Unscented Products -- Why and How

Air freshener, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, moisturizer, lip balm -- these and other common household and personal care products are scented with fragrances that can be dangerous to your health. Dozens if not hundreds of synthetic chemicals go into these fragrances, including:

• Phthalates -- endocrine disruptors that cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive problems;
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that affect the neurological and respiratory systems and are carcinogenic;
• Synthetic musks, which may also be endocrine disruptors and additionally, are persistent chemicals that remain in the environment and are contaminating marine mammals.

If you think bah, that can't be -- surely, some government agency vets the products before allowing the public to be exposed to them -- think again. Advance safety testing is not required before the products go to market.

If you think you can find what chemicals are used in fragrances by checking product labels, rethink again. The composition of fragrances is considered a trade secret and may be kept confidential.

And if you think the word "unscented" on a package means what it says, well, you know what to do. That just means the product doesn't have a smell that seems scented. It could very well contain a "masking" fragrance used to neutralize the natural smell of other ingredients.

Here's how to avoid toxic fragrances:

• Avoid air fresheners. Open the windows instead.
• Use water, white vinegar and baking soda for routine cleaning jobs. If soap is needed, try castile soap.
• Look up fragrance-free products and homemade alternatives in the Guide to Less Toxic Products.
• Check Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's cosmetic safety database, to see if your favorite personal care products are safe and to find safer alternatives.
• Make sure the words "fragrance" or "parfum" do not appear in the ingredient list of cosmetics.
• Use fewer cosmetics and reduce or eliminate your use of perfume.

Read my January column for NRDC, Scented Products -- Intoxicating and Toxic, to learn more and subscribe to This Green Life to get the column by email every month.

Green Holiday Entertaining -- and a Recipe for Vegan Latkes

When you throw a dinner or party for the holidays -- whether for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or New Year's -- you use a lot more of the earth's resources than you do in day-to-day life. How can you reduce the ecological footprint of your feast without compromising on hospitality? Follow the game plan in Holiday Entertaining for a Small Planet, the December issue of This Green Life.

One of many recommendations is reducing the amount of animal products you serve -- not just meat, but dairy and eggs. If you celebrate Hanukkah, try this recipe for vegan latkes (potato pancakes):



Here's a printable version of the whole article:



Please share your own green holiday tips and recipes.

Switch to Green Power in NYC in 3 Clicks

New Yorkers: if you've been meaning to sign up for green power, but found it too difficult till now, head on over to greenpowernyc.com. Pick a wind product or a blend or let the site choose for you. Any which way you'll reduce your contribution to global warming for a few dollars a month. (The exact amount will depend on how much electricity you use.) The site is a project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and ACE NY -- and was designed by my web development firm, Mixit Productions. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

Daily Trash: How to Reduce It

One day this month when I was on my own (sans family), I weighed all my trash -- both garbage and recycling. It amounted to 2.48 pounds and consisted in the main of packaging. At that rate, I'd waste a staggering 10 tons in 25 years.

In Trashy Habits, my November issue of This Green Life, I pick through the trash from that day and offer ideas for reducing it.

Have you been successful in cutting back on your waste? Please share your tips!

Are Brita and Pur Water Pitchers BPA-free?

My family has used a Brita pitcher for years to filter our water and make it safer to drink and I have always insisted our kids use it, rather than drink directly from the tap. Recently, though, I began to wonder if the pitcher itself might contain a dangerous chemical -- bisphenol A (BPA) -- that could leach into the water.

So, a couple of months ago, I used the contact form on Brita's website to ask. I didn't mention BPA directly. I simply asked what kind of plastic the different pitcher parts were made of.

Since Pur makes a similar pitcher, I decided to submit the same question to them. As Pur claims that its pitcher reduces pharmaceuticals from the water -- which would be wonderful if true -- I also asked what drugs the pitcher filters and how.

Following are the answers I received from each, and below that, an assessment.

Brita's Response

Dear Ms. Eisenberg,

Thank you for contacting us.

The pitcher lids and filter housings are made of Polypropylene plastic. The reservoirs and pitchers are made either from NAS (a Styrene based plastic) or SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile). The soft-touch handles are made from an elastomer called Santoprene (not to be confused with Latex or Neoprene). Our products do not contain any bisphenol A and are all tested by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) for safety and wetted contact. Unfortunately the pitcher materials are not recyclable, and therefore do not have a plastic number. Please contact us at any time if you have additional questions.

Again, thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Candy Thoma
Consumer Response Representative
Consumer Services

Pur's Response

Dear Ms. Eisenberg,
Hi Sheryl,

Thank you for contacting Pur.

There is no BPA present in any PUR pitchers/dispensers or lids. Pur pitcher/dispenser bodies are manufactured from an acrylic-based polymer classified as recycling code #7. Pur pitcher/dispenser lids are manufactured from polystyrene, code #6. Pur pitcher/dispenser filters are made from polypropylene, code #5, and also contain no BPA.

All Pur pitchers/dispensers undergo independent safety testing by NSF International, a not-for-profit certification agency for water treatment and other products. Our products meet all industry standards and specifications for material safety and chemical extraction. I’ll share your comments with the team.

Pur water filtration system is the first leading brand to claim reduction of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water. The new research shows that Pur Water Filtration Systems remove more than 99 percent of pharmaceutical compounds from America’s tap water using the Pur faucet filters and more than 96 percent with Pur pitchers.

Pur effectively reduces five different categories of medication including:

Hormones: prednisone, prednisolone, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol.

Antibiotics: ciprofloxacin, administered in tablet form to prevent certain infections caused by bacteria,as well as sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, which are administered intravenously to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections including pneumonia, and urinary tract and intestinal infections.

Antidepressants: fluoxetine, prescribed to treat a variety of conditions, including depression and other mental/mood disorders.

Anti-anxiety medication: meprobamate, a treatment used to relieve nervousness or tension that exceeds stress of everyday life.

Painkillers: ibuprofen and naproxen.

Thanks for writing.

Jim
Pur Team

My conclusions

Brita: Neither polypropylene nor the styrene compounds used in Brita pitchers contain BPA, so I feel comfortable that the company's BPA-free claim is true. Styrene is a worrisome chemical in its own right, but I feel reassured in this regard by the statement that the pitchers are tested by the NSF for safety and by NRDC's and EWG's comments on the subject. I am continuing to use our Brita pitcher at home.

Pur: As far as I know, acrylic does not contain BPA, so the Pur pitcher would also seem to be BPA-free. That said, I did not find the statement about Pur products meeting "industry standards and specifications for material safety and chemical extraction" at all reassuring. Industry standards are rarely stringent enough. (Sadly, even the standards of the FDA, which continues to allow BPA in food and beverage containers, are not high enough to protect people's health.)

On the question of how Pur's pitcher reduce pharmaceuticals -- there was no answer at all, only a vague assertion that "the new research shows" pharmaceuticals are reduced. My feeling is that Pur would have been more specific if it had convincing, independent research to back up its claim. I would therefore not put any stock in it.

Orca Watching PDF for Distribution

I'm posting a pdf of my column on the risk to Southern Resident Killer Whales from whale-watching boats and the alternative -- land-based whale-watching. Feel free to print and distribute it to anyone who might be interested.

Orca Watching -- with No Harm Done

Orca Watching with No Harm Done

This summer, I had the time of my life on a whale-watching boat trip to see orcas around San Juan Island. The orcas I saw are known as Southern Residents -- a sub-group or maybe even sub-species of killer whale (the other name by which orcas go). Much to my chagrin, I later discovered.that the presence of the boats can harm this endangered population -- not just from collisions as you might guess, but from air and sound pollution, as well as other factors.

Altogether, there are 80 to 90 Southern Residents, distributed among three pods, or extended family groups, known as J Pod, K Pod and L Pod. Each whale has distinctive markings by which it can be recognized. Scientists have used these markings to identify and name the individuals. They have also drawn up genealogical charts showing who is related to whom.

When whale sightings occur, naturalists are able to say which animals they are -- whether J1 (born 1951) or J2 (born 1911) and so on. Many of these animals also have English names.

You can imagine what if feels like to return from a whale-watching ride in awe from seeing "Mike" breach, only to learn that your boat may have put Mike's very health and safety at risk.

Does this mean you should give up the idea of ever whale-watching for orcas in the Pacific Northwest? Not at all! Just don't take a boat to do it. There are excellent locations for watching whales from land along the Washington and Oregon shores, including Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island.

Read Orca Watching, my October 2009 This Green Life column to learn more. You may also enjoy In the Bay of Whales, a kiss-and-tell story about gray whales at Laguna San Ignacio in Baja, where, by the way, stricter regulations of whale-watching boats exist to protect the whales.