harbour toxins

Homebush bay has just removed the last of the agent orange polluting it! Apparently the sediment is still in the silt on the bottom and it is still risky to go in the water. The reason they cleaned up the area was due to big business paying for it, in order to built another multi complex of units.

chemicals in clothing

Natural materials such as cotton and wool are naturally fire resistant and let our skin breath. Kid's PJs that are made from synthetic materials are required to be made fire resistant - this involves the use of toxic fire retardants (sometimes sewn into the synthetic material itself). There is nothing in the labelling to say this. Make sure you buy 100% cotton baby clothes.

Wash all new clothes and sheets before use, as they are often coated in formaldehyde to make them sit flat in their packaging. Avoid any crinkle-free clothing or bedding.

Cotton growing is a big environmental problem, seek out organic cotton. These organic cotton clothes from Purebaby are a good choice. Note they still come with a 'Low Fire Danger' label, this is due to cotton being naturally resistant.

a good non-stick coating?

Neoflam looks interesting - a non-stick pan surface made using ceramic instead of teflon, claiming to be totally non-toxic.

non-stick everything

Stop using Teflon coated pans, this convenient black stuff is toxic. Heated teflon pans are known to kill pet birds! This is something that has apparently been known for many years, in fact Teflon have to carry a pet bird warning on their packaging. Despite being called safe, this carcinogenic stuff leaches and causes birth defects. It is now in other products too - avoid any hand soaps or plastic containers that say 'Antibacterial' this means they have Teflon in them!

Stick to cooking pots and pans that are stainless steel or cast iron.

Read more about what the Teflon story in Slow Death By Rubber Duck.

miessence

Miessence scores very well on the Skin Deep website, being the number one Australian skin care product that uses truly pure ingredients, even the plastic bottles it comes in are BPA free, and delivery if you purchase online is carbon neutral. Their deodorant is one of the most effective deodorants you can get, even for the stinkiest of us! BUT confusingly what I have found is that some natural products which don't contain parabens can give you skin rashes, it's a matter of finding the right product for the individual.

say no to froth

(SLS) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and (SLES) Sodium Laureth Sulfate are used to make shampoos, toothpastes and body washes 'sudd up' but they also irritate and dry out our hair and skin, and once in the blood stream they mimic our hormones. Look for 'SLS and SLES free' labels. Baby moisturisers and shampoos are full of this stuff, Gaia is an Australian company that makes chemical free baby products available in chemists and supermarkets.

skin deep

Skin Deep is a brilliant database website, where you can check out the toxic levels in different brands of cosmetics, shampoos, deodorants, etc. Just type in your product and they will give it a score. If they don't have your product, you can type in the ingredients to find out how toxic they are. I was recently devastated because Dr Hauschka, which has been a brand devoted to the ideals of biodynamic natural ingredients didn't score well. Nooo, I love Dr H! It appears some natural plant products can also be carcinogenic...not all essential oils are healthy.