I was diagnosed with asthma when I was a toddler. I wish that made me unique, but 20 million Americans have asthma. Asthma has a genetic component and an environmental component. Like other children with one asthmatic parent, Sweet William and Darling Fergus have 1 in 3 chance of developing it. An environmental exposure might [...]
Tag Archives | household
The Times Gets It Wrong. Really Wrong.
A maddening article appears in today’s New York Times: “Is It Safe to Play Yet? Going to Extreme Lengths to Purge Household Toxins. But how far is too far?” My stomach sank after only reading the headline. Is that the real question? What about: “Why is it up to parents (not manufacturers) to make sure [...]
Harmful Chemicals Found in Consumer Products
A study by Silent Spring Institute reveals that consumer products contain hormone disruptors and chemicals linked to asthma that are not listed on the product labels. The peer-reviewed study, published yesterday in Environmental Health News, tested both conventional products and their alternatives, which are marketed as being safer. Harmful chemicals were found in all the [...]
A Safe Scrub for Household Cleaning
A sparkling kitchen sink is a beautiful thing, but I don’t want chemical residue around our food. Here’s a recipe for an alternative to the heavy duty chemicals in most commercial cleaners. It takes about twelve seconds to reach for the ingredients and mix them up. Add several drops of Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap [...]
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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