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July 18, 2005
Unborn babies soaked in chemicals, eh?
It should come as no surprise that folks today face a slew of pollutants before they're even born, but read the article anyway.
So they found DDT... wonder where that came from? Eating non-organic produce from Mexico, allowed into our country because of NAFTA, perhaps?
They also found flame-retardant chemicals, not only in umbilical cord blood, but breast milk as well. That organic bed and natural fiber eco-carpet is looking a lot better right about now, not to mention consuming less meat and dairy, especially if you plan to breast feed.
It's obvious that a) action needs to be taken on many levels and b) we are NOT helpless to take action at the personal and household levels.
We don't have to wait around while California figures out how to enforce its ban on certain fire retardants to buy a natural wool bed that doesn't need chemicals.
We don't have to wait for every paint manufacturer to get a clue before we can use very low-VOC paint for our next project.
We certainly aren't depending on anyone else to take the simple steps of cleaning more often and thoroughly (with the proper HEPA equipment and eco-safe supplies) to reduce the amount of chemical-laden dust in our homes.
These have all been points of some contention in my own home... inertia, habit, and history are all in the way. It's easy for folks to feel judged and miss the point (this isn't about whether you're "bad" or "good", but whether or not your lifestyle is contributing to and creating the life you say you want). Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the impossibility of perfection and have to consciously remember to come back to my goal: gradual, continual improvement... baby steps in the right direction.
It's not easy to get everyone on board, but it's worth the time energy and educating. At least, I'm worth it, and the people I care about are, too... even when they don't always care themselves.
Posted by Josh A. at July 18, 2005 02:19 PM
Comments
More fun facts: Fish are full of flame retardant chemicals, too. So that's someone else for pregnant and nursing women to avoid eating. And wool beds may seem like a good idea but they require starving and cutting up live sheep, then selling them for painful halal slaughter! Not so hot.
Fortunately, you're not pregnant or nursing... right?
Posted by: Ari Moore at July 19, 2005 05:52 AM
Actually, I don't think LifeKind sells wool beds... theirs are cotton. And they also sell natural foam mattresses, too. Vegan beds sans chemicals for you :)
Posted by: Josh A. at July 19, 2005 08:06 AM
Whoo! That's wonderful. Should I actually buy such a thing when Shira and I are coming up on baby-making-time? Our Ikea mattress is so cozy... and so cheap... and so already-paid-for...
Posted by: Ari Moore at July 20, 2005 05:48 AM
Fish are full of flame retardent chemicals? Tell that to the nice piece of Talapia I incinerated last night.
Posted by: ThatGuy at July 20, 2005 10:20 PM
Put your commercial mattress in a huge oven and it'll incinerate (or melt:) too.
Ari, I would worry more about dust, cleaning with a HEPA vac, and making new purchases conciously... rather than going out and replacing everything I owned (which isn't very green either). I'd worry about buying a new bed when the old one was ready to be replaced.
Posted by: Josh A. at July 20, 2005 10:58 PM
"Put your commercial mattress in a huge oven and it'll incinerate (or melt:) too."
That's just too, too Farah Fawcett for me.
Posted by: ThatGuy at July 21, 2005 12:48 PM