Thursday, July 29, 2010

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Environmental Toxics

Why the Ancient and Ineffective Toxic Substances Control Act Needs Reform Why the Ancient and Ineffective Toxic Substances Control Act Needs Reform

The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition just issued a new report synthesizing... 

BPA in Receipts: Have We Gone Over the Edge in Worrying? BPA in Receipts: Have We Gone Over the Edge in Worrying?

Many Americans have come to the point where they agree that bisphenol-a (BPA) is... 

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Buzz

Can BPA be Absorbed through the Skin? Can BPA be Absorbed through the Skin?

It’s beginning to look like the answer is YES. Swiss scientists recently... 

Can We Have a Heart to Heart? Can We Have a Heart to Heart?

Keeping your family safe is our passion and we enjoy making your life a little bit... 

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Shopping Guides

New PVC-free Sassy Bath Toys Make Great Pool Toys New PVC-free Sassy Bath Toys Make Great Pool Toys

If you’ve been following our search for PVC-free pool toys for long, you know how difficult it can be to find anything.  We’ve found that  Sassy’s new bath toys make great beach toys in the meantime!  We’ve confirmed each of the following to be free of BPA, PVC and pthahlates (just click on each image to take a look at the... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC, Phthalate-free Kitchen Appliances BPA, PVC, Phthalate-free Kitchen Appliances

We finally decided to tackle blenders, mixers and mills!  We’ve confirmed with each manufacture that the following kitchen appliances are free of BPA, PVC and phthalates on all food-contact surfaces: Babycook by Beaba Dex Products Baby Food Processor BabySteps Food Mill by Kidco Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Food Processors and Juicers Combi Mommy’s... [Read more of this review]

Ask TSL: Safe Spray Bottles for Baby Lotions and Diaper Wash Spray Ask TSL: Safe Spray Bottles for Baby Lotions and Diaper Wash Spray

Q: I’m looking for safe empty bottles with spray tops and pump tops to use for baby lotions and diaper wash spray. Any ideas on where to buy them? A: We recommend choosing glass spray bottles whenever they can be kept safely out of little hands.   Our favorite resource for glass bottles is SKS Bottle Company.  They offer sizes up from 1/2... [Read more of this review]

BPA-free Canned Food Options BPA-free Canned Food Options

We’ve talked extensively about BPA-based epoxy linings commonly used in aluminum cans, especially in regards to finding BPA-free tomatoes.  It was a difficult task because of their acidic nature, but we finally found Pomi.  Not even Eden Organics, the leader of the pack, has found a way to go BPA-free in the tomato category just yet. During... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC and Phthalate-free Baby Bathtub and Seat Buying Guide BPA, PVC and Phthalate-free Baby Bathtub and Seat Buying Guide

We pretty well have the bath toys covered, but what about safe bath tubs and seats?  You’ve probably noticed that most of the options out there are marked with a recycling code, making it difficult to know what type of plastic they’re made from. It turns out there is good news!  It appears that you can make a pretty safe choice just by... [Read more of this review]

12 New PVC-free Sassy Bath Toys 12 New PVC-free Sassy Bath Toys

Here we are, coming up on our third year in business and safe bath toys are still difficult to locate! It’s always good news when manufacturers introduces great new bath toys made without toxic plastic.   For 2010, all Sassy bath toys are now BPA and phthalate-free and twelve of them are also PVC-free. PVC-free Bath Toys Suds & Sun Visors Soft... [Read more of this review]

BPA-free Tomatoes Do Exist! BPA-free Tomatoes Do Exist!

UPDATED 1/27/10 (see below) We recently shared our pathetic findings when searching for pre-prepared tomatoes in BPA-free containers.  Several of our amazing readers came to the rescue with possibilities we hadn’t heard of, so we started the process of confirming with the each manufacturer.  We ended up with two positively BPA-free options and... [Read more of this review]

Ask TSL: Can You Recommend a Safe Humidifier for My Children? Ask TSL: Can You Recommend a Safe Humidifier for My Children?

We’ve been keeping our eyes open for a warm mist humidifier made without polycarbonate plastic for quite a while and we kept coming back empty-handed.   Safe Mama reported in early 2009 that her search had been unsuccessful too. Last week our kids passed around a heavy duty cold, so I dug out our old standby Vicks humidifier.  I decided to... [Read more of this review]

BPA-free Sippy Cup Guide BPA-free Sippy Cup Guide

2009 brought an amazing number of new BPA-free products to the market, so we’ve updated our BPA-free Sippy Cup Guide. You can find the complete list with background info on bisphenol-a on Squidoo (you can easily print the page for shopping trips on the go).  Be sure to let us know if we missed any of your favorite BPA-free sippy cups and... [Read more of this review]

Locating PVC Free Splat Mats for Baby Isn’t Easy Locating PVC Free Splat Mats for Baby Isn’t Easy

Finding PVC-free splat mats has turned out to be another one of those time-consuming and mostly unfruitful searches.  85% of the splat mats we researched were either made from PVC or were laminated with it.  All of the mats we checked on were free of BPA and phthalates.  We did locate a few PVC-free gems out there though Jaq Jaq Bird Splatmats... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Toothbrush Guide BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Toothbrush Guide

For the last two months the number one search term entered by our readers has been “toothbrush,” so we set out to locate BPA, PVC and Phthalate-free toothbrushes for the whole family.  We were pleasantly surprised in many cases, and of course disappointed at the same time by the number of companies that wouldn’t even respond. Here’s a preliminary... [Read more of this review]

Drinking Straws: Getting to the Bottom of It Drinking Straws: Getting to the Bottom of It

Okay, we’ve muddled through baby bottles, sippy cups, dishes and the like – now what about drinking straws?  Once we started looking at all of the plastic that comes into contact with our food, we eventually realized that we’re surrounded by straws too.  And if it comes in contact with our mouths or our food, we’re going to... [Read more of this review]

Which Prepared Baby Food Containers are BPA Free? Which Prepared Baby Food Containers are BPA Free?

UPDATED 2/3/09 Concern about the harmful affects of bisphenol-a (BPA) in polycarbonate plastic baby feeding gear is spreading quickly.  Unfortunately, BPA is also commonly found in epoxy resins used for protective linings in canned food, ready-to-feed infant formula and metal lids of baby food jars.  A recent study published in Environmental Health... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Food Storage Containers BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Food Storage Containers

UPDATED 3/31/10 We began converting our babies’ dishes several years ago, and we’ve been collecting information on safer adult food storage options along the way.  It’s amazing now to sit back and look over the sheer number of readily available products.  Our list runs the gamut, from glass to stainless steel to safer plastic, from... [Read more of this review]

Top 5 Stainless Steel Water Bottles Top 5 Stainless Steel Water Bottles

Updated 8/21/09 While we’re well-known for our Safer Plastic Guides, we actually receive more questions about  products made from stainless steel.   We also happen to be water bottle addicts and since we’ve tried almost every bottle available to mankind, we thought it would be helpful to share our personal favorites with you.  We’ve... [Read more of this review]

Rubbermaid Provides a Helpful List of BPA Free Products Rubbermaid Provides a Helpful List of BPA Free Products

Rubbermaid has pleasantly surprised us by publishing complete lists of both BPA free and products containing BPA.  They went the extra step and included pictures to simplify the decision-making process. They still maintain that “BPA has been used safely in the manufacture of thousands of products for years and its use fully complies with U.S.... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Bath Toy Guide BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Bath Toy Guide

UPDATED 2/12/10 Sadly, PVC is a mainstay in children’s bath toys. But with some digging, we were able to find an array of alternatives. Keep an eye on our list, because we’ll add to it as we learn of more BPA and PVC free options. Boon, Inc. Bath Goods (updated 12/8/08 ) The Flo Faucet Cover, Frog Pod, Appliqués and Mini-scrubbies... [Read more of this review]

BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Pacifier Guide BPA, PVC and Phthalate Free Pacifier Guide

UPDATED 12/14/2009 We’ve heard your requests for a Safer Pacifier Guide, so we’re all over it! Here’s a quick reference list of alternative pacifiers: RazBaby Keep-it-Kleen Pacifiers and pacifier holders are now BPA-free (updated 12/14/09) Natursutten Natural Rubber Pacifiers The First Years: Soothies Silicone Pacifiers (including... [Read more of this review]

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