Toxic Toys, Safe Makeup & Facebook Freebies

[Guest guest]

Kid-Safe Chemicals Act: It's Time for Change You deserve to know your family's products are safe. The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, which was introduced last week in Congress, will protect your family and force chemical companies to prove chemicals are safe before they use them.

Seems like a no-brainer, right? But current law is so deficient that the Environmental Protection Agency couldn't use it to ban carcinogenic asbestos. In the past 30 years, EPA has evaluated the safety of just 200 out of 80,000 chemicals, and banned only five.

Pollution in people is associated with serious diseases like childhood cancer, autism, and ADHD, but right now the government has almost no authority to protect people from even the most hazardous chemicals.

At EWG, we've worked hard to get Kid-Safe introduced and we're dedicated to passing it. Look for more campaign information soon and click here to learn more.

Toxic Toy Alert: Ditch the Phthalates Those soft vinyl baby toys - in addition to paint, fragrance, and nail polish - might contain phthalates, chemicals commonly used in PVC plastics, solvents, and synthetic fragrances.

They're often referred to as plasticizers, which we think sounds rather like a kind of exercise to be done on the living-room floor in front of videos hosted by Jane Fonda. But we digress. Phthalates are linked to reproductive problems, allergies, and asthma.

Click here to learn the health effects and 7 ways to minimize your exposure.

Enviroblog: Making makeup safe for kids So lets say, hypothetically, that your four year old has begun begging for a play makeup set. Some parents would react with a firm but gentle "no stinkin' way, sweetcheeks." I can understand that sentiment -- children grow up fast enough without the aid of adult trappings.

On the other hand, play makeup is a way for children to experiment with their identity. If you do decide to let your kids make themselves up, there are steps you can take to make it safer.

Click here for the 5 ingredients you should avoid.

Be a Fan: Facebook Giveaway

EWG broke the 1,000 fan mark on Facebook this month! To celebrate, we're holding a contest. All you have to do is post some lovin' on our wall between today (May 27) and noon on Tuesday, June 3rd, and you'll be entered to win a 100% organic cotton Food News tote and a stainless steel water bottle.

Click here to become an EWG fan and post on our wall.

Message in a Poo Bag: Eddie Takes the FDA

This month, Eddie, a dog on a mission and founder of Pets for the Environment, and Enviroblog's headed to the Food and Drug Administration's public meeting on pet food standards. It was supposed to go from 8 am to 4 pm, but it ended early - so they weren't able to give their speech. Watch the video below to see what we wanted to tell the FDA about safe pet food, then click here to send your message in a poo bag.

We'll still be submitting our comments to the docket, and we'll make sure your comments (the ones in poo bags) get delivered.

Watch the video

Bogus Reform Hurts Kids & Organics

Food stamps, school lunches, conservation, and organics are just some of the programs that will suffer from the Farm Bill decisions made this month. Funding that should go to those programs will instead go to megafarms. A farmer could make as much as $1.25 million and still receive government subsidies - from your tax dollars. We've been fighting for a fair Farm Bill for decades and won't stop now.

Learn more about faux Farm Bill reform.

In This Issue

Kid-Safe: Time for Change

Toxic Toy Alert: Ditch the Phthalates

Making Makeup Safe for Kids

Be a Fan: Facebook Giveaway

Message in a Poo Bag: Eddie Takes the FDA

Bogus Reform Hurts Kids & Organics

Click & Stonyfield Will Donate to EWG

Stonyfield Farms will give EWG up to $1 when YOU sign up on their site (up to $20,000)

Click here to help EWG.

Mixed Greens Podcasts: PFOA & Plastics

A new study highlights the health risks of a chemical that industry plans to keep making for another 7 years. Plus, the farm bill.

Click here to listen.

Plastics are in the news, and you want answers! This week we field some of your questions relating to bisphenol A and other plasticky problems.

Click here to listen.

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The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment. The EWG Action Fund is a legislative advocacy organization that uses EWG research to promote healthy and sustainable policies.

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