Non-Toxic Toiletries Advice

Don’t forget that if you need advice at any point on what toiletries might suit you or which ones are the most ethical/green/non-toxic, please simply contact me. I will let you know which I think are the best and then tell you where to get them from. Simples.

A Bright Idea? I Think Not…

Lastly, this quote I read recently made me laugh, although it’s not really a laughing matter:

“In answer to a question in Parliament by MP David Davies about how to safely dispose of a broken fluorescent light bulb, the House of Commons Commission said people should put on a protective mask and gloves, ventilate the room, place the bulb in a sealed sturdy box with a damp cloth in the box to stop it breaking,  seal with tape and take to waste disposal contractor!”

Well, there you have it. No wonder the government has seen fit to make sure we all have to buy non-traditional lightbulbs for our homes from 1^st September. You couldn’t make it up, could you? Safe until they’re broken it seems. I am looking into how we might be able to get round having to use them – let me know if you have had any bright ideas (geddit?! God, I’m too good at this…)

Get BBP Out Of Our Cosmetics!

A recent study has shown that butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, a chemical found in lipstick and nail varnish may interfere with the healthy development of breast tissue. BBP is a man-made substance that accumulates in fatty tissue and is part of a group of chemicals that mimic oestrogen. The concern has been so great that they have already been banned in teething rings and dummies across Europe. The Women’s Environmental Network is campaigning to have them removed from all cosmetics on sale in Britain. Glenville June 09

New AnneMarie Borlind Hair, Eye and Travel Goodies

As many of you know, AMB make gorgeous Hair products. Just to let you know, they’ve just updated the formulations and packaging, and gone back to a previous name SEIDE, which means Silk in German. There is now Mild Conditioning Shampoo for daily use (£7.75), Volumising for fine hair (£8.50), Strengthening for treated hair (£8.50), Normalising for oily hair (£7.75) and Therapeutic for dandruffy hair (£8.50) plus Strengthening Hair Conditioner (£11.25). All in large 200ml bottles except conditioner which is 150ml.

They have also launched 2 limited edition Eyeshadow Quartets following on from their use at the Miss Germany competition and to celebrate 50 years of AMB natural cosmetics. The first quartet is golden sand, olive, gold ocher and savannah brown (so great for tans) and the second is brighter: tea rose, aquamarine, plum and beige. As always, their cosmetics are mineral-based, non-animal and contain none of the usual nasties. The quartets cost £16.00 and come in a mirrored compact with applicator.

Finally, for those of you going on hols and who don’t want to take large skincare bottles with you, they have launched Travel Sets in ZZ Sensitive (reactive skin £24.50), LL Regeneration (over 30s £27.95) and System Absolute (anti-ageing £39.20) skincare ranges. They include cleanser, toner, day and night creams and cost and are great also as a trial before you buy larger sizes, or as a gift for someone.

To get any of these, contact Simply Nature on 01580 201 687 and give my name.

Arsenic in Rice Milk – Is This True?

Thank you to those of you who pointed out the recent media story about arsenic being in rice milk. It seems the Food Standards Agency has issued a new guideline that babies and toddlers under four years old shouldn’t be given rice milk as it contains too much arsenic. Shocked, I have looked into it for you. First, a quick summary and then I have included the press release from the FSA, and finally a response from the makers of Rice Dream. Hope it helps.

 

My summary: It seems a lot of foods contain a natural level of arsenic and rice has an ability to store it slightly more from what I read. Most experts are saying there is no real danger as it is endemic in our environment and foods, but that because babies and toddlers tend to drink a lot of it per body weight, the possibility of having too much should be recognised. The  best approach seems to be to not to have too much and to vary different milks around ie. not be too reliant on rice generally at that age. Another example of saying what’s wrong with something, but not really much help to those little ones who can’t drink cow’s milk (or soya)! Don’t forget too that the body is very efficient at getting rid of metals like this as it is a normal part of our environment. That said, it should be limited and we always need to ensure the right vitamins and minerals are in place to achieve the detox process in the body. It’s just a problem when a little one has to have a lot of it. Perhaps we need to think of alternatives such as oat and a little soya milk if little ones can’t have cow’s milk and are too young for nut milk, and always buy organic rice products.

 

From the FSA Press Release: The Agency has today published results from two studies: arsenic levels in rice drinks and one on cooking methods to reduce arsenic levels in rice. As a result of the rice drink study, the Agency recommends that toddlers and young children should not have rice drinks, often known as rice milk, as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk or infant formula.The rice drink study followed concerns about results from a study published last year that measured arsenic levels in these types of drinks. The research published today examined 60 samples of rice drinks and found low levels of arsenic in all of them (see The science behind the story section below).

The level of total arsenic ranged from 0.010 – 0.034 milligram/kilogram and the levels of inorganic – the more harmful – form of arsenic ranged from 0.005 – 0.020 milligram/kilogram. The proportion of inorganic arsenic in the rice drink samples ranged from 48 – 63%. None of the results were over the current legal limit (but see the Current regulations section below).

In the second study, researchers looked at the effect of cooking methods on arsenic content of rice. The Agency is not advising anyone to change the way they cook rice as a result of this study as the impact on the overall dietary intake of arsenic from different cooking methods is minimal.

What the Agency advises

As a precaution, toddlers and young children between 1 and 4.5 years old should not have rice drinks as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk, or infant formula. This is because they will then drink a relatively large amount of it, and their intake of arsenic will be greater than that of older children and adults relative to their bodyweight. This is both on nutritional grounds and because such substitution can increase their intake of inorganic arsenic, which should be kept as low as possible. A daily half pint or 280 millilitres of rice drink could double the amount of the more harmful form of arsenic they consume each day.

There is no immediate risk to children who have been consuming rice drinks and it is unlikely that there would have been any long-term harmful effects but to reduce further exposure to arsenic parents should stop giving these drinks to toddlers and young children. If your child is allergic to cows’ milk, you are strongly advised to seek advice from your health professional or dietitian on suitable replacements. Other groups of people do not need to change their diet because their exposure to inorganic arsenic from rice drinks is lower relative to their bodyweight. Children under a year old should drink breast milk or infant formula milk. Cows’ milk or alternatives are not suitable as a drink until an infant is 12 months old.

The research published today does not affect the Agency’s advice on any other weaning foods. Advice from a survey in 2007, which included baby rice and other rice products, concluded that these foods did not have levels of inorganic arsenic that caused concern.

Further information:

For further information on this survey, please contact: arsenic_enquiries@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk.

The science behind the story

Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment. It occurs in soil, water – both sea and fresh – and in almost all plants and animal tissues. As a result, arsenic occurs naturally at very low levels in many foods and it is not possible to avoid it completely. How harmful the arsenic is depends on the chemical form in which it is present. The organic form is less harmful than the inorganic form which can cause cancer by harming our genetic material (DNA). Rice and rice products have higher levels of the inorganic form of arsenic compared with other food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) (an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency) has concluded that people should consume as little of this form of arsenic as reasonably practicable.

Related links

Survey of metals in weaning foods and formulae for infants Read the Food Survey Information Sheet

Survey of total and inorganic arsenic in rice drinks Food Survey Information Sheet 02/09

See more background at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis0209arsenicinrice.pdf

 

Rice Dream response:

“All Rice Dream and Lima products are significantly below the legal maximum limit for levels of arsenic in food products….They pose no risk to customers and this has been confirmed by tests conducted by the FSA and an independent laboratory.”

I shall keep you updated if anything else comes to light.

Oy! Green People Launch New Teen Skincare

No, I’m not being rude. The new skin range for teenagers is called Organic Young , or Oy! for short! There are six products, all organic with ‘no gunk’ or artificial perfumes, fair trade ingredients and not tested on animals – and, of course, no toxic chemicals. Decent prices, there is an easy 3-in-1 cleanser, make up remover and moisturiser for those who’ve got better things to do, a foaming anti bacterial face wash, cover and clear-it spot concealer, peel off-face mask to draw out grime, self-glow gradual tan and a moisturiser with F15 sun screen. You can get these from Nutricentre or The Natural Dispensary as usual. If you’d like a copy of the free brochure about it, please ask.

France Bans Mobile Use In Primary Schools

After a six-week review of mobile and wi-fi radiation, the French government recently announced their decision to take some strongly precautionary measures, especially in schools with young children. Although campaigners who wanted the measures to go further walked out of the talks, the government has chosen to implement an outright ban of mobile phones in primary schools and now require operators to provide ‘stripped down’ handsets only capable of texting or without a loudspeaker. There is a rising level of public concern in the country about the dangers inherent in mobile phones, masts and wi-fi and the campaigners wanted a ban on mobile phones for children up to 14, who are considered more vulnerable, and more to be done to control the location and power of masts, again especially near children.  I couldn’t agree more and am getting increasingly concerned about the prevalence of what is, let’s face it, new technology without long-term safety studies. We ARE the long term study! British government please take note. Source: Powerwatch May 09.

Organic apples higher in antioxidants

A new study by scientists in Germany shows that organically grown apples have a 15% higher antioxidant capacity than conventionally produced apples, reports FoodNavigator.com.

The findings of the new survey are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and build on evidence from a number of studies showing significant nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food.

The study compared the polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of Golden Delicious apples grown under organic and conventional conditions over a three year period (2004-2006). It found that antioxidant capacity was 15% higher in the organic fruit. NPN May 09

Household cleaners creating drug-resistant bacteria

 

Chemicals used in a whole range of household cleaning products are contributing to the growth of dangerous new antibiotic-resistant bacteria, reports The Observer. According to researchers from Warwick University the problem occurs when detergents, cleaners and disinfectants enter the sewerage system and then end up on farmland in sewage used as ‘soil treatment’. One of the researchers stated: “The inference is clear. We are producing sewage and river water that have more and more drug-resistant bacteria in them and that these are now poised to enter the food chain.” Natural Products News, March 09.

Breast Cancer Chemicals Campaign

Breast Cancer UK is a charity that fights to inform people about chemicals being one of the major causes of the rise in breast cancer. I received this from them recently, so pass it on in case you find it useful. I certainly believe chemicals could have an awful lot to do with not just breast cancer, but the cancer epidemic we find ourselves with.  Have a read…

 

“Our ‘No More Breast Cancer’ campaign is becoming more widely known.  We hope that you will pass on information about our work and direct people to our new website at www.breastcanceruk.org.uk   Please check it out. 

 

According to the Office of National Statistics’ latest figures, the number of new diagnoses of breast cancer in the UK has risen again and now affects over 45,000 UK women per year.  Since 1993 the average age of women diagnosed with breast cancer is 50-54, although the Government continue to designate breast cancer as a disease of ‘old age’.  We want the Government to reduce our exposure to hazardous chemicals in our environment and in everyday products that are linked with breast cancer. 

 

Regardless of these depressing statistics and our pressure on the Government to acknowledge hazardous chemicals as a risk factor in breast cancer its response this year has been consistently disappointing.  When we queried why hazardous chemicals had not been included in their Cancer Reform Strategy the reply was the same one they have always given over the last decade:  they don’t believe there is enough scientific evidence.  Also the online Downing Street Prevent cancer petition received exactly the same response. This is regardless of the work other countries such as New Zealand, the US, Canada, and the EU are already doing to reduce the exposure of their citizens to potentially harmful chemicals.

 

Our basic recommendation for 2009, to kick-start the process of change towards reducing the incidence of breast cancer, is for Government to acknowledge breast cancer as a major public health issue and to agree to reduce our exposure to those CARCINOGENS and ENDOCRINE- DISTRUPTING CHEMICALS that have been scientifically linked to the disease.

 

If you are as fed up as we are with the Government’s continuing apathy, please consider our new Action Alert. You can use our form letter to write to your MP http://www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/actionalert/index.php  asking what they and their Party intend to do to prevent breast cancer, should they be voted in at the next General Election.

 

FROM: Clare Dimmer, No More Breast Cancer campaign, Breast Cancer UK, B.M. Box 7767, London, WC1N 3XX 0845 680 1322  [Reg. Charity No: 1088047]