Nothing is safe anymore!

Phthalates, BPA, and PVCs, oh my!  Recently, more and more evidence has been coming out about the dangers of these chemicals that are often found in everyday household items, including baby teethers and toys (as well as personal care products, rugs, everything!).  Here is a helpful handout about phthalates.  And here is an eye-opening video clip about phthalates:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Children and babies are most at risk in regard to exposure to these chemicals.  Exposure has led to the following in medical testing:

• * Early onset of puberty
• * Interfering with the male reproductive tract development
• * Interfering with the natural functioning of the hormone system
• * Causing reproductive and genital defects
• * Lower testosterone levels in adolescent males
• * Lower sperm count in adult males
• * Hyperactivity
• * Cancerous cells

It's really scary that all of these harmful chemicals are all around us (literally, impossible to avoid) and it can be a bit overwhelming.  Whatever you can do to reduce your exposure is better than doing nothing at all.  Personally, I only buy wooden toys or toys that specifically say "BPA and Phthalate-free."  And it's not only toys that are affected; things like shampoo, makeup, deodorant, lotion, etc. all need to be checked to make sure they are phthalate free (and it's not listed in the ingredients, so again you have to look for things that say "phthalate-free" on the label).  

Brands who are promising that all their toys are lead and phthalate free:

Brio

Chicco

Fisher Price (but only for toys intended for children 3 and under)

Haba

Lamaze Baby Toys

Lego Systems

Little Tykes

Mega Bloks 

Melissa & Doug (wood & plush toys)

Plan Toys 

Under the Nile

Things you can do to reduce your exposure of harmful chemicals:

• * Stay away from recycling #3 and #7.  These most usually contain phthalates and BPA.  Numbers 1, 2, and 5 are considered safe.  
• * Buy stainless steel water bottles and glass food storage containers instead of plastic (if you do buy plastic, don't heat in microwave or put in dishwasher)
• * Avoid canned goods (BPA leaches from the lining in cans... this includes infant formula!)
• * Avoid shampoos, conditioners and other personal care products that list "fragrance" as an ingredient
• * Switch to stainless steel or cast iron cookware. If you use non-stick cookware, do not overheat or scratch, which releases toxic gas.
• * Buy wooden instead plastic toys and teethers 
• * Use cloth instead of disposable diapers 

And I will leave you with one last compelling video that can be found here.