Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Here is your newest weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us! 

Back in September, Dr. Oz made headlines when he told viewers that tests he had commissioned found over 25 percent of apple-juice samples tested had arsenic levels over 10 parts per billion (ppb). There is no federal arsenic limit for juice, but for public water the limit is 10 ppb, and for bottled water the limit is 5 ppb. At the time, the Food and Drug Administration claimed that the arsenic was in organic form, an “essentially harmless” form found in many foods. It was later discovered that the arsenic was inorganic—the form known to be toxic to humans.

To follow up on these tests, Consumer Labs has tested 88 samples of apple and grape juice, and found that ten percent of the samples exceeded the 10 ppb limit that is set for public water, and 25 percent exceeded the 5 ppb limit set for bottled water. The following brands had at least one sample of apple juice that exceeded 10 ppb: Apple & Eve, Great Value (Walmart), and Mott’s. Brands that exceeded 5 ppb: America’s Choice (A&P), Gerber, Gold Emblem (CVS), Great Value, Joe’s Kids (Trader Joe’s), Minute Maid, Seneca, and Walgreens.

The arsenic is likely coming from arsenic-contaminated soils, the result of lead-arsenate pesticides used decades ago that remains in the soil. Apples grown on these soils take up the arsenic, and it ends up in apple juice. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is urging the FDA to set the standard at 3 ppb for total arsenic and 5 ppb for lead in juice to establish a more protective limit for public health.

Consumer Reports took their investigation to the next level by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is an enormous national survey that collects data on health and nutrition status of Americans. This analysis found that the consumption of these juices, especially in young children, “may be an important contributor to dietary arsenic exposure,” according to Richard Stalhut, M.D., M.P.H., an environmental health researcher with expertise in NHANES data.

To read the full test results of all 88 samples, click here. Also, read my past blog on lead in fruit juices and packaged fruit products.

This week, if you are drinking these brands of apple or grape juice, get rid of them. And give the companies a call to let them know your disgust. Then, find a replacement. Sugar-sweetened beverages are contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic, so it might be time to switch to water.

Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Here is your newest weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us! 

Arsenic in Apple Juice

Back in September, Dr. Oz made headlines when he told viewers that tests he had commissioned found over 25 percent of apple-juice samples tested had arsenic levels over 10 parts per billion (ppb). There is no federal arsenic limit for juice, but for public water the limit is 10 ppb, and for bottled water the limit is 5 ppb. At the time, the Food and Drug Administration claimed that the arsenic was in organic form, an “essentially harmless” form found in many foods. It was later discovered that the arsenic was inorganic—the form known to be toxic to humans.

To follow up on these tests, Consumer Labs has tested 88 samples of apple and grape juice, and found that ten percent of the samples exceeded the 10 ppb limit that is set for public water, and 25 percent exceeded the 5 ppb limit set for bottled water. The following brands had at least one sample of apple juice that exceeded 10 ppb: Apple & Eve, Great Value (Walmart), and Mott’s. Brands that exceeded 5 ppb: America’s Choice (A&P), Gerber, Gold Emblem (CVS), Great Value, Joe’s Kids (Trader Joe’s), Minute Maid, Seneca, and Walgreens.

The arsenic is likely coming from arsenic-contaminated soils, the result of lead-arsenate pesticides used decades ago that remains in the soil. Apples grown on these soils take up the arsenic, and it ends up in apple juice. Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is urging the FDA to set the standard at 3 ppb for total arsenic and 5 ppb for lead in juice to establish a more protective limit for public health.

Consumer Reports took their investigation to the next level by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is an enormous national survey that collects data on health and nutrition status of Americans. This analysis found that the consumption of these juices, especially in young children, “may be an important contributor to dietary arsenic exposure,” according to Richard Stalhut, M.D., M.P.H., an environmental health researcher with expertise in NHANES data.

To read the full test results of all 88 samples, click here. Also, read my past blog on lead in fruit juices and packaged fruit products.

This week, if you are drinking these brands of apple or grape juice, get rid of them. And give the companies a call to let them know your disgust. Then, find a replacement. Sugar-sweetened beverages are contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic, so it might be time to switch to water.

Keywords – arsenic, arsenic levels, apple juice, grape juice, arsenic-contaminated soils, pesticides, lead, public health, NHANES, children, dietary arsenic exposure, environmental, samples, sugar, water

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apple juice, arsenic, arsenic levels, arsenic-contaminated soils, Children, dietary arsenic exposure, environmental, grape juice, lead, NHANES, pesticides, public health, samples, sugar, water

You know that cute little charm bracelet you picked up last week on the sale rack at your favorite shop? It might have higher levels of the heavy metal cadmium than you’d like. This has become such a problem that five states have passed legislation limiting cadmium in jewelry, but mostly in items intended for children, since children tend to put these items (and anything, really) into their mouths, increasing their risk of poisoning.

Good news comes from major retailers like Target Corp. and Gap Inc., who have agreed to all but eliminate cadmium in jewelry and other accessories they sell. In 2012 in California, jewelry sold must contain less than 0.03 percent cadmium. This effectively becomes the national limit, because manufacturers will make their products to comply with California, and will likely make the same products for the rest of the country.

This all started last year when it was discovered that children’s jewelry no longer contained lead (which was banned), but rather, contained cadmium, which was not regulated. Cadmium can damage kidneys and bones, and may stunt the development of young brains. It’s not something you want little Janey putting into her mouth.

I’m glad these new standards are being set. They’re not just for children’s jewelry, but also for adults. In the meantime, you might want to stick with sterling silver.

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Do you love shopping for antiques? Is your cupboard filled with thrift store trinkets? Do you serve food out of a pewter dish that was passed down from generation to generation? Did you ever think that it might contain lead? Read on…

Not long ago, it was reported that lead and cadmium were found in children’s drinking cups given out by a fast food restaurant. Even more recently, lead was found in reusable shopping bags. Now, another report has found that many items purchased from second-hand or antique shops contain dangerous amounts of lead.

Surface lead concentrations of more than 700 times the federal limit were found on items such as toys, home décor, kitchen utensils, and jewelry. Researchers purchased items from stores in Virginia, New York and Oregon, and were able to purchase an item that contained lead from every store they visited!

Nineteen out of 27 products exceeded the federal standard for lead, which is currently 600 parts per million. One salt shaker lid contained 714 times the federal limit! Regulation of the sale of second-hand and antique items would be both difficult and expensive, so a national public health education campaign will be launched to inform consumers of the dangers of these products.

Children are especially at risk for exposure to dangerous levels of lead and should not come into contact with antiques or use products that may contain lead. Used dishes and kitchen utensils, as well as construction debris and salvage items should be avoided until tested.

Avoiding all toxins is impossible, I know, but we can all take a few steps to lessen our toxic burden. Remember to support your body’s natural detoxification processes by eating a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise, and cleansing regularly.

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High blood pressure during pregnancy can be a major concern because it can lead to preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous condition. A recent study found that even very low levels of lead exposure—levels way below the standards set by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)—increased blood pressure in pregnant women.

The researchers did not expect to find an effect from such low levels of lead. The results suggest that pregnant women may be as sensitive to lead toxicity as young children. The best way to reduce lead exposure is to avoid it, but because lead can be stored in bone, even prior exposure could result in low levels of lead circulating in the body.

Over the years regulations on acceptable lead levels have lowered, but more lead restrictions are needed. For women it would be wise to support the body’s toxin elimination before getting pregnant. I recommend a total body herbal cleanse that supports the body’s seven channels of elimination (colon, liver, lungs, lymph, kidneys, skin and blood).

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Autoimmune disease involves a process whereby the immune system mistakes part of the body as a foreign invader, and mounts an attack against it, damaging tissue. The most common autoimmune diseases include type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, psoriasis, lupus, and Grave’s and Hashimoto’s diseases.

Prevalence of autoimmune disease is on the rise. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates as many as 23.5 million Americans may be afflicted with at least one autoimmune condition, up from 8.5 million in 1996. But even this estimate is low, since those numbers only consider 24 autoimmune conditions, when these illnesses actually number over 80.

Though genes do play a role in autoimmune diseases (they tend to run in families), environmental triggers are also involved and contribute to the increase in prevalence rates, according to Fred Miller, director of the Environmental Autoimmunity Group at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. “Our gene sequences aren’t changing fast enough to account for the increases,” Miller says. “Yet our environment is—we’ve got 80,000 chemicals approved for use in commerce, but we know very little about their immune effects. Our lifestyles are also different than they were a few decades ago, and we’re eating more processed food.”

Environmental triggers of autoimmunity include: chemicals, infections, stress, hormones, drugs, diet, weight gain and behavior. Of these, chemicals are particularly concerning due to their prevalence in the environment and to the lack of safety testing and regulation. The following toxins have been linked to autoimmunity: polyaromatic hydrocarbons (found in air pollution), heavy metals (lead and mercury), trichloroethylene (an industrial solvent that contaminates our water and air) and asbestos (found in building materials of older buildings).

Studying the link between environmental toxins and any illness is difficult, but because there are so many autoimmune disease, and because each one has different features, studying the link between chemicals and each illness is particularly difficult. Scientists are calling for better ways to link autoimmune diseases together, as occurs with cancer, to increase funding and understanding of what factors trigger this complex of diseases.

In the meantime, reducing toxin exposure, following a healthy diet, and supporting the seven channels of elimination—colon, liver, lungs, lymph, kidneys, skin and blood—with regular internal cleansing is recommended to help reduce toxic burden.

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Some disturbing news came to my attention recently. You know those reusable bags that are replacing plastic and paper bags; those bags that help reduce waste in our landfills? Well, a recent investigation in the Tampa Bay area (my hometown) has found that many of these bags contain dangerous levels of lead!

The investigation was lead by the local newspaper, the Tampa Tribune. They tested an array of bags from different stores. As it turns out, the bags vary in the amount of lead they contain. Bags with more elaborate illustrations (especially green and yellow in color) contain the highest amounts of lead—enough that may qualify the bags as hazardous if disposed with household trash.

The current allowable level of paint on consumer products is 90 parts per million (ppm), but some bags tested contained levels as high as 194 ppm. Even more alarming, a separate, independent study performed this past summer found that some bags contained lead at levels up to 799 ppm! Bags with the simplest illustrations had the lowest levels of lead. But if customers are concerned about the bags, taking them back to the store is a good idea.

Lead is a neurotoxin, associated with lowering IQ levels in children and with fertility problems in adults. Lead can remain in the body for many years. Experts are still discovering the adverse health effects of lead, and as this occurs, acceptable levels of lead in many products are continually lowered. Researchers agree that there is no possible “safe” level of lead.

What to do about saving the earth, then? The way I see it, changing to canvas bags (plain bags with no designs) will be the best way to avoid lead, but still be ecologically minded. There will probably be many new types of bags produced as a result of this lead scare, so be on the lookout for replacements at you local health food stores in coming weeks.

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Here is a cool site that will give you tons of information on local pollution. Just enter your zip code to see how your county and state stack up to others in terms of air and water quality. Check out your in-home lead risk and look for local superfund sites. Find the top polluters in your community and learn about environmental justice. Then you can take steps to reduce this pollution by sending a message to the top polluters, or to local government officials.

This is a great site that will give you a lot of info on how polluted your community is. Check it out!

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Is it just me, or is it harder and harder these days to make sure our kids are eating healthy? Especially when new studies like the one I just read about can make even the most health-conscious parents think twice about what they’re putting on the table.

Recently the California-based non-profit Environmental Law Foundation tested over a hundred different fruit juices and packaged fruit products for kids, and what they found was that many of those products contained lead—a toxic metal that can cause severe developmental and behavioral problems in young children, along with hearing and kidney damage, poor muscle coordination, and more.

For the majority of the products tested, an individual serving contained lead above the recommended daily limit for young children (0.5 micrograms, per the FDA), and that’s just one serving! Of course, experts like those at the Children’s Environmental Health Center and the American Academy of Pediatrics are now saying that there is no safe level of lead exposure for children, something I agree with whole-heartedly.

What’s more, a lot of the products tested and found to contain lead are those you might not expect, including many organic and natural brands like Hansen’s Natural Apple Juice and Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices. And it’s not like it says it on the label either! Which means most of the time no matter how vigilant parents are, lead and other toxins can make their way into our children’s food without us even knowing about it.

So where do we go from here? Well, ELF plans to continue its research and hopes that by involving California’s attorney general it will get companies to step up their processing methods and hopefully eliminate lead from their products. In addition, experts from the Center for Science in the Public Interest will continue to investigate why some products contain lead and some manufacturers manage to avoid it entirely, which means taking a look at the crops as well as the individual manufacturing processes. Not soon enough, I say!

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Notable News – This story really shocked me, so listen up ladies! Even though your lips may be one of the last places you’d expect to find toxic metals, a new FDA study might have you thinking twice before you apply your favorite shade.

Experts recently retested 20 different lipsticks first tested in 2007, and guess what they found? Even higher levels of lead than in the previous study. I don’t know about you, but it sounds to me like that’s a little backwards!

On average, the lipsticks contained 1.07 parts per million (ppm) of lead, which is 10 times more than the FDA-recommended limit for candy… but the FDA claims that because lipstick isn’t ingested, there is no comparison. What?! Who says lipstick isn’t ingested?? And if that’s what they’re basing their recommendations on, doesn’t it make you wonder about all the other sources of lead we might be exposed to without even knowing it?

Now, I’ve seen several reports on this subject, and in every one they downplay the risk—well I say no way! Lead is a potent neurotoxin, which means it can cause serious damage to the brain. Not only that, but it can be stored in the body (especially the bones) for years. So do your research and make sure the lipstick you use isn’t one of the ones that were tested, and when you’re shopping for lipstick or any cosmetics, always choose a responsible company. Come to think of it, that’s good advice for all products!

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I read an article in USA today the other day about the dangers of rubber play surfaces.  You know – the recycled rubber that you see at outdoor playgrounds.  The stuff that is probably even put into the mouths of some of the more “adventuresome” children.   Apparently, the Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of recycled rubber in playgrounds back in 1991 as a way of preventing tires from ending up in landfills.

But the EPA says that it can’t assure the safety of this rubber.  The rubber can contain lead and other toxins.  Wait a minute!  Now I understand that dumping rubber into landfills is not environmentally friendly, sure.  But where do we dump it instead?  The place where we find our most precious resources – children!  Surely there has to be a better place to use recycled rubber. The reasoning behind using it in playgrounds is that it provides a safer surface for preventing injuries.  A study published in the Lancet in 1997 found that rubber playground surfaces were safest.  But again I ask, is there not another material that can be used that is as safe with regard to injuries, yet much safer with regard to toxic contamination?

It doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.  With all the latest studies discovering that toxins are much more harmful in children than we ever thought, why are we putting our children at risk? I realize that with all the warnings of toxins everywhere, it can make you not want to leave the house (I won’t get into the toxins found indoors at this point, that’s another topic).  But it is virtually impossible to avoid each and every toxin in our environment these days.

I’d like to recommend a few safety measure when it comes to this recycled rubber.

• If you can find a playground that doesn’t use recycled rubber, great!
• Maybe head to a park that doesn’t have a playground, but instead a nature trail, river, or open field.  Put your imagination in full gear and explore nature.  You might be amazed at what you find, and what you and your child learn!
• If you can’t avoid the rubber playground, don’t beat yourself up.  Just be vigilant.  If you have a toddler, make sure that the rubber pieces stay on the ground.
• Wash hands thoroughly after playing.
• Perhaps avoid the playground at the hottest hours of the day, between 10 and 2 pm.

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