As a registered nurse and mother of a new baby, I am concerned after reading that many baby products and children’s toys have toxic chemicals in them that could cause cancer and early puberty.
After becoming a mother, everything in my life changed, including my focus and awareness of all the toxic chemicals out there that my child could potentially come into contact with. My child’s health is my No. 1 priority. I have enough to worry about — eating the right things, saving for college and making sure daily tasks get done; I shouldn’t have to worry whether my car seat could cause my child cancer. It amazes me that we are even debating the issue.
While in college I did a research project on the dangers of BPA in baby bottles and was happy to see that things were moving forward when BPA was banned from children’s products. This situation is very similar; anything that could potentially harm my child, or another parent’s child, should not be allowed in products catering specifically to that age group.
That is why I support a bill in the state Legislature called the Toxic-Free Kids Act (SB 6120 and HB 2266) that will ban the chemical chlorinated Tris from baby products and require companies to look for safer alternatives. I urge everyone to call on their legislators to support this act.
Good luck on your bill Devyn! Everyone who cares about children’s health should call your state reps. as Devyn asks and urges.
Perhaps if you can get that law passed, then you start a new one to ban toxic Chinese-made products from being imported into our country.
GOOD LUCK!!!
I’m calling :0)
Stop the creation of new chemicals without extensive testing.
Make the ‘cook’ take at least 5 years. Ban some 10,000 chemicals almost immediately. We’re in the process of
chemical warfare against ourselves.
Ali- go ahead and smash whatever you typed that ridiculous post on. How do you think our modern conveniences are made? Medicine?
Personally, I would read labels and take responsibility for my kids eating habits.
As long as the masses keep buying crap, they are going to keep making it. The only thing you can do is take a personal interest in what you expose your child to and be willing to spend a little more on safer foods and products. You can pretty much stay out of Walmart if your long-term health is important to you.
And since you’re a registered nurse and you are just now becoming aware of the toxins that surround us you should consider all the advice you’ve dispensed as a certified health professional over the years. How many times in your career have you advised patients to expose themselve to toxins through foods or lotions or medicines simply because that was what you were told to do and you didn’t know any better?
It’s very interesting to read the reactions here to the warning letter written by Devyn.
Here she discovers something that may be harmful to babies, and takes the time to alert folks. Some are thankful to her, and ready to join in a minimal way to try to help others.
You just have to wonder why any normal sane person would ever get worked-up over a very non-controversial issue such as this one. If you agree with Devyn, call your state rep. If you don’t, then don’t. Kind of simple.
There is certainly no need to sound crazy and insane by telling people to smash their computer because another commenter suggests that there might be other problems inherent with chemicals in our consumer products. A person who lashes out like that over a 3 sentence comment may be in serious need of some anger management counseling, if a little thing as simple as this can set him off. Lighten-up Francis!
And, why criticize Devyn for not bringing this up until now, or for any advice she’s given out as a nurse. You don’t know that she hasn’t brought it up issues like this before, somewhere else. Have you read everything Devyn has ever written? Maybe she’s been bringing up issues like these for years on other products and medicines. How do you know she hasn’t. What give you the right to pass judgement over her in your two back-to-back comments. Who the hell are you, God?
Well, muckibr, it’s clear in the letter that Devyn has only just now become focused on toxins in children’s products, so it’s reasonable to assume she has not been on this crusade for long. I’m glad she’s on it.
And my point with the second post wasn’t to critize Devyn, but to point out to everybody that just because someone is a HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL does not mean they are in the know about issues like this. Health care professionals are educated by people and programs under the direction of the AMA, which we all know is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Most Americans put their full faith and trust in the word of health care professionals. Devyn is admitting she is a registered nurse and she wasn’t aware of harmful toxins in everyday products. This is a great opportunity to point out that blindly following the advice of a health care professional without doing a bit of your own research may not be in your best interest.
itwasnt… I have to admit that you too do make some really good points here. Thanks! I keep learning from GOOD comments like your’s and letters like Devyn’s. I don’t know about others, but that’s why I am here.
P.S. itwasnt… My apology for the “God” comment at the end of my earlier comment.
muckibr — Don’t sweat it, I’m not overly sensitive. I figured you woke up crabby and needed some coffee or something. You do realize that concerned’s directive for Ali to smash his keyboard was tongue-in-cheek, based on the irony that it is made of chemicals?
Actually, I didn’t get the joke. Sorry. Apologies to concerned… as well, if that was really how his comment was meant. Geez! I think I may be taking some of this stuff way to seriously. Except for that one thread about the pythons and the “waist” of time stuff. That’s the funny thread!
Thanks for squaring me away, again, itwasnt…!
Time for another cup of Joe!!! (After I go out and see how many more tree branches have broken off my tree, near my house!)
Muck, almost thirty years ago, with a new born, we made our own clean, natural baby food…not that crap sold in little jars. If someone is just now realizing that our food is not that good for us, they deserve to be dissed.
You can start by avoiding anything canned in China, and Nam….and any Asian farm raised fish. It’s poison.
Blaine, that’s pretty much why I wrote in my first comment, the first comment on this topic…”then you start a new [bill] to ban toxic Chinese-made products from being imported into our country.”
Beat ya to it this time!
Blaine — Just 4 and 6 years ago we made our own baby food. (It’s really easy. Just steam organic vegetables, puree with the blender, then freeze in ice cube trays. Find some old trays made out of hard plastic or metal. The new, soft plastics leech toxins.) We did it to save money and because the only veggies available to buy were heavy starches. I emailed Gerber asking where, besides Mexico, we could buy broccoli and spinach and was told they quit producing them here because Americans won’t buy them.
Since food companies won’t manufacture products that don’t turn a profit and there aren’t enough Americans interested in eating healthy food, you can pretty much bet that none of the major American food companies produce anything I will feed my family more often than an occassional treat.