New classes on reducing toxics within your home

The Center has begun a series of classes aimed at educating families on how to reduce the number of toxics within the home. Both the EcoSafe home class and the Green cleaning class are held monthly at the Center. See our Events section for more information.

The Center will present either class at your workplace, parents group, book club, neighborhood meeting, etc. Call 503-233-1510 to schedule a presentation.

Despite ban on Phthalates, toxic toys will remain on stores’ shelves

On November 18th, federal regulators created a serious loophole in the upcoming federal ban on phthalates. The ban, which will begin on February 10, 2009, is targeted on children’s products such as teethers, pacifiers, and toys. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s general counsel announced that all products made before the February 10th deadline will be legal to sell after February 10th, regardless of the phthalates content. Products will not be labeled differently, so parents will have no way of knowing if they expose their children to phthalates.

Phthalates can disrupt a body’s endocrine (hormone) system, thereby causing reproductive or developmental problems. Studies link phthalates to the deformation and feminization of male genitalia, a common occurrence in wildlife and a growing problem in human populations particularly in industrialized countries. Phthalates are common in many household items, toys, and personal care products.

The Center is actively supporting the Children’s Safe Products Act of 2009, which includes a ban on phthalates and Bisphenol A in children’s products. Bisphenol A is linked to many negative health outcomes, including problems with fertility. We need your support in order to pass the Children’s Safe Products Act of 2009. Please consider joining the Center as an email activist. To do so, email Celeste Janssen or call her at 503-233-1510.

200 Top Scientists Warn of Dangers of Exposure to Common Chemicals in "Faroes Statement"

In a strongly worded declaration, many of the world's leading environmental scientists warned that exposure to common chemicals makes babies more likely to develop an array of health problems later in life, including diabetes, attention deficit disorders, prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders and even obesity.

The declaration by about 200 scientists from five continents amounts to a vote of confidence in a growing body of evidence that humans are vulnerable to long-term harm from toxic exposures in the womb and during their first years.

Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) Publishes Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Factors

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative published the Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. The statement summarizes the latest science about environmental contaminants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities, and developmental delays. The statement, signed by more than 50 scientists and health professionals nationally and internationally, has a glossary and over 200 references, was drafted and reviewed by a prestigious committee of scientists and health professionals based in North America.