Category Archives: ~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety, ~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

USA.gov … Beware of Skin Lotions Tainted with Mercury

06/18/2020 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

a repost… mercury poisoning via skin care products and food is still a real issue

A Mysterious chemical found in dead cat’s brain reopens debate over mercury poisoning disaster

By Joshua Sokol Mar. 24, 2020

In February 2020, The Minamata poisoning has been considered a textbook example of how inorganic mercury turns into organic mercury, and how a toxic substance propagates up the food chain to humans. by Victoria Dinh, University of Saskatchewan

AND in January of 2019

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is warning the public of skin creams containing mercury. Mercury has been found in some skin creams made, altered, or sold in Mexico and other countries.

In one case, an individual in Texas was diagnosed with mercury poisoning after using a product purchased in Mexico that was labeled as Pond’s skin cream. The mercury was not added by the original manufacturer but by a third party, presumably in Mexico. A similar case of mercury poisoning through skin cream has recently been identified in California, and Texas has had others in the past. Skin creams containing mercury claim to lighten the skin, treat acne, or fade freckles, blemishes, and age spots.

Mercury is dangerous and can cause adverse health effects in both adults and children. Products containing mercury are especially of concern for pregnant women or nursing mothers, because mercury may be passed on to fetuses and infants.

Clinical Presentation:

The symptoms associated with mercury poisoning are often non-specific, and thus, pose difficulties for diagnosis. Due to this, it is often misdiagnosed and leads to clinical treatments that do not address the underlying mercury poisoning.

General symptoms of mercury poisoning may include shaking, tremors, impaired balance or coordination, headaches, hypertension, depression, insomnia, weight loss, fatigue, nervousness, irritability, anxiety, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, or numbness or tingling in hands, feet, lips.

In children, prolonged exposure to mercury poisoning may present as excessive salivation or thirst, gingivitis, irritability, anorexia, poor muscle tone, leg cramps, hypertension, rash, peeling or flaking skin, or pink extremities (e.g. hands and feet).

Long term exposure to mercury may cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and kidneys. Symptoms may present as extreme fatigue, muscle aches, weakness, and sores in the mouth, in addition to the symptoms listed above.

Recommendations for Clinicians:

Health care providers should:

Ask patients suspected of mercury poisoning if they use skin creams purchased in Mexico or other countries.
If the product was not purchased from a major retailer in these countries, or was unsealed upon purchase, urge patients to stop use immediately.
Ensure the skin cream container is tightly closed, isolated in a sealed bag, and labeled, “Mercury: Do Not Touch”.
Contact the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-222-1222 for queries about mercury poisoning medical management.

If a patient is suspected of using skin creams containing mercury, DSHS recommends healthcare providers conduct mercury analysis on blood and urine specimens.

Recommendations for Public:

People should only purchase skin care products in original, sealed containers sold by reputable retailers.

Individuals who believe they may have been exposed to mercury through skin creams should contact their healthcare provider, or the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-222-1222.

If individuals have skin cream products containing mercury in their home, then the closed containers should be discarded at a household hazardous waste facility. If there is not a household hazardous waste facility available in their community, then the product may be tightly closed, placed in a sealed and labeled bag, and discarded with household garbage.

To find a household hazardous waste facility near you, please visit: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/assistance/hhw/hhw_contacts.pdf

For More Information:

To report cases, questions about proper disposal of products containing mercury, or for questions about medical management related to mercury poisoning, please contact:

Texas Poison Center Network
1-800-222-1222

DSHS Environmental Surveillance and Toxicology Branch
512-776-7268
epitox@dshs.texas.gov

Mercury in Skin Creams Fact Sheet

DSHS News Release

~ In the Library, ~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

In the Library ~ Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson ~

04/24/2020 Nativegrl77

repost

Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring“, an early voice for our environment in 1962

Silent Spring

See why Carson’s analysis is more relevant now than ever.

Buy Silent Spring at Amazon.com

Rachel Carson, writer, scientist, and ecologist, grew up simply in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania. Her mother bequeathed to her a life-long love of nature and the living world that Rachel expressed first as a writer and later as a student of marine biology. Carson graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College) in 1929, studied at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and received her MA in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.

She was hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to write radio scripts during the Depression and supplemented her income writing feature articles on natural history for the Baltimore Sun. She began a fifteen-year career in the federal service as a scientist and editor in 1936 and rose to become Editor-in-Chief of all publications for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

She wrote pamphlets on conservation and natural resources and edited scientific articles, but in her free time turned her government research into lyric prose, first as an article “Undersea” (1937, for the Atlantic Monthly), and then in a book, Under the Sea-wind (1941). In 1952 she published her prize-winning study of the ocean, The Sea Around Us, which was followed by The Edge of the Sea in 1955. These books constituted a biography of the ocean and made Carson famous as a naturalist and science writer for the public. Carson resigned from government service in 1952 to devote herself to her writing.

She wrote several other articles designed to teach people about the wonder and beauty of the living world, including “Help Your Child to Wonder,” (1956) and “Our Ever-Changing Shore” (1957), and planned another book on the ecology of life. Embedded within all of Carson’s writing was the view that human beings were but one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly.

Disturbed by the profligate use of synthetic chemical pesticides after World War II, Carson reluctantly changed her focus in order to warn the public about the long term effects of misusing pesticides. In Silent Spring (1962) she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government, and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world.

Carson was attacked by the chemical industry and some in government as an alarmist, but courageously spoke out to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world subject to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem. Testifying before Congress in 1963, Carson called for new policies to protect human health and the environment. Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer. Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations to protect the living world and all its creatures.

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action, ~ my 2cents ...

Clothes : Can they be ethical … a repost

03/13/2020 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

just another rant …

Second hand or flea market shopping has been in the news occasionally for years and as folks join the movement to keep material out of landfills or reduce their eco-footprint; some push buy made in the US of A only; while others believe reusing is best. The problem that needs to be addressed over and over is, how toxic are the material used for fashions?

The idea of wearing toxic fashions let alone recycling it is a disturbing thought given what we now know and at the end of the day, it always seems to go back to making that dollar dollar

There are a few who do 2ndhand because of financial issues, some wear it for personal reasons and even more, are on that path toward sustainable living, but as a whole 2^nd hand, up-cycling or living Eco-friendly seems are great names but being ethically stylish? I guess that means intentionally buying, wearing, devoting your dollar dollars to sustainably made only. The fact is …it is a lot tougher than folks think. Have you looked at your clothing labels?

The dictionary states that being ethical means acting in an ethical manner from an ethical point of view. Being “ethically stylish” is almost a mission impossible. Before you say she needs more education; don’t get me wrong because I definitely get being “ethically stylish,” “acting with intent” but when store buyers, the fashion industry and whatnot go out of their way to use cheap labor or toxic material, being ethical demands that the industry cooperate as well lest we talk about where the industry gets their material … and sadly the industry isn’t as vital here

Unfortunately, this is an ongoing fight and here we are in the year 2020. I wonder, have other people bought and overpaid for a dress or two over the years; tried buying American made only as well but found more often than not; I buy because of the “cute factor” first then price while looking at the tags later finding that it was not made in the US of A or out of sustainable material, which definitely offends the “ethically stylish “code. Sometime in the ’90s, word got out that the likelihood of fashion corporations outsourcing work because it was more cost-effective, the material was cheap and maybe not so sustainable yet meant more for the money; remember when big-name models, entertainment folks and designers were caught using sweatshops. Levis’s, once thought to only be made here are imported as well and the 501’s which are my favorite can have insane prices though more sustainable.

Back in the day, hearing the fashion industry in all its forms, say they are selling or being more ethically stylish was frustrating. There were always reports of companies and brands, which sell the USA, made, but may among others in the industry possibly be using toxic materials. This news made the giant move toward 100% Organic, Natural or Sustainable take several giant steps backward to rehash rethink who when why when and with what. America needs to buy and sell local, but again, almost a mission impossible as” Made in America” is not only more expensive the labels are far and few these days, the material is often blended with stuff we cannot pronounce. The history of the fashion industry and American Made is definitely a love-hate thing as designers and stars back in the day were wearing fabulous clothes rarely found on the racks, only to find out they were actually getting their clothes made by sweatshops, in some well-known and unknown countries … and sustainable; probably not.

Yes, “Made in the USA” faded out to a blank whiteboard and the NYC garment district was but a memory for quite a while. There were some great “Where and what are they doing now” shows with older “go to” fashion designers, clothiers stating the fabric just is not the same nor are the people. The opportunity to make more clothes with cheap labor & material seemed to have become addictive and the image of what was going on in those countries is not good. Fashion will always be a work in progress, but learning that unfair labor practices and or that companies are producing great looking garments, but possibly using toxic material since or before is sad considering all that has happened to the industry over the years. Thus, making it tough to be ethical let alone wear fashion that is ethically stylish or sustainable.

I still buy using the cute fit fab factor while believing in reuse reclaim repurpose redecorate and reduce too … which keeps most material out of landfills

FYI … this was written back in November of 2012

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action

Mindful behavior / New Year Resolution … stop smoking

12/31/2019 Nativegrl77

Every once in a while i come across info that i have to pass along. i for one believe that great information definitely makes us think…hopefully, it also starts up a conversation that is not only positive but initiates reaction and action that causes change … as an ex-smoker having stopped (cold turkey) years ago. So,

The information below is old, but you have to wonder just what the numbers are now!

Orzechowski and Walker, economic consulting firm says …

$1,712 is the average amt a pack-a-day smoker in the US spends annually

What can $1,712 buy?

170 mosquito nets from nothingbutnets.net and prevent malaria transmission to African families.
Provide 11,900 meals for the nation’s hungry through feedingamerica.org
Donate to local programs to give 10 kids fun and creative after-school options every day for a month. aferschoolalliance.org for tips on finding an organization near you.

resource: internet