A new report by our partners at HealthyStuff.org out today exposes a danger at many checkout counters—toxic receipts.

A new report out of Michigan sheds light on why investing in lead abatement makes financial sense. For many of us who support removing lead from homes and products, it’s a no brainer, right?! But when it comes to making the case to state and federal lawmakers, numbers speak louder than words.

You ready to hang decorations, host parties, and exchange gifts? You may want to wait before you deck your halls with beaded garland. Our friends at Healthy Stuff in Ann Arbor recently conducted tests on beads commonly used as Christmas garland and Mardi Gras beads. “We estimate that a single year’s inventory of Mardi Gras beads may contain up to 900,000 pounds of hazardous flame retardants and 10,000 pounds of lead,” said Jeff Gearhart, the Ecology Center’s principle researcher.

For years, I have tried to only buy products labeled as “green” and “natural”. I thought I was doing enough to make sure I wasn’t exposed to toxic chemicals. But I was wrong.

I am a Great Lakes enthusiast; in fact my love of the lakes is one of the driving forces that led me to this work. I spend my summer vacation on Lake Superior, took frequent camping trips along the North Shore of Superior in college, and have enjoyed friend’s weddings along the banks of Lake Michigan.

There’s something about the Great Lakes that hooks us. Whether or not you live in a Great Lakes state, if you’ve experienced their beauty you know how important it is to protect them.

That’s why dozens of Great Lakes organizations have come together to ask the nation’s top ten retailers to protect these valuable resources from toxic chemical pollutants. As part of the letter to retailers, the organizations attached a new fact sheet highlighting some of the new science around toxic chemical pollutants in the Great Lakes, including the nasty “PBT” chemicals that stay in the environment, to “emerging contaminants” like Triclosan, which are rapidly rising as Great Lakes pollutants.

In 2012, HealthyStuff.org tested both the hoses and the water that sat in a hose for a few days. Our test data showed that the plastic additives in PVC hoses, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), leach out of the hose and into the water. When we lab tested the water, we found additives at levels many times higher than drinking water.

Looking for the least toxic crib? Car? Lipstick? Check out the new searchable online database at www.HealthyStuff.org. This handy shopping guide can help you make less toxic, more informed choices on children’s products, toys, pet products, apparel and accessories, and cars.