Chemicals in Balance?

Have you heard a lot of recent press about potentially dangerous chemicals in plastic products? How are you balancing concerns about these possible toxins with practicality and common sense? Are you pushing the plastics out of your life or waiting for more information about whether or not these products are harmful to humans?

Long story short, phthalates ("plasticizers" which make products softer and are found in plastics as well as cosmetic goods including some baby shampoos, lotions and powders) and BPAs (bisphenyl A compounds, which are found in some clear, hard plastic products) have been found to cause problems with the reproductive systems in animals. These problems include early breast development, male infertility, birth defects and cancer.

No one knows what level of these chemicals would cause harm to humans (especially infants and pregnant women) and more research is definitely needed. In the meantime, some families are choosing to avoid products containing phthalates and BPA. If you're concerned about these chemicals, be sure to read labels and contact product manufacturers about the ingredients.

For more information, please see these articles:
http://www.justthefactsbaby.com/baby/article/is-your-child-really-at-risk/19
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070808/8bisphenola.htm
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84533/page/2

You may also want to view this video:
http://www.cbs46.com/video/16455692/index.html

Check out the Skin Deep cosmetics database for questions about specific cosmetic products:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/