Today, February 11th, is the 20th Anniversary of Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations.
Image from http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ahuang/president_clintons_executive_o.html
However, this was not the beginning of the EJ movement, it was just the first and largest federal recognition of the movement. Here is a brief timeline from the folks are the National Resources Defense Council documenting some milestones in the EJ movement.
"Early 1960s - Farm workers
organized by Cesar Chavez fight for workplace rights, including
protection from toxic pesticides in California farm fields.
1962 - Rachel Carson's Silent Spring details the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment.
1964
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed. The law's "Title VI" -- prohibiting
use of federal funds to discriminate based on race, color and national
origin -- will become an important tool in environmental justice
litigation.
1967 - African-American students take to the streets of Houston to oppose a city dump that had claimed the lives of two children.
1969
- Lawsuit filed on behalf of six migrant farm workers by California
Rural Legal Assistance plays a role in the ban on the pesticide DDT in
the United States.
1970 - U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency established to enforce laws that protect human health and
safeguard the natural environment.
1971 - President's
Council on Environmental Quality acknowledges that racial discrimination
negatively affects the quality of the environment for the urban poor.
1972 - The United States bans the use of the toxic pesticide DDT.
1973 - The EPA issues rules that phase out lead in gasoline over several years; lead levels in the air will fall by 90 percent.
1978
- Hundreds of families evacuated from Love Canal area of Niagara Falls,
New York, due to rates of cancer and birth defects; toxic chemicals
were buried decades before under neighborhood.
1979 -
African-American community in Houston opposing a landfill brings first
Title VI lawsuit challenging the siting of a waste facility."
The EJ movement is not finished yet. There is still work to be done. There are still areas like Mossville, LA, Rubbertown in Louisville, KY, Houston, TX, and Richmond, CA where minority and low income populations are subject to disproportionate levels of pollution. For example, you might have heard of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Many people are opposed to this project for climate change reasons, but for Native Canadians who live near the Tar Sands, this is an EJ issue. They are being exposed to oil spills and chemical pollution from tar sand extraction. I say this just to point out that pollution issues and EJ issues often go hand and hand. The pollution has to go into someone's back yard. Unfortunately, these communities are often left to fend for themselves, but if we all lend a hand, maybe things will start to change. Remember the wind and rivers unite us all.
This is the 3rd in my Label Check series, in which I examine a label ingredient in depth. Here I will examine mineral oil. Mineral oil is the name given to any various colorless, odorless mixtures of petroleum products. Baby oil is simply mineral oil that has been given a fragrance.
Image from drugstore.com
Mineral oil, in it's various forms, has many uses, including as a laxative, a moisturizer, a medication for diaper rash, furniture polish, air freshener and toilet bowl cleaner. It can be found in makeup, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and as lubricants for car engines and heavy machinery, just to name a few.
According to the Skin Deep Database, the adverse health effects of exposure to mineral oil include, possible immune system toxicity or possible allergen status. Some carcinogenic concern for aerosolized mineral oil products, and toxicity for non-reproductive organs. According to the website Livestrong adverse health effects include, vitamin deficiencies, lung damage, birth defects, brain embolism, and gastrointestinal problems.
If you are looking for an alternative to mineral oil, you might want to try plant-based essential oils.
We've all probably heard the term endocrine or hormone disruptors multiple times and we are all probably aware that they are bad for us, but what are they exactly? How do they function?
According to the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences:
"Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s
endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive,
neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife."
photo from http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/assets/images/bodyorgansjpg.jpg
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can be natural or man-made. However, since WWII and our increasing dependence on synthetic chemistry, our concern has turned toward the over 80,000 new chemicals created. Many of these chemicals are EDCs.
Hormones in our body interact with specific target organs (made of cells). For example, estrogen targets the ovaries. disrupt these pathways by interacting with the target organ, binding to hormone transport proteins, disrupting gene expression, inducing or inhibiting enzymes and interfering with cellular uptake and export. Source: TEDX
EDCs can be found pretty much everywhere, from food to toys and pesticides. Unfortunately, we can't shop our way around this problem. We need strong legislation to rid ourselves of these chemicals once and for all. That is why I support Safer Chemicals for Healthy Families. Please Check out their website.
Yesterday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy posted this video on the EPA Environmental Justice Blog.
February 2014 is Environmental Justice month! But wait a minute. What is environmental justice (ej)? Well, according to the EPA:
"Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement
of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. EPA has this goal for
all communities and persons across this Nation. It will be achieved
when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental
and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to
have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work."
In a previous post, I detailed two communities, Mossville, LA and Savoonga, AK. Unfortunately, communities exist all over the nation, in fact all over the world, that suffer from disproportionate exposure to toxic chemicals. These chemicals can come from factories and/or from cheaper products on local store shelves that contain more toxic chemicals.
In 1991, the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit met in Washington DC. They drafted and adopted The 17 Principles of the Environmental Justice.
"1) Environmental Justice affirms the sacredness of Mother
Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the
right to be free from ecological destruction.
2) Environmental Justice demands that public policy be
based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form
of discrimination or bias.
3) Environmental Justice mandates the right to ethical,
balanced and responsible uses of land and renewable resources in the
interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living things.
4) Environmental Justice calls for universal protection
from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of
toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the
fundamental right to clean air, land, water, and food.
5) Environmental Justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and environmental self-determination of all peoples.
6) Environmental Justice demands the cessation of the
production of all toxins, hazardous wastes, and radioactive materials,
and that all past and current producers be held strictly accountable to
the people for detoxification and the containment at the point of
production.
7) Environmental Justice demands the right to
participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making,
including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and
evaluation.
8) Environmental Justice affirms the right of all
workers to a safe and healthy work environment without being forced to
choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms
the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental
hazards.
9) Environmental Justice protects the right of victims
of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations
for damages as well as quality health care.
10) Environmental Justice considers governmental acts of
environmental injustice a violation of international law, the Universal
Declaration On Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention on
Genocide.
11) Environmental Justice must recognize a special legal
and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government
through treaties, agreements, compacts, and covenants affirming
sovereignty and self-determination.
12) Environmental Justice affirms the need for urban and
rural ecological policies to clean up and rebuild our cities and rural
areas in balance with nature, honoring the cultural integrity of all our
communities, and provided fair access for all to the full range of
resources.
13) Environmental Justice calls for the strict
enforcement of principles of informed consent, and a halt to the testing
of experimental reproductive and medical procedures and vaccinations on
people of color.
14) Environmental Justice opposes the destructive operations of multinational corporations.
15) Environmental Justice opposes military occupation, repression and exploitation of lands, peoples, and cultures, and other life forms.
16) Environmental Justice calls for the education of
present and future generations which emphasizes social and environmental
issues, based on our experience and an appreciation of our diverse
cultural perspectives.
17) Environmental Justice requires that we, as
individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of
Mother Earth’s resources and to produce as little waste as possible; and
make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our
lifestyles to insure the health of the natural world for present and
future generations."
While you may be thinking that these ej issues don't affect you because you don't live in these neighborhoods, you would be wrong. You see, the wind blows and connects us all. The river runs and links us all together. The pollution doesn't stay in one place. If we fight for these communities, we fight for ourselves.
Image taken from http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/images/hands.jpg
Phthalates (pronounced thalates) are a class of chemicals used to soften vinyl and plastics. They also act as dyes, adhesives and solvents. They can be found in fragrances, cosmetics, lotions, food packaging, plastic wrap, vinyl toys, wallpaper, pharmaceuticals, shower curtains, medical tubing, insecticides, and nail polish, just to name a few. Phthalates are capable of off-gasing, becoming gaseous and entering the
air we breathe and have been found in indoor air and dust.
The health effects of exposure to phthalates may include lower sperm counts, endocrine disruption, cancer, and negative impacts on the developing male reproductive system. Phthalate metabolites have also been detected in the urine of women with breast cancer (Breast Cancer Fund).
"A 2012 study examined whether or not there is a relationship between
urinary levels of nine different phthalates and the incidence of breast
cancer. In this study, urinary phthalate metabolites
were detected in 82 percent of the women, whether or not they had been
diagnosed with breast cancer. Monoethyl phthalate (MEP), a urinary
metabolite of the parent compound diethyl phthalate (DEP; often used in
fragrance), was elevated in women with breast cancer. This association
was most profound in pre-menopausal women. Metabolites of two other
common phthalates (butyl benzyl phthalate, BBP; and di-n-octyl
phthalate, DOP) were negatively associated with breast cancer risk in
this study (Lopez-Carrillo, 2010)."
"1. There’s no sure-fire way to completely
avoid phthalates until Congress passes legislation that will require
chemical manufacturers to demonstrate that their products are safe before they end up in our lotions, dashboards, and bodies.
Until then...
2. Skip the fragrance when choosing cosmetics, personal care
products, cleaning products, detergents, and air fresheners.
Manufacturers aren’t required to list phthalates on the label, but any
item listed as “fragrance” is often a chemical mixture that can contain
phthalates. 3. When buying cosmetics, purchase from companies that have pledged not to use phthalates. 4. Check the Healthy Toys database for toys bought before 2009 - they may contain phthalates. 5. Avoid buying plastics that may be treated with
phthalates, including vinyl toys, shower curtains, and gloves. Look out
for "PVC," "V" or the "3" recycling code on the item or its packaging. 6. If you have vinyl flooring in your home, damp mop
regularly since phthalates bind to dust on the floor. Direct sunlight on
vinyl tiles causes them to release phthalates more quickly, so put
lower blinds on windows that shine directly on flooring."
Did you know that the typical North American newborn has hundreds of toxic chemicals present in their cord blood at birth? These toxins include both industrial chemicals and chemicals from everyday personal care products. This is particularly disturbing because newborns don't have established detoxification systems yet, nor is there a blood-brain barrier established to protect their developing brains.
How do the babies get these chemicals into their systems? Well, it turns out that the placenta doesn't block or filter out toxins. Some of the chemicals detected include pesticides, the industrial coolant PCBs, non-stick pan coatings, BPA, and flame retardants. A recent study, written about in Scientific American showed that minority groups have higher levels of chemicals in their cord blood and that this may lead to disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease in minority communities; see Health based on where you live.
Another study by the Environmental Working Group, examined 10 babies and found, on average 200 chemicals in the cord blood. The study also found the following health effects.
"134 have shown to cause cancer in lab animals or people.
151 are associated with causing birth defects.
154 are endocrine disruptors, they interfere with the body’s
hormonal system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive,
neurological, and immune effects.
186 are linked to infertility.
130 are immune system toxins.
158 are neurotoxins."
Those are pretty scare numbers! So how can you minimize exposure while pregnant? Well, the Environmental Working Group has a few suggestions.
Use cast-iron and stainless steel cookware instead of nonstick products.
Shop smart for personal care products, such as shampoos, cosmetics
and toothpastes. Stay away from nail polish and dark hair dye and check
out other products on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database."
Be sure to check out my previous posts on Toxic Chemicals to Avoid to help with your shopping.
This is the first in my Label Check series, in which I focus on one chemical or class of chemicals. Today I'll focus on parabens, antimicrobial preservatives found in cosmetics (including baby products), deodorants, foods, and pharmaceuticals.
Parabens are absorbed through the digestive system, skin and blood. Parabens are estrogenic endocrine disruptors that bind to estrogen receptors.
Meaning, that outside of the body, in tissue samples, parabens increased human breast cancer cell growth. A small 2004 study of 20 women in the UK found intact (un-metabolized) parabens in breast tumors, although this study did not establish a cause-effect relationship between parabens and breast cancer. Some people disregard this 20-person study because it did not take into account normal paraben tissue amounts.
Parabens can also act as toxins to the reproductive system. Studies in animals have shown that dietary exposure to parabens lead to decreased daily sperm production and decreased serum testosterone production in male mice.
Parabens have also been linked to neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity and skin irritation.
You can avoid labels by looking for "paraben-free" products. Happy label reading!
