As this week is national men’s health week, we thought it’d be the perfect time to talk about the connections between toxic chemicals and our reproductive health.

We know that lead and pregnant women don’t mix. We know that lead and children don’t mix. We’ve known for decades that lead harms the brain and is linked to lower IQ levels. We’ve also discussed interesting research by Dr. Phil Landrigan in our Health Report showing the economic gains from regulating lead in gasoline. […]

A new study has found that prenatal exposure to flame retardants can be significantly linked to lower IQs and greater hyperactivity in five-year-old children. The findings are published online today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Flame retardants are commonly found in house dust as well as indoor air, which is considerably more contaminated with these chemicals than outdoor air.

A new peer-reviewed study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives identified seventeen types of chemicals, 102 in total, linked to breast cancer. The study spearheaded by the scientists at the Silent Spring Institute, found areas in which policy and personal steps are a major opportunity for breast cancer prevention. As Silent Spring put it, “Every woman in America has […]

Recently, in the first ever testing on glyphosate herbicide (such as Monsanto’s Roundup) in the breast milk of American women, Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse found ‘high’ levels in 3 out of the 10 samples tested. (Photo Credit: garyfgarcia via photopin cc) The shocking results point to glyphosate levels building up in women’s bodies […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2014 Washington, DC – A new peer reviewed study published in Environmental Health Perspectives has identified 17 high-priority chemicals women should avoid in order to reduce such risk and demonstrates how their presence can be detected. The study was authored by scientists at the Silent Spring Institute. The study comes […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced their new autism spectrum disorder prevalence figures, and they are alarming. An estimated 1 in 68 children has an ASD.[1] The likelihood that a child will be diagnosed with the disorder has increased 30% in the last two years. This increase follows a consistent (if somewhat […]

“I’m a label reader. Every trip to the store involves a careful assessment of what’s coming into my home and into the hands (and mouths) of my two young sons. I am probably more aware of chemical safety than the average consumer, as I have spent the last several years and transitioning away from goods that are likely to contain harmful chemicals to safer alternatives. I use glass instead of plastic food containers. I’ve swapped out the vinyl shower curtain for cloth. And I am thrilled every time I can see clear evidence that I’m avoiding the dangerous chemicals known to me, like the now common “BPA Free” labels on reusable water bottles.”

One in 68 U.S. children is on the autism spectrum, a 30% increase from 1 in 88 two years ago, according to a new report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA Today put it in perspective: “that means virtually every grade in every elementary school has at least one […]