Recently, the New York Times conducted an investigation into the safety of sushi in 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants and found that mercury levels in tuna sushi were so high at a few of these establishments that “the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market.”

Uh, what? That is some seriously toxic sushi!

Now, I must say that I love me some sushi and the realization that I now have to worry that eating a few pieces of raw tuna could actually be so toxic that I should probably just avoid it altogether…well, that just makes me downright mad.

Fish is (or should be) one of the healthiest foods we can eat, supplying our bodies with omega-3 fatty acids, reducing our risk of death from heart disease, and supplying DHA, which aids in infant brain development.

But due to environmental contamination, fish also contain all sorts of toxins, such as mercury, dioxins and PCBs - stuff that no one wants in their bodies, especially women of childbearing age.

So, should we eat fish or not? It’s all very confusing. Last fall, The Washington Post ran an article about a non-profit study by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition urging women to ignore the FDA guidelines on limiting fish consumption and to increase fish consumption for optimal health.

The Environmental Working Group (bless their wonderful hearts) cried foul, noting suspicious financial fish industry ties to the study. To quote the EWG press release:

The underlying goal of the seafood industry is to perpetuate the myth that there is a debate about the risks of mercury in fish. The media has fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

There is in fact no debate. The FDA advice is clear. Pregnant women, and women who are thinking about becoming pregnant should eat no more than 12 ounces of fish per week, no more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna, and no shark, tuna, mackerel, or swordfish at all. In stark contrast, this study actually recommends unlimited consumption of two fish on FDA’s do not eat list, and still most of the media did not bother to check whether the FDA, CDC or the American Academy of Pediatrics had any concerns with the findings.

What I find so disturbing about all of this (besides the downright underhandedness of the fish industry’s tactics and their blatant disregard for population health) is that my right to good health and my children’s right to good health is being totally undermined by our government’s lack of standards when it come to keeping our environment clean. Eating fish (healthy, uncontaminated fish) is important to staying healthy - and even important for brain development - and yet, we cannot safely do that anymore.

When are our government officials going to wake up and decide that we cannot continue polluting our planet to this degree anymore?

I mean, even sushi isn’t safe anymore. If that’s not a wake-up call. I don’t know what is.

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Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Safe Fish List for more info on the safest fish choices.

Ever since I heard that Wal-Mart carries organic products, I’ve felt a nagging sense of dread. On the one hand, Wal-Mart entering the organic market means that many millions of people will have access to organic products when they might not have otherwise. That is good. But what are the downsides? I’ve often feared that big-name retailers selling organic products may do more harm than good. And now some of my fears are being realized.

A series of lawsuits has just been filed accusing Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, Safeway, and Wild Oats of consumer fraud for marketing suspect organic milk. According to a lawyer for the prosecution, these retailers are accused of selling milk marked “USDA organic,” while the cows are penned in factory-confinement conditions.

It is terrifying to me that these retailers may be misleading the public like this. And I fear this is only the beginning. Will the USDA organic label be slowly corroded by big box retailers like Wal-Mart until no one can trust the label anymore or is this just a hiccup in an otherwise positive venture to bring quality organic products to those who would otherwise lack access?

I’d be interested in your thoughts - is Wal-Mart good or bad for organics?

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Cross-posted at Mommy off the Record. 

Well, it depends on who you ask. Ask the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and they’ll say they’re unreliable. Ask the Consumer Union and they’ll say it depends on the brand.

The CPSC tested two common types of home lead test kits and found that the kits registered false positives and false negatives. Therefore, the CPSC has said that “consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazard.” (CPSC did not name the kits they tested.)

But hold on. The Consumers Union evaluated five lead testing kits and found three of them to be effective - Homax Lead Check, Lead Check Household Lead Test Kit, and Lead Inspector.

So are these kits effective or not?

According to an NPR interview with a Consumers Union representative, the reason that the two organizations came to different conclusions lies in how they interpreted the results. For example, if a kit didn’t detect lead inside the toy when lead was present, CPSC considered this a false negative. However, lead testing kits are not designed to detect lead inside objects - they are only designed to test for surface lead. Therefore, if a kit failed to detect lead inside an object, the Consumers Union did not count this as false negative.

From what I can gather from all of this, it seems that some lead testing kits, like the ones recommended by Consumers Union, remain an effective way to test toys for surface lead. And considering all the recalls lately, I still think these lead testing kits offer some assurance for worried parents. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have better government regulation and won’t feel the need to rely on a $10 kit to help determine the safety of our toys.

More info on the kits tested by the Consumers Union here.

Read today’s NPR story on the subject here.

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Cross-posted at Mommy off the Record

I’ve been an on-again off-again vegetarian for the last few years. It’s been hard to maintain my vegetarianism during my pregnancies - hence, the “off-again” part. But after reading the latest news on what the meat industry is doing, I’m seriously thinking of going vegetarian again.

For years, meat manufacturers have been injecting meat with carbon monoxide to give it a fresh, pink look. The CO2 binds with a pigment in the meat and keeps it nice and red. The process has been banned in many other countries including Europe, Canada and Japan. This week, Congress is debating whether it should be banned in the United States as well.

Uh, what? Gross! I didn’t know that meat packers were injecting our meat with carbon monoxide to make it look pink. (And by the way, meat turns brown from exposure to oxygen long before it goes bad - or at least, it should, if it’s not contaminated with carbon monoxide to make it look pink.)

This isn’t a brand new issue. In February of 2006, The Washington Post was writing about how consumer advocates have been pressuring for a ban on carbon-monoxide treated meat, accusing the FDA of allowing this practice without a formal safety evaluation. So far, no such ban has been implemented, and Congress is still deciding what to do.

So for now, chances are you’re going to get a little carbon monoxide with your Chicken Cacciatore. Yum.

What do Kelloggs, Coca-Cola, Mattel and Takeda Pharmaceuticals have in common? They are all winners of the International Bad Products Awards. Takeda Pharmaceuticals won grand prize for “taking advantage of poor US regulation and advertising sleeping pills to children, despite health warnings about pediatric use.” Way to go, Takeda!

I think it’s particularly icky that Coca-Cola is bottling tap water and marketing it under the Dasani label as “filtered for purity”. Gross. I won’t be buying that brand again.

To read more about why these companies are bad, go here.

Cross-posted at Mommy off the Record.

I am so frustrated.

When my son was born, I followed the standard immunization schedule and he got all of his shots on time (or at least most of them). When he was about a year and a half old, I read What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children’s Vaccinations. The book opened my eyes a bit to the additives in various shots and some of the controversy regarding multiple dosing. Around the same time, I also became aware of the many anecdotes from parents linking the MMR vaccine with the onset of their child’s autism. Despite the fact that the leading governmental health organizations have said that their studies show no link between MMR and autism, I became worried enough to delay my son’s MMR vaccine until he started daycare at two years old.

But now, I am facing decisions about how to vaccinate my new baby and the more I read, the more confused I am. I believe that vaccinations are important - actually critical - to keeping disease incidence down on a population level. Vaccinations save lives, no doubt about it. However, I am also concerned that vaccines are being administered in a way that may be more convenient for hospitals, but less safe for children. Specifically, I am not a fan of the super-duper combo vaccines that are becoming more and more common.

Today was the baby’s 2-month check up. I went in armed with a suggested alternative vaccination schedule to discuss with the doctor.

Here is how the conversation went:

Doctor: So today is shot day! (He said it like we had won a prize.)

Me: Yeah, actually, I was wondering if we could talk about that. I’d like to discuss an alternate immunization schedule.

Doctor: Oh?

Me: Yeah. I just don’t really feel comfortable with the idea of all of the additives that are in vaccines going directly into my baby’s bloodstream all at once. I’d like to space out the vaccines a bit.

Doctor: Well, the problem with that is that it’s really hard to keep track of what vaccines you need and which ones you’ve had when you get off the standard schedule.

Me: I understand, but I’m just concerned that the baby’s immune system isn’t ready for all of this.

Doctor: They have done studies and found that these vaccines are perfectly safe though. They wouldn’t be on the market if they hadn’t been safety tested.

Me: Well, what about the old Rotavirus vaccine? Wasn’t that pulled from hospitals after problems a few years agod.

Doctor(missing the point): Oh, there is a new Rotavirus vaccine now though.

Me: But isn’t it pretty new?

Doctor: Well, it depends on what you consider new.

Me: Well, my two-year-old didn’t get it. Isn’t it just a year old?

Doctor: But it’s been tested on 100,000 people before it came to market. Plus, this one’s oral so it doesn’t go into the bloodstream.

Me: OK. Well, there is at least one that I don’t think we want at all - hepatitis B. I was reading that it’s often transmitted sexually and that those at highest risk are IV drug users, people with HIV, health care workers, etc. (basically, not babies home with their mothers). Plus, I read that the immunity wears off in 10-15 years, which is when he would probably be most likely to contract it if he were sexually active. So we don’t want this one.

Doctor: Well, you have to have it because it’s in the Pediarix.

Me: What’s that?

Doctor: Pediarix is the DtaP, polio and Hep B combo vaccine. That’s what we’re giving now.

Are you fucking kidding me????

Me (to the doctor): Oh, well, that must be new because my 2 year old had these three vaccines administered separately.

Doctor: Yes, it’s new.

Me: Well, that kind of throws my schedule for a loop. I was hoping to do DtaP and polio one month apart and skip Hep B altogether.

Doctor: (just staring at me)

Me: Anyway, I want to read The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears before I make any final decisions about the vaccines. I just ordered it.

Doctor: Just because a doctor writes a book doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about.

Me: That’s why I’m consulting a number of sources. I just don’t want to get any vaccinations today.

Doctor: OK, but moving off the standard schedule makes things very confusing and we don’t recommend it.

God, he must think I’m a complete moron.

Me: I think I can keep it straight.

Later at the shot clinic down the hall.

Me: Can I get a list of the ingredients to the vaccines?

Med asst: We don’t have the ingredients.

Me: Well, can you tell me what the brand names are so I can look them up.

Med asst: Uh, hold on. Let me ask the nurse.

Nurse (to me in a snippy tone): What’s your concern?

Me (equally snippy): I want to know what’s going to be shot into my kid.

Nurse: Well, you can go to the CDC website to look it up.

Me: OK, but I want to know the names of the vaccines so I know what to look up.

Nurse disappears with Med asst. Med asst returns a minute later with a yellow sticky with pediarix, prevnar, acthib and rotateq scribbled down.

Med Asst (handing me the sticky): The nurse wanted me to tell you that we haven’t had preservatives in our vaccines for five years.

Me: OK, thanks.

Upon returning home, I looked up the first vaccine, Pediarix. The ingredients are, among other things, 2-phenoxyethanol (as a preservative), thimerosal (at “undetectable” levels) and formaldehyde. Hmmmmm. Sound like preservatives to me…

So, I feel very annoyed and confused. Why are drug manufacturers combining so many drugs into one shot? I don’t like it. It takes choice away from parents.

And I don’t like being treated like an idiot by my health care professionals. I’m not an idiot. I’m just proceeding with some caution when it comes to health care decisions for my children.

I researched for 2 weeks before I bought my double stroller. Am I supposed to be less attentive about this?

In rationalizing his decision today to veto legislation that would have expanded the State Children’s Health Insurance Program by $35 billion dollars over five years, President Bush said this:

[I] vetoed the bill because it was a step toward “federalizing” medicine and inappropriately expanded the program beyond its focus on helping poor children.

Well, Mr. President, as a mother and a caring human being, I believe that all children in this country should have health insurance - not just the really, really poor children, but all children, regardless of their family income level. If that means that I support ”federalizing” medicine, then I guess I do. And the reason I do, is that I view health care as a basic human right - just like access to water and food. I believe that it is the duty of the government to ensure that its citizens are provided these basic human rights. And I am willing to pay for it with my taxes.  In fact, I would be happy to pay for it with my taxes.

You, on the other hand, don’t seem to mind telling 10 million American children that they can’t see the doctor when they get sick. Unfortunately, their parents make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance.

I guess they’re just out of luck, huh? Perhaps they will pick themselves up by their bootstraps and figure something out. Or perhaps not. But not to worry, it’s only millions of children’s health that’s at stake.

Sadly, it seems like there is a toy recall about once a week these days. Rather than go on about how scary and disturbing this is, I think I’ll just simply list the recalled items this time. Here is the information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

1. RC2 Corp. Recalls Additional Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Toys
Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
2. Target Recalls Children’s Toy Gardening Tools and Chairs Due to
Violation of Lead Paint Standard
3. RC2 Recalls Knights of the Sword Toys Due to Violation of Lead Paint
Standard
4. Children’s Toy Rakes Sold Exclusively at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft
Stores Recalled Due to Violation of Lead in Paint Standard
5. Guidecraft Inc. Recalls Children’s Puppet Theaters Due to Violation
of Lead Paint Standard
6. Children’s Spinning Wheel-Metal Necklaces Recalled By Rhode Island
Novelty Due to Risk of Lead Exposure
7. TOBY N.Y.C. Expands Children’s Metal Jewelry Recall Due to Risk of
Lead Exposure

You can find out more information about these recalls here. Just click on the links under “Recent Recalls.”

Bush wants $50 billion more for the war in Iraq (in addition to the hundreds of billions already spent)

but…

He’s unwilling to approve $35 billion to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Senator Clinton said that Bush is “walking away from taking care of our children.”

I say he walked away a long time ago.

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Tell the President that expanding healthcare for children is important to you by signing the MomsRising Petition.

OK, so it’s a little early to be talking about Christmas, but I think I’ve found the ‘must have’ item for giving to any parent on your Christmas list this year - the Lead Inspector Lead Test Kit.

I received an e-mail from a co-worker with a link to this site, which sells lead test kits for $12.99. The kit contains swabs to test up to 8 items and can be used to test children’s plastic and metal toys, painted surfaces on toys, children’s lunch boxes, water, cosmetics, baby bibs and several additional items. I haven’t tried it out myself, but with all the recalls of children’s toys lately, I thought it was worthy of a post here. I’m probably going to get a kit (or two or three) myself. It sounds pretty easy to use. As the website says, “Simply dab on the surface and look for a color change.” I can do that.Oh, and am I angry that I feel the need to shell out money for a kit to test my children’s toys, lunch boxes and baby bibs for a toxic metal? You better believe it. But at least I’ll know that when my 1-month-old puts that rattle in his mouth, he won’t be getting poisoned.