Trump’s Budget Proposal Means More Women Exposed to Toxic Chemicals

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At the end of March, President Trump released his budget proposal. And what is a budget, other an expression of a statement of values. Think about it: what do you care about, and how is that translated into your daily spending? Where do you choose to spend your money? It appears that science and research in general are under attack within the Trump Administration. This applies to critical health research as well. The largest cuts in the budget proposal are to the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal to cut 31% of the agency’s funding has troubling implications for numerous programs that ensure people’s ability to live in healthy and vibrant communities. Let’s look at how programs that address toxic chemicals will be impacted.

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85% of Tampons, Pads and Other Feminine Care Products Contaminated with Monsanto’s Cancer-Causing, Endocrine-Disrupting Glyphosate

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Typically we take for granted the safety of cotton products such as gauze, bandages, swabs, pads, wipes — and even feminine products, like tampons and sanitary pads. But a 2015 Argentinian study should give us pause for thought. As it turns out, researchers from the University of La Plata found that a vast majority of these products contain glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s wildly popular Roundup herbicide and the same chemical that’s considered a “probable carcinogen” by the World Health Organization. If that’s not enough to get your attention, glyphosate is also associated with IQ loss/intellectual disability, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity (both child and adult), diabetes, infertility and cardiovascular disease. Needless to say, this isn’t the kind of chemical you want absorbed by wounds, or worse, through the vagina.

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Is it a Gender Bender When It Comes to Sustainability?

Gender matters now more than ever in sustainability — not just for the sake of individual women, but for the prospects of the global economy, the environment and society at large. In developing countries, the focus is on forging more paths to self-sufficiency and better safeguards for women who do find financial opportunity in ever-expanding global supply chains.

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Congress Strengthens Toxic Substances Control Act in Rare Bipartisan, Pro-Environment Move

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According to the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a bill that will strengthen the Toxic Substances Control Act, passed the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama soon. It is the first major environmental legislation in over two decades to move forward to this point.

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U.S. Falls Far Behind In Gender Equality, U.N. Assessment Concludes

Holding the scales of justice

The U.N. Sent 3 Foreign Women To The U.S. To Assess Gender Equality. They Were Horrified. A delegation of human rights experts from Poland, the United Kingdom and Costa Rica spent 10 days this month touring the United States so they can prepare a report on the nation’s overall treatment of women. Human rights experts Eleonora Zielinska (Poland), Alda Facio (Costa Rica), and Frances Raday (U.K.), visited the United States in December to assess gender equality. The three women, who lead a United Nations working group on discrimination against women, visited Alabama, Texas and Oregon to evaluate a wide range of U.S. policies and attitudes, as well as school, health and prison systems. The delegates were appalled by the lack of gender equality in America. They found the U.S. to be lagging far behind international human rights standards in a number of areas, including its 23 percent gender pay gap, maternity leave, affordable child care and the treatment of female migrants in detention centers. While the U.N. delegates were shocked by many things they saw in the U.S., perhaps the biggest surprise of their trip, they said, was learning that women in the country don’t seem to know what they’re missing. The most […]

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How Giving Up Refined Sugar Changed My Brain

Giving Up Refined Sugar

Consuming refined sugar can impact mood, decision-making, and memory. Here’s how good it can be to give it up.

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The Trouble with Nano-Fabrics

Nanotech Clothing

Performance fabrics that offer anti-bacterial and anti-odor qualities, as well as sun protection, may contain nanoparticles that are largely untested for human health effects. If you’ve been shopping for workout clothes lately, you may have seen labels making some extraordinary claims—namely, that you can work up a sweat and your clothes won’t smell when your exercise session is over. Sound too good to be true? You may want to think twice about buying clothes making such claims, because the anti-bacterial properties are brought to you by nanotechnology. While certain nanoparticles in clothing can kill off bacteria, as a whole they are largely untested, barely regulated, and may pose serious risks to your health and the Earth. Nanotechnology involves the use of very small particles, called nanoparticles, to bring certain characteristics to a product. Nanoparticles are defined as being between the range of 1-100 nanometers in size. A billion of them can fit on the head of a pin. Nanomaterials are currently used in body care products, as well as consumer products like cutting boards, towels, food, and, yes, clothes. The most common nanomaterials in clothing are nanosilver and nano-titanium dioxide. Nanosilver is woven into fabric to give it anti-bacterial properties, […]

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Dangerous Isolation: Meet the Fearless Advocates Helping Rural Women Escape Abuse

Rural West Virginia

From helping care for an abused woman’s animals to switching jackets so she can slip past her husband in the parking lot, advocates in poor, rural areas are thinking outside the box.

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The Persistent Dangers of Toxic Shock Syndrome

Lauren Wasser loses leg to Toxic Shock Syndrome

A recent case of toxic shock syndrome, a bacterial infection that can be caused by the use of materials such as tampons, has reignited the debate over tampon use for women’s periods. Twenty-four-year-old model Lauren Wasser was living the high life of a young, up-and-coming Los Angeleno. This all came crashing down when she contracted toxic shock syndrome from wearing a tampon overnight and ultimately had to get one of her legs partially amputated.

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Disaster Aftermath: Making Women’s Health a Priority

Upon the heels of one of the recent earthquake, we can only hope that all the parties involved in the disaster response – from aid groups to foreign militaries to friends and neighbors – will make women’s health and safety a priority.

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