Contamination in Bottled Water and the lack of regulation to ensure human safety.
2. Water is primarily Bottled in Plastics. Chemicals can leach into water including the endocrine disrupter phthalate.
3. If Bottled Water is no better than Tap then cut the cost.   Spend the money on purchasing organic whole foods and a water filtration system.
4. Manufacturing bottled water hurts the environment.  There are several issues ranging from energy consumption, unsustainable extraction of water from the earth and the overwhelming amount of plastic bottles in landfills.

It helps to have an eco-friendly water bottle so you carry filtered tap water with you when you are out and about. However, if you are in a situation when you have to make the best bottled water decision, use the Environmental Working Group’s Bottled Water Widget.

Everyone hears about pesticides on foods but many people are unaware of what that really, really means.  I wonder if people could understand specifically, what it means to eat foods laden with chemicals and their link to disease would a deeper awareness would come forth.  When I grocery shop, it has become easier for me to chose the least toxic (i.e. healthiest) foods available, because I continue to gain a better understanding about toxic chemicals and their links to disease.    Body Burden is the term used to describe the amount to toxic chemicals that we carry in our bodies through inhalation, food, water and skin absorption.  Our exposure to toxins has become so critical that the Environmental Working Group has a dedicated webpage bringing awareness to the unprecedented level of pollution in newborns.

So instead of merely glossing over the term organic, take a second to see what it means to eat a banana that was NOT grown in harmony with natural world.  The  “What’s on my Food” online tool developed by the Pesticide Action Network can be used to search foods and/or pesticides.

The search for banana revealed that 12 Pesticide Residues were found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program. These 12 pesticides are known to have the following adverse effects on human health:

4	—	Known or Probable Carcinogens4
7	—	Suspected Hormone Disruptors
2	—	Neurotoxins
4	—	Developmental or Reproductive Toxicants

The specific pollutants are listed with a neat graphic display corresponding to their health effects.  Eating the wide range of contaminants found in all our foods over long periods of times can only result in deleterious effects on our health.   Choosing organic options as much as possible and taking action to support high organic standards and to decrease harmful pesticide use are valuable ways to create health in a highly toxic world.

I personally do not wear a lot of makeup nevertheless I have accumulated a good deal of lipstick, eyeshadows and other cosmetics overtime.  Cosmetics can be pricey and I wish I had known earlier about the harmful chemicals and additives used to manufacture these products.  The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics provides a list of the Top 6 chemicals that should be avoided based on mounting scientific evidence of their harmful effects:

• Nitrosamines
  • Listed as possible human carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and several other agencies.
  • Linked to other diseases including reproductive disorders and noted as having harmful effects on the immune system.
• Lead and Other Heavy Metals
  • Lead has been linked to reproductive problems and its effects on the brain which can lead to language and behavioral problems.
  • High levels of heavy metals (e.g. arsenic, mercury, aluminum, zinc) has been shown to cause numerous health problems including cancer.
• Parabens
  • Parabens are widely used preservatives that prevent bacterial and fungal growth in a large number of cosmetics and personal care products.
  • The scientific community continues to study the potential toxic effects of parabens, due to their ability to act like the hormone estrogen, which may increase the risk of breast cancer.  Organic body care companies are proposing safer and healthier product alternatives that exclude the use of parabens as preservatives.
• Phthalates
  • Phthalates are widely used chemicals in many products and are also added to cosmetics such as fragrances and nail polishes. Phthalates  are generally not listed as an ingredient in cosmetics. Research has shown that phthalates are present in most of the tested human bodies.
  • Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to reproductive abnormalities, infertility, improper fetal development, birth defects especially in male genitalia and breast cancer.
• Hydroquinone
  • Hydroquinone is used as a skin lightener in cosmetics and its use is popular in women of color. It has numerous health risks including its ability to cause cancer, which at one point led to a proposed FDA ban.
  • The Environmental Working Group assigned the highest hazard score  of 10 to hydroquinone.
• 1,4 Dioxane
  • 1,4 Dioxane is a known carcinogenic in which advocacy groups are working hard to raise awareness to consumers for removal in body care products especially kids products.
  • Unfortunately, 1,4 dioxane does not appear on product labels which leaves the green consumer in an unfair position.

Most people will ask, “Where can I find safe products?” The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has compiled a list of more than 1000 companies who have singed the “Compact for Safe Cosmetics.” The companies have pledged the following:

• All cosmetics and personal care products made by the company anywhere in the world meet or exceed the formulation standards and deadlines set by the European Union cosmetics directive to be free of chemicals that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation or birth defects.
• The company will implement substitution plans that replace hazardous materials with safer alternatives within three years, and publicly report its progress in meeting these goals.

Use the EWG’s tool to research your products on the cosmetic safety database. It will take a little leg work however it is worth finding a company committed to your safety.  It is so much more fun using safe products because true beauty is having a healthy body.

I doubt women pay much attention to chemical ingredients that makeup their eyeshadow and lipstick.  Most of us assume that the cosmetics we buy are safe.  We also do not consider health risks associated with low dose exposures overtime to toxins and chemicals in these products. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition working to phase out the use of chemicals in makeup and bodycare prodcuts  linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems, and to replace them with safer alternatives. They have made great strides in this specialized area of environmental health research and has asked cosmetic companies to commit to greening their makeup manufacturing.

The Environmental Working Group has a cosmetic safety database entitled “Skin Deep”  that allows consumers to search ingredients, cosmetic companies and products.  I checked a lipstick that I have (still unopened) to put it to the test.  I was able to find the lipstick brand and a similar color.  The lipstick is given a hazard score along with company policy information.  The company did not sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and it also conducts animal testing.

An overview of ingredients are also listed in a neat chart:

Ingredients in this product are linked to:
	Cancer
	Developmental/reproductive toxicity
	Violations, restrictions & warnings
	Allergies/immunotoxicity
	Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

An interesting task is to look at the breakdown of ingredients to review the health and/or environmental concerns linked to each ingredient.

INGREDIENTS

	Score	Concerns
BHT	7	Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes
POLYETHYLENE	6	Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Contamination concerns (ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE)
D&C RED 36 (MAY CONTAIN)	1	Persistence and bioaccumulation
RETINYL PALMITATE	5	Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Violations, restrictions & warnings, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Biochemical or cellular level changes
D&C RED 21 ALUMINUM LAKE (MAY CONTAIN)	3	Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Neurotoxicity

This is one tool available to empower consumers to make informed choices when shopping for cosmetics.   It is not enough to make packaging of products eco-friendly, what we put on and put in our bodies has to be the greenest product of all.

“Put your money where your mouth is” easily separates the wheat from the tare.    Everyone will tell you that they support kids’ health and disease prevention.  Every school board, parent, politician, physician and government.  But when it comes to policy changes that force school lunches to serve healthy food – with a non-greenwashed version of healthy food -  there is dead silence.   Kids are served processed junk foods at public schools which is a reflection of our disconnect from nutrition, environment and disease.   The economics of healthcare in this country could shift from research of disease treatment to the root cause of disease development.  Let’s look at a couple of organizations that are advocating for our school systems to “put their money their mouth is” and change the school food program.

A)  The APPETITE FOR CHANGE campaign by the Organic Consumers Association.   Appetite for change provided a poignant review of the current poor state of school nutrition vs. the optimal target for school lunches.  4 major goals of the program are:

• STOP spraying toxic pesticides on school property, playgrounds and in buildings

• KICK junk foods and junk food ads out of our schools.

• START converting school lunches to locally grown and/or organic foods and transition to organic ingredients (no pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, irradiation or genetically engineered ingredients). Offer vegetarian options.

• TEACH kids about healthy food choices and sustainable agriculture through school garden projects and curriculum materials.

B)  The Edible Schoolyard provides the concepts of organic gardening into the school classroom.  Students are “involved in all aspects of farming the garden and preparing, serving and eating food as a means of awakening their senses and encouraging awareness and appreciation of the transformative values of nourishment, community and stewardship of the land.”

C)  My Healthy School provides actual lesson plans that you can use in the classroom!  These fun and easy to use plans can be downloaded at:  http://www.myhealthyschool.com/downloads/LsnPln_1_35.pdf

Raising kids to be stewards of the environment while showing them the critical relationship between nature and their health is the most valuable disease prevention activity that can exist.

Who knew food was this complicated?

The Center for Food Safety addresses harmful food production issues and provides sustainable solutions.  It is pretty hard to create health without food the way nature intended it to be.  Many of our health issues boil down to the basics: real food, pure water, exercise, less stress, clean environment and treating the whole person.  The True Food Network is a project of the Center for Food Safety, which has several advocacy points to address about our current food conundrum:

• Halt any new genetically engineered crops, clearly label GMO foods already on the market and to reduce existing GMO foods. Check out the: GMO shoppers guide!

• Called on FDA to ban the use of clones in food production.

• Force the FDA to remove growth hormones (rBGH /rBST) from the market through all available legal means.   Growth hormone Health Risk List: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/rbghgeneticroulette.pdf

• Stop misleading consumers with false labeling of irradiated foods as “pasteurized.”  Irradiating food by using high-energy X-rays is not the same process as pasteurization which involves heating liquids to high temperatures.  Check out the Irradiation: Fact Sheet!

• Protect our seafood by better aquaculture practices! For example, high mercury levels in fish is an ongoing problem: http://www.ewg.org/node/8719

• Maintain high organic standards. The Organic & Beyond campaign promotes a new vision of farming with respect for the natural world that replaces the current large-scale industrial model.

These issues are health issues – you cannot separate a deteriorating environment and poor food production from the production of human disease and illness.

Beyond Pesticides is a coalition that works to achieve a toxic-pesticide free world for the protection of public health and the environment. This grassroots organization does not want public pesticide policy to be left in the hands of chemical industries that do not have the best interest of people and the planet in mind. Data regarding the link between pesticides and diseases are continually surfacing: http://www.ewg.org/node/8683.  Therefore, if I am truly a healthcare provider, I have to be vigilant about disease prevention at the root level. The Beyond Pesticide Coalition is commited to the following:

• Provides useful information on harmful pesticides and alternatives to their use so people can protect themselves and the environment from potential harmful effects.

• Uses a two-pronged approach to the pesticide issue by A) identifying the risks of conventional pesticide practices and B) promoting non-chemical and least toxic alternatives.

• Initiates change through local action by helping individuals and community-based groups to foster discussion on the hazards of toxic pesticides, while providing education on safe alternatives.

• Maintains a policy forum in Washington, DC and state capitals about the emerging issues of the pesticide problem.

• Provides scientific data through Pesticides and You and ChemWATCH.  Holds the annual conference “National Pesticide Forum”  where people from across the country gather to share information, expertise, ideas and strategies.

Removing unnecessary chemicals from our environment should be a health promotion strategy on every health organization’s agenda.  It is important that health charities and advocacy groups understand this important piece of the puzzle.