Eco Pregnancy and Baby

If you’re pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant, or just had a baby and are breastfeeding, no doubt you’re concerned about the mercury in fish (or you should be). As both a health writer and eco-writer, I can tell you the decision you have to make about whether or not to eat fish when you’re pregnant [...]

Should you use green cleaners when you’re pregnant? We know it’s the chemicals in cleaners that really get the job done. But when you’re pregnant, it’s even more important to know what to avoid. The problem is cleaning products don’t have to be tested, there are no federal requirements, so consumers have no official warning [...]

Cultivating a garden is a delight to many, whether it’s outdoors or on your windowsill, but not when you’re breathing in chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “There’s no question that pesticide exposure to the mother means exposure to the fetus,” says Miller. “Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms, so it’s not something you want to [...]

While launching a remodeling project before your baby’s arrival may seem like a good idea, it requires a lot of different building materials–glues, paints and chemical solvents. “Suddenly your house turns into a construction site with contamination levels that can be problematic,” says Ted Schettler, M.D., M.P.H., science director of the Science and Environmental Health [...]

You may have heard of the controversy over the chemicals in some kitchen storage containers, plastic baby bottles and baby toys. Government regulators assure us these products are safe, even for pregnant women and infants. But concerned scientists and environmental groups disagree, citing years of disturbing results from research conducted on lab animals. We can’t [...]

When you’re pregnant or caring for a newborn, you need all the sleep you can get. Thinking about toxic chemicals in your bed linens won’t keep you up nights-if you go organic. To minimize toxins: “Sheets shouldn’t be permanent-press or made with nylon or synthetic materials,” say Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu, co-authors of The Complete [...]

So now that you’re pregnant and steering clear of environmental dangers, you may be wondering what the buzz was all about a few years ago about lead in lipstick. And did they fix the problem and get the lead out of lipstick once and for all? Yes, it’s true, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found lead [...]

Some research shows that organic foods (those grown without pesticides and antibiotics) are not nutritionally superior to those produced conventionally. But a University of California, Davis, study of organic berries and corn found that they contained 60 percent more antioxidants than their nonorganic counterparts. Regardless, eating organic at least some of the time is a [...]

Sometimes you just can’t avoid toxins — they’re everywhere, even in the air you breathe. But here are a few tips for limiting your exposure as much as possible. Increase ventilation whenever possible and consider investing in an air purifier. Keep windows and doors open to release pollutants when vacuuming, dusting, frying, painting or folding [...]

Ever wonder what’s in the air you breathe in your home? Can it affect your health or the baby growing inside you? “Indoor pollutants are often more hazardous than those outside,” says Ted Schettler, M.D., M.P.H., science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network and co-author of In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child [...]