It has been 5 months since my last post - I cannot believe how time with a newborn ( now 7 month old!) and his older brother flies by. ... and oh-my-goodness life is so so busy being a mom to 2 little boys... it really has reminded me how little time moms and dads have to research and make sure they are exposing their kiddos to as little chemicals as possible. The good news? A couple of studies, new laws and steps in the right direction have been published in the last 5 months. Here are some:

TRICLOSAN

Among the news that sticks out the most, and is especially relevant now that we are in the heart of winter, relates to TRICLOSAN. This chemical, a pesticide with antimicrobial properties found in 90% of antimicrobial liquids and soaps commonly used in schools, hospitals and many many households (think: antimicrobial gel, antimicrobial soap, even toothpastes, clothes toys etc) has been linked to bacterial resistance and studies have shown it can dramatically impair heart and skeletal muscle contractility as well as disrupt our endocrine system.

The news? In mid December, the FDA ruled that manufacturers of antibacterial washes and liquids that use this chemicals have one year to "(1) demonstrate the products are safe for long-term daily use; and (2) demonstrate with clinical data that the products are more effective than plain soap and water in the prevention of illness and the spread of infection." The manufacturers have one year to submit new data demonstrating that safety and effectiveness. If a manufacturer cannot demonstrate those two requirements, then it will have to reformulate the product (remove the antibacterial active ingredient).

Johnson & Johnson: no more formaldehyde

Another piece of news that is definitely worth pointing out is that, as of January of this year, approximately 100 Johnson & Johnson products (including their famous 'No More Tears" shampoo) no longer contain two potentially harmful chemicals; formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. The newly formulated products are making their way to store shelves already and can be identified by the words "Improved Formula" printed on the labels.

WATCH WORTHY VIDEO

Finally, a great video was recently produced by Earth Focus titled "UNSAFE: The Truth Behind Everyday Chemicals". Watch it. If you are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant; watch it. If you have munchkins at home; watch it. If you or someone you know is sick with asthma, autism, cancer, endocrine problems, diabetes etc; watch it. It is short (under 30 minutes) and does a great service by summarizing why we need to start paying attention to our modern society's chemical dependency. Just watch it.

More to come!