On Monday, Shellbie Johnson, four years old, began to have trouble breathing. Her wheezing quickly turned into a full blown asthma attack. Every mother of a child with asthma knows that heart-stopping sound, as a child struggles to fill her lungs with air. Struggles to stay alive.

Sarah Johnson raced her toddler to the emergency room — in the middle of an unfolding catastrophe the likes of which the people of Moore, Oklahoma had never seen. Their entire town was struggling to stay alive. The tornado that slammed into Moore has claimed 91 lives — at last count. At the hospital, the ER nurses were hunkered down on the ground; Sarah threw a mattress over her daughter to protect her as they huddled against a wall, and took a direct hit from the twister.

As a parent, my heart breaks for all the lives torn into pieces by the twister. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Moore.

As a person who is profoundly concerned about the way we are messing with nature — my heart breaks again. No one is going to tell you that climate change causes a particular tornado. That would be silly. It is hard to know yet whether we’ll see fewer tornadoes in some places, because of less turbulence-causing wind shear, or more tornadoes because of more heat and humidity. Texas’ recent drought may have meant fewer tornadoes.

But every climate scientist today is concerned about the extreme weather events we are experiencing; they are happening in the context of climate change. Those twisters remind us of the savage power of the natural world.

Doing something about climate change is not going to help the people whose lives are already upended by tornadoes — or floods, hurricanes and droughts. But no parent can simply throw up her hands and ignore the trouble we are racing right into — because someday, in the not too distant future, each and every one of us will be imperiled.

Photo: Photograph by Sue Ogrocki via Yahoo News

TELL FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TO SPEAK UP ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

This was written by Cassidy Randall for Women’s Voices for the Earth:

People often ask me, “Why a women’s environmental organization?”

I always take a breath before answering, because there are so many reasons, and because each one contributes to my passion to get toxic chemicals out of our world:

• Women’s health problems linked to toxic chemicals are on the rise. Rising rates of breast cancer, early puberty, contaminated breast milk, infertility, birth defects – the list, unfortunately, goes on.
• Women are greater users of consumer products that contain toxic chemicals, like personal care products, fragrance, and cleaning products.
• Women of color are at greater risk. Many products marketed to women of color, such as skin lighteners, hair relaxers, and dyes, contain some of the most toxic chemicals on the market; flame retardant chemicals have increased by 40% in the breast milk of Inuit women in the Arctic; according to the CDC, African American women are 34% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.
• Women experience unique occupational exposures. 89% of maids and housekeeping cleaners are female, exposed to cleaning chemicals all day. 97% of the nail salon workforce is female, exposed to a host of toxic chemicals in nail salon products. Female-dominated occupations are more likely to be associated with fragrance allergy, such as massage therapists, cosmetologists, household workers, and stylists.
• Obviously, I could go on – these are all incredibly compelling reasons on their own. But this next reason is personal. And this is why I do the work that I do to eliminate toxic chemicals from the products that we use every day.
• Women are the first environment for the next generation. Biologically, we can pass chemicals on to our children in the womb and through breastfeeding.

I have endometriosis, which is the leading cause of infertility among women. Doctors have told me that it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to have children, that I may never have that opportunity to be the first environment for a child.

This story is far too common. Rates of endometriosis have risen exponentially in the last 50 years—it’s estimated that 10-20% of women suffer from it. Like the rising rates of breast cancer, doctors believe the increase is linked to toxic chemical exposure-in the womb, through breastfeeding, or exposures later in life.

A lot of mothers-to-be do as much as they can to reduce their toxic exposures during pregnancy, just like my mother did – but we simply can’t control everything. A 2009 study by our partners at EWG found over 200 synthetic chemicals present in cord blood in newborns. Another study shows that that if the average woman’s breast milk were bottled for sale, it wouldn’t pass FDA regulations. Breastfeeding is still the best option, but the amount of chemicals poses an unnecessary burden on the child.

I do this work because we can no longer continue to justify the reckless use of toxic chemicals that leaves 10 to 20% of women without the ability to have children.

I may not be able to have children of my own, but I’m part of this movement because I want to ensure that my nieces never have to worry about whether they’re exposing themselves to chemicals that will seriously impair their ability to reproduce. About whether something they’re spraying in their homes or putting on their bodies is messing with their hormones, or that a product they pick up off the shelf is determining the fate of their reproductive systems.

And this is why I’m so proud to be part of this movement – because we are actually creating this world that I’m envisioning. And we’re not just creating it for my nieces – we’re creating it for women all over the country.

The last year has been a groundbreaking year for policies that will protect women’s health – Congress held the first hearing on cosmetics safety in decades, and dozens of salon workers traveled to DC for a Healthy Salon Week of Action demanding protections from toxic chemicals in salons. The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act was just reintroduced, and the momentum behind this legislation is staggering.

The Safe Chemicals Act passed through the Senate committee last year as well, in the first vote on chemical policy in years. This bill was reintroduced a couple of weeks ago, and we have every intention of making sure it passes.

Because the bottom line is that it shouldn’t be our responsibility to research which products are safe for us to use. We should ALL be able to pick products off the shelves that are safe to begin with. And we have the power to make that happen.

When you join this movement, you become part of a rising tide of people who no longer want to participate in this uncontrolled chemical experiment on our bodies. The tide is rising fast and strong, and nothing can break our momentum – not the chemical industry, major corporations, or the politicians in their pockets. We have SO MUCH power, and this is the time to use it.

READ MORE:
My Hunt For A Chemical-Free Couch
Why I Asked Safeway To Mind The Store
Regulate BPA Out The Door

TELL THE SENATE TO PASS STRONGER TOXIC CHEMICAL STANDARDS

In a survey by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, of 726 Republicans or Republican-leaning Independents, it was found that a slim majority of the participants (52%) believe that climate change is real. As a Conservative Republican, this statistic saddens me because it reinforces the historical stereotype that the GOP embraces the theory of “reflexive opposition“ – or they simply ignore the reality of environmental problems.

This denial isn’t because Republicans can’t see the chaotic impact of climate change. They live in areas directly affected by the ravages of climate change just like their counterparts do. Our changing climate is amplifying what has been happening for a long time, as exemplified by tornado season. Tornadoes cycle through the Midwest every year. However, in recent years, the season has lead to an increasing amount of tragedy in the red states of Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma. In fact, just this week tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma and Kansas, leaving behind death, destruction and heartbreak.

What do you do if you’re a Conservative concerned about the environment? How do you talk to your friends and family about your convictions when they don’t see eye to eye with you?

First of all, we must understand that all people want clean air and water, they are just unsure of how to get there…and how we got there in the first place! As concerned Conservatives, it’s our job and a joy to educate our peers about climate change.

5 Ways To Talk About Climate Change With Conservative Republicans:

1. Climate change is real and it’s happening now. It’s happening all over the world and the poorest people are the ones who are suffering the most. If Conservatives, especially those of the religious persuasion, truly care for their neighbors, climate change should be high on their list of priorities.
2. There are many causes that Conservatives can support, but caring for the environment envelops three of the key foundational tenants of this movement: trans-generational loyalty, the need for home, and the priority of local economy.
3. Even though most Conservatives believe in God as the omnipotent designer of the Earth, it is important to note that as humans, we have the power to make our own choices. Believing in climate change isn’t an insult to God, it’s an acknowledgment of responsibility!
4. By replacing our energy sources with clean energy, we can reduce the human impact of climate change and therefore reduce the burden on the environment. Being good stewards of the Earth is a motto taught in Sunday School, and it doesn’t end when you walk out the doors of the church.
5. And finally, teach your friends and family about conserving the environment. Start small with your children, capitalizing on their curiosity about the world around them. Moms Clean Air Force provides all the important resources to help you arm yourself with the facts and teach your family to stand up to skeptics and climate change deniers!

JOIN MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE

Asthma is the most chronic childhood disease.

According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC):

• Over 7.1 million U.S. children under age 18 (14%) have ever been diagnosed with asthma; 7.0 million children still have asthma (10%).
• Boys (15%) were more likely than girls (13%) to have ever been diagnosed with asthma.
• Non-Hispanic black children were more likely to have ever been diagnosed with asthma (21%) and to still have asthma (16%) than Hispanic (15% and 10%) or non-Hispanic white (12% and 8%) children.
• Children in poor families were more likely to have ever been diagnosed with asthma (18%) or to still have asthma (13%) than children in families that were not poor (12% and 8%).
• Children in fair or poor health (42%) were three and one-half times as likely to have ever been diagnosed with asthma and almost five times as likely to still have asthma (38%) as children in excellent or very good health (12% and 8%).

2 things you can do right now to help our children breathe easier:

1. Learn as much as you can about asthma. READ and SHARE our free e-book, ASTHMA TRIGGERS: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, Doctors and Nurses.
2. The EPA recently proposed a very important clean air regulation, the Tier 3 Standards. This standard will reduce levels of dangerous traffic pollution across the nation and lessen the pollutants our kids breathe. SIGN THIS to support new fuel and emissions standards.

We support our children in so many loving ways, let’s do all we can to protect them from filthy air pollution by supporting strong clean air regulations.

JOIN MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE

Moms Clean Air Force ha creado un libro electrónico gratis llamado Factores desencadenantes del asma: una guía para padres, maestros, médicos y enfermeros. El asma es una epidemia nacional. Cerca de 26 millones de estadounidenses viven con asma, ¡incluyendo 7 millones de niños! Aunque podemos controlar algunos de los detonantes del asma en nuestros hogares, sólo podemos protegernos de los factores desencadenantes en la contaminación del aire al apoyar normas fuertes que limpien nuestro aire.

La Agencia de Protección del Medioambiente (Environmental Protection Agency) recientemente propuso una regulación muy importante con el apoyo de la industria automotriz: los estándares de nivel 3 o Tier 3 Standards. La norma limpiará nuestras emisiones de gasolina y tubos de escape.

El aire cerca de los caminos principales es una notoria y nociva mezcla de emisiones de diesel, óxido de nitrógeno, dióxido de sulfuro, partículas gruesas, partículas pequeñas (u hollín) y también el ozono (o esmog) que resulta de esas emisiones.

Estos contaminantes, solos y combinados, dañan los pulmones de nuestros niños: desencadenan ataques de asma. Impiden el desarrollo normal de los pulmones en los niños e incluso pueden ser la causa de que se desarrolle la enfermedad del asma en niños que no tienen asma.

Los estándares de nivel 3 o Tier 3 Standards reducirán los niveles de la peligrosa contaminación del tránsito por la nación.

Recuerda, compartimos el aire. Por eso Moms Clean Air Force se ha unido en la protección de fuertes estándares de protección del aire limpio, la promesa del acta de aire limpio o Clean Air Act que se convirtió en ley hace más de cuarenta años con las firmas de demócratas Y republicanos.

Esperamos que encuentres útil este libro electrónico o e-book y que lo uses con buena salud.

CLICK HERE for English version.

SUPPORT NEW FUEL & EMISSIONS STANDARDS

Moms Clean Air Force has created a free e-book called, ASTHMA TRIGGERS: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, Doctors and Nurses. Asthma is a national epidemic. Nearly 26 million Americans live with asthma — including 7 million children! While we can control some of the asthma triggers in our homes, we can only protect ourselves from air pollution triggers by supporting strong regulations to clean our air.

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently proposed a very important regulation, with the support of the automobile industry: the Tier 3 Standards. The rule will clean up our gasoline and tailpipe emissions.

The air near major roadways is a notoriously noxious mix of diesel exhaust, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, coarse particles, smaller particles (or soot), as well as the ground level ozone (or smog) that results from these emissions. These pollutants, alone and in combination, damage our children’s lungs: they trigger asthma attacks, they impede normal lung development in children, and they may actually cause the underlying disease of asthma to develop in children without asthma.

The  Tier 3 Standards will reduce levels of dangerous traffic pollution across the nation.

Remember, we share the air. That’s why Moms Clean Air Force is uniting to protect strong clean air standards–the promise of the Clean Air Act signed into law more than forty years ago by Democrats AND Republicans.

We hope you will find this e-book helpful–and that you will use it in good health.

Learn more about asthma:

Q&A: What You Need to Know About Asthma
10 Tweetable Facts About Asthma
What Triggers Asthma

To our fellow clean air organizations: If you would like to send a printable version of AsthmaTriggers: A Guide For Parents, Teachers, Doctors And Nurses to your membership with your logo joining ours, please contact us at info@momscleanairforce.org

SHARE on Twitter:
Free E-Book! #Asthma Triggers: A Guide For Parents, Teachers, Doctors And Nurses 
>> Tweet This! << 

CLICK HERE for Spanish version.

SUPPORT NEW FUEL & EMISSIONS STANDARDS

This was written for Moms Clean Air Force by Diane MacEachern, Founder & CEO of the Big Green Purse:

Summer brings many great experiences and memories for families—barbecues, swimming, hot nights and summer movies. It also brings a familiar and unpleasant sight for many communities—a smoggy skyline and poor air quality that can make it tough for kids to breathe.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be an expert on smog to be able to explain that one way to clear the air is by shifting to cleaner sources of energy like solar and wind. It’s even easier to explain that using energy more efficiently – using less energy to do the same job – is something that everyone can do at home. Plus, using energy more efficiently helps reduce the gases that cause climate change.

Did you know that:

• The average house is responsible for more than 20,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, about twice as much as the average car.
• Electricity demand for U.S. homes is expected to climb by as much as 22 percent by 2035.
• The typical household spends more than $2,000 per year on energy bills.

Where to begin?

If your kids are anything like mine, once you explain the cause of something, they’ll want to know the solution. You’ve probably already talked to them about walking or biking rather than driving, turning off the lights, TV and the computer when not in use, and maybe washing full loads of dishes or clothes. But reminding kids to do those things can be a hassle – for you and for them.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to make it more fun, by offering games, contests and educational resources through their kids engagement program, Team ENERGY STAR.

The program is particularly unique because it empowers kids to help protect the climate and our air through easy-to-implement, money-saving actions. It also provides them an outlet for sharing their passion for preserving our environment.

Kids who sign up for Team ENERGY STAR and share their story will be entered into a contest for best story; winners will receive ENERGY STAR certified LG electronics, including cell phones, TVs and MP3 docking stations. And, they’ll get their name and photo up in lights, being showcased on LG’s Times Square billboard in New York City.

What’s in it for you?

As fun as Team ENERGY STAR makes saving energy for kids, you’ll benefit, too.

• Using ENERGY STAR appliances can save you over one-third, or more than $760, on your household energy bills.
• If every American household took the actions found in the ENERGY STAR Pledge, we would save more than130 billion KWh/year of electricity and save $23 billion in annual energy costs. We would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 21 million cars.

Download educational materials for your kids here. If they’re inspired to save energy, capture their story on camera or have them write it down and submit it through the website. If they win, it could have a lasting impact on their commitment to protecting the health of this planet into the future.

JOIN MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE

There’s been a lot of buzz about a team of researchers from Duke University and UC Berkeley who found that 85% of couch cushions contain toxic or untested flame retardants.

The study was based upon 102 couch samples (including one from Moms Clean Air Force’s Public Health Policy and Outreach Manager, Molly Rauch), which were gathered from around the country and tested for the presence of flame retardant chemicals. An alarming 41% of the samples were found to contain chlorinated Tris, a carcinogenic flame retardant which was banned for use in baby pajamas in the 1970s.

When hearing about this study, I realized that my beloved couch in the center of my family room could be, and probably was, among the toxic many. My couch has spent countless hours with our family of five cuddled up watching movies, reading or just hanging out. And to think that all this time we were probably breathing in toxic chemicals released from our couch.

How could this happen?

Unfortunately, the current laws that are meant to protect us from harmful chemicals are weak, outdated and not doing their job. Our couches aren’t tested before hitting the market, and chemical manufacturers are able to keep secret most of the ingredients in their chemical formulations. These dangerous chemicals found on, and in our couches migrate into the air inside and outside our homes, exposing us to harmful carcinogens every day.

A little bit of good news:

This year California will take a big step to protect public health by updating its furniture flammability standard. According to Environmental Health News:

The proposed standard will improve fire safety by addressing the place where fires start (the outer fabric of furniture instead of the inner foam) and designing safety tests targeted for smoldering cigarettes, the leading cause of fire-related deaths in homes, rather than open flames.”

Also, the U.S. EPA recently announced that it would assess twenty chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act — the vast majority of the chemicals are flame retardants.

Become a couch detective!

As with any purchase, it’s important to be an informed consumer. Use your powerful voice and become a couch detective! Ask questions. Contact the retailer directly to verify that you’re receiving a product free from flame retardant chemicals. Not only will this ensure that your product is safe for you and your family, but it will also notify retailers that we, as consumers, care about our products and we won’t purchase products that are toxic. We have the power to make a difference.

Wondering where to buy a chemical free couch? I detected a few brands that have made a good faith effort to eliminate chlorinated Tris, but their efforts fall short by replacing a known toxin with alternatives that could be just as harmful.

Arhaus

I contacted Arhaus, a moderate to high-priced furniture retailer, and they confirmed that their upholstery does NOT contain chlorinated Tris—it was removed years ago. When asked what was being used in place of chlorinated Tris, the Arhaus design team responded with “The specific chemicals used to meet flammability standards are not published…at this point the information is more defined by specific exclusions, such as chlorinated tris. We refer customers to the Certipur website. We all hope that in the near future flammability requirements are eliminated altogether.”

This response made me angry and confirmed just what I was afraid of: Companies are under no obligation to share the chemicals they’re using in the products we’re buying…and they don’t.

IKEA

IKEA took the pledge to phase out chlorinated Tris by August 2010. It has been replaced by: “an organo-phosphorous compound which gets incorporated into the polymer matrix of the foam filling.” After doing a little leg work to find out what exactly an “organo-phosphorous compound” could be, I found the list of possiblilities to be long and full of options that I don’t want in my couch.

Brands that make the non-toxic cut:

Unfortunately there aren’t many options to recommend in the low to moderate price points. Many companies in this price range have taken an active stance on removing chlorinated Tris, but have replaced it with something which is potentially just as toxic.

The only low price option is to buy a futon frame with a folded futon. Because they are not made with flammable foam, they don’t have the flame retardants inside — but of course, you have to check with the manufacturer.” ~ MCAF’s, Molly Rauch

There are a few companies that truly stand out when it comes to non-toxic and sustainable couches — all of them are pretty pricey:

Ekla Home

According to their website, Ekla Home prides itself on striving to make the “least toxic furniture on the planet.” Each piece of furniture is made from FSC Certified Wood, non-toxic adhesives, recycled steel springs and zero-VOC finishes. They use NO chemical fire retardants.

Cisco Brothers

Cisco has been longtime supporters of chemical-free furniture manufacturing. Their furniture is crafted without harmful chemicals including toxic fire-retardants…and comes to you with a big price tag.

Viesso

This furniture line has created a “Green Collection.” Consumers can opt for a chemical-free couch which includes: no fire retardants (with “Extreme Green” option), natural jute webbing and wool deck, fabrics that are natural, recycled or both, select the “Extreme Green” option and you get a sofa with 100% natural latex on the arms, back frames and cushion filling and locally sourced hardwood frames. The site is very simple to use and allows you to customize most couches. I spent some time customizing a few couches with eco-friendly options — the price range rang in somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000.

EcoSelect

EcoSelect Furniture is custom-made and offers the option to purchase couch cushions that contain foam that has not been treated with flame retardant chemicals.

Take action NOW.

It’s time to take the burden away from the consumer and place it where it belongs – with the couch industry. Passage of the Safe Chemicals Act of 2013, would strengthen the way our government regulates toxic chemicals by requiring more thorough health testing of products BEFORE these chemicals end up in the bodies of our children.

Photo credit: rustman via photopin cc

TELL YOUR SENATOR TO PROTECT FAMILIES FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS

May is Asthma Awareness Month! Moms Clean Air Force has teamed up with our partner, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), to host a Twitter chat. We’re dedicated to sharing everything you need to know about asthma and what you can do to help your children cope and prevent this disease that affects 7.1 million children!

Moms Clean Air Force will kick off the chat by interviewing AAFA experts, followed by a Q&A session with YOU.

WHAT: Moms Clean Air Force and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Twitter chat in honor of Asthma Awareness Month

WHEN: Wednesday, May 22nd 2-3:00pmET/11am-12:00pmPT

WHERE: On Twitter! Follow hashtag: #AsthmaChat and @MomsCAF, @AAFANational

WHO: You, your friends, your friends’ friends. Please share this invitation and spread the word to your networks by tweeting:

Join me for a @MomsCAF @AAFANational Asthma Twitter chat! 5/22 2pmET follow #AsthmaChat http://ow.ly/l1QJa Fab prizes! Please re-tweet 

>> Tweet this <<

PRIZES: We will randomly select two winners who will receive fab MCAF and AAFA prize packs. Please RSVP to be eligible to win.

 RSVP HERE

OUR CHILDREN NEED STRONG CLEAN AIR REGULATIONS — SUPPORT GINA MCCARTHY’S NOMINATION AS EPA ADMINISTRATOR!

 ASK MICHELLE OBAMA TO SPEAK UP ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE