The Chicago Tribune recently published an investigative series exploring how the tobacco industry, along with three chemical companies that produce flame retardants, successfully campaigned for laws requiring flame retardants in furniture. Studies show that flame retardants do not provide safety, and evidence links them to cancer, fetal impairment, and reproductive problems. I can’t think of [...]
Archive | May, 2012
Our Report From Wisconsin
We had a wonderful time in Wisconsin following our three-week stay in New Orleans. You might have guessed that it became difficult to write on the road. So many distractions! Mostly exciting ones, like these. Discovery World, Milwaukee’s hands-on science museum. We saw sturgeons and stingrays in the aquarium and explored a life-size replica of [...]
Breast-Feeding in the U.S.
It’s 10:30 at night. I’m the only one awake in our Milwaukee hotel room. I’m hooked up to the “milk machine” so I’ll have a bottle to leave with Fergus and the babysitter tomorrow afternoon. Glancing at the New York Times online, I come across this article: “United States Ranks Last on Breast-Feeding Support”
Termites
Experiencing a termite swarm in New Orleans got me thinking about pest control. In New Orleans, it’s not uncommon to see a termite-infested house dressed like a circus tent. Wrapped up, the house is pumped full of pesticides — in this case, the highly toxic sulfuryl fluoride (trade names include Vikane and Zythor). According [...]
ZukaBaby and Fergus’ New Shoes
The first time I visited ZukaBaby, a little shop on Magazine Street in New Orleans, I felt a mix of joy and frustration. So many wonderful, safe baby products! And so many hours of research I could have saved if I had found ZukaBaby sooner! ZukaBaby carries our favorite clothing (Under the Nile), toys (Maple [...]
We Are Always Hungry For Rancho Gordo Beans
Do you like beans? I was pretty neutral about them until I found Rancho Gordo’s heirloom beans. They’re so darn fresh, creamy, and richly flavored that I’m salivating just thinking about them. You should see Sweet William snacking on his favorite “Christmas Lima” beans, holding one in each paw. Rancho Gordo, located in Northern California, [...]
Keeping Cool
Only four days left in New Orleans before we depart for Wisconsin, where Sweet William and Fergus will see their Uncle Patrick receive his PhD in Forestry. We’re proud of him and glad we have a family member who can teach the boys about trees and wildlife. In the meantime, we’re doing our best to [...]
Kristof On Endocrine Disruptors
I hope everyone had a chance to read “How Chemicals Affect Us” by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times last week. Kristof writes about the government’s total failure to regulate endocrine disruptors, despite growing evidence that exposure to these chemicals causes breast cancer, infertility, low sperm counts, genital deformities, early menstruation, diabetes, and obesity. [...]
About Elizabeth
I'm a writer and the mother of William and Fergus. Before dedicating my work to children's environmental health, I earned an MA in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from New York University and was a photography editor at The New Yorker. My family is preparing to move to New Orleans, where my husband, an architect, is building us a non-toxic home.
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