Hold the sprinkles? The American love affair with brightly colored foods may be risky business.

What’s wrong with the natural color of a pickled pepper? That’s what I’ve been wondering for at least a year, ever since I decided to avoid artificial food coloring whenever possible and found that jarred Greek peppers only come in FD&C Yellow #5. Willing to accept that perhaps my obsession with natural foods had careened straight past “eccentric hippie” into the territory of undiagnosed mental illness, I’ll be picking my own peck of pickled peppers this year. There’s good reason to do so: artificial food coloring is linked to a multitude of side effects.

They’re linked to allergies, cancer and other heath problems in children and adults.

In the U.S., there are seven FDA-approved, mostly petroleum-derived food dyes currently in use: Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. The three most widely-used colors – Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 – contain known carcinogens, and the FDA has admitted that Red 3 is a carcinogen as well.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, studies have found that Blue 2, which is made of coal tar, causes brain cancer in male rats, while Red 3 gave lab rats thyroid tumors. Yellow 5 can not only cause allergy-like hypersensitivity reactions, but can also be contaminated with cancer-causing substances. Yellow 6 has been implicated in tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.

They’re in almost all processed foods – and even some fresh whole foods.

It’s not just the neon cereals, candies, sprinkles and juices that have been enhanced with artificial dyes. Bagels, waffles, tomato juice, crackers, salad dressing, cheese, yogurt and those pickled peppers are among the many packaged foods that contain food coloring. In fact, the blueberries in Aunt Jemima Blueberry Waffles are just bits of food coloring.

Fruit growers are allowed to dip oranges in a carcinogenic red food dye to make them more appealing. That dye is no longer allowed as an additive in foods, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers its use for peel enhancement acceptable.

Food dyes are used to exploit our natural instincts linking color to freshness, and to entice kids to eat junk.

The food industry uses dyes to manipulate us into believing that the food we’re eating is healthier than it is. We’re drawn to the brightest red apples, the most verdant salad greens and the darkest purple berries because we’re biologically wired to recognize foods that are brimming with nutrients. Conventional produce grown in nutrient-starved soil may be lacking in the color department.

They also know that kids, who are attracted by bright colors from an early age, are far more likely to pick Fruity Pebbles over beige, naturally-colored and -flavored cereals.

Dyes are linked to hyperactivity in children.

After meeting on March 30th and 31st this year to mull warning labels on foods that contain artificial colors, the FDA decided there’s not enough evidence linking them to hyperactivity in kids (by a margin of 8 to 6). “If we put a label that long on every chemical and ingredient that hasn’t been adequately studied . . . you wouldn’t see the package anymore,” argued Tim Jones, Tennessee’s deputy state epidemiologist and a member of the FDA panel.

But two recent studies sponsored by the British government, which looked not just at children who have already been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but at a wide sample of children in the general population, found that kids given foods that contain artificial dyes do indeed show a measurable increase in hyperactivity.

Dyes are discouraged in Britain, and require a warning label in most of the European Union.

The British Food Standards Agency advises parents to avoid artificially colored foods, while the European Food Safety Agency warns consumers right on the package that artificial colors may have adverse health effects. In fact, the EU is mulling an all-out ban.

Kraft, Coca-Cola and Walmart have already removed artificial dyes from the products they distribute overseas, but not in America. For example, while Nutri-Grain bars sold in American contain Red 40, Yellow 6 and Blue 1, those sold in the UK contain beetroot red, annato and paprika instead.

Natural dyes aren’t totally off the hook, either.

A natural red dye that is listed on labels as cochineal, carmine or carminic acid has a bit of a squick factor simply because it’s made from bugs. It takes 70,000 cochineal insects to make just a pound of this red dye, which is used in everything from strawberry milkshakes to cosmetics. The substance can cause severe allergic reactions, as can natural dyes annatto and saffron. (It’s worth noting that even the most natural substance can produce allergic reactions in very small percentages of the population, so that’s not necessary a reason to avoid them entirely.)

Safe, natural alternatives exist.

Colorful food is undoubtedly fun. We don’t have to give up pretty colors in foods in order to avoid potential health effects. In fact, many natural sources of food coloring have properties that have the opposite effects on our bodies – like turmeric, a vivid yellow herb that helps protect against cancer. Try matcha green tea powder for green, beet juice or any number of berries for beautiful reds and purples, cocoa powder for brown and red cabbage for blue.

Image: Pink Sherbet Photography

What you should know about collaborative hands moving mountains  – one volunteer, festival and tweet at a time.

As Japan’s global relief missions move quickly to aid the mind boggling earthquake and tsunami recovery, school students throughout the U.S. are holding bake sales to swap lopsided muffins and chewy brownies for the feeling of being part of the giant cog of good will.

In many respects, this is how the little guns that run lesser known nonprofits make a dent, using what fuel and funding they have to reach out and stir passions. In essence, it’s about changing the world via one dougnut, app or Tweet at a time.

Here are some of the little engines that could make a significant dent in aiding women, children and the planet at large.

1. Halting the Recruitment of Underage Killers

Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

If war is hell for adults, you can imagine its toll on children. That’s what we’re up against in Uganda, Lebanon, Bosnia and elsewhere, where kids are forced under extreme duress to shoot weapons, plant mines or explosives and live under horrendous conditions without adequate food or healthcare. Despite global condemnation, hundreds of thousands of children have battled and died in world conflicts, and as many young girls have been subjected to rape and sexual enslavement. Desertion is often punishable by death.

Mission: Headquartered in London, its goal is to promote international and regional legal standards halting the military recruitment or engagement of any young person under 18 in hostilities. Through advocacy, research and monitoring, the coalition pushes for enforcement of the standard by all armed groups, governmental and non-governmental, and humanitarian organizations.

2. Power to the People

Ms. Foundation for Women

What has Ms. and Gloria Steinem done for you lately? While this foundation was started in 1972 at the height of the feminist movement, it has expanded by leaps over 35 years, growing seed funding from $87,000 in start-up grants to an endowment of $24 million. If money talks, then this effort is screaming about ending discrimination and inequity once and for all by giving women the collective power – and funds – to ignite change for generations to come.

Mission: Imbuing women with wisdom and tools to solve on their own problems of poverty, violence, discrimination and other forms of injustice; delivering strategic support to over 150 trailblazing organizations that are advancing women’s solutions for change at decision-making tables across the country.

3. Sew and Dress for Green Success

Clothing Matters

Founded by Martha Swain, who runs sustainability workshops to further her mission from a shop in Grand Rapids, Mich. which she opened with $400 to sell both apparel and ideas to a global community. The nonprofit connects companies and customers working to shift what we wear – from plastic materials cranked out in sweat shops to natural fibers of the highest quality and sustainability – amounting to one of the world’s best examples of socially and environmentally responsible manufacturing.

Mission: Work with domestic and overseas partners whose policies and practices exceed Fair Labor Organization standards. Commit to supporting practices that conserve natural resources, reduce pollution and promote social justice.

4. Food for Thoughtful Consumption

Food and Water Watch

Not so puny with 12 offices in the U.S., but not a household name either, this nonprofit cares about food, water and fish being safe, accessible and sustainably produced – in addition to monitoring abuses of farm workers such as the so-called “serfs or Arkansas” flocking to the poultry industry. The goal is to keep clean and affordable water flowing to homes, protect the quality of oceans and force governments to protect and educate their citizens.

Mission: Encourage a world where all people have access to affordable, healthy and wholesome food and clean water to meet basic needs – a world in which leaders take responsibility to manage essential resources sustainably.

5. Wind in Our Sails, Lower Utility Bills

American Wind Energy Association

They’re not just blowing hot air when it comes to this clearinghouse for communicating facts and ideas about alternative energy. The AWEA considers itself the hub of the wind energy industry with 2,500 members looking to promote, build and buy wind power technology around the world. Working with Congress, industry leaders and small businesses, the goal is to further U.S. leadership in the production of small wind turbines (100 kilowatts and less), generating power that reduces energy bills while protecting the environment.

Mission:Focusing on our economy, environment and energy security, AWEA seeks to power a cleaner America by promoting wind power growth through advocacy, communication and education.

6. Walk the Line

Rails to Trails Conservancy

Included in a read as one of the best 100 nonprofits to work for, this Washington, D.C.-based body promotes the development of thousands of miles of beneficial trails where old defunct rail lines once meandered through the national landscape. In doing so, it seeks to create a nationwide network of trails to connect corridors and build healthier places for healthier humans.

Mission: Attracting 150,000 members since its start in 1986, it looks to 9,000 miles of potential rail trails waiting to be built to span communities, regions, states and the entire country.

7. Stir a Cure

The Cancer Project

As we struggle to find holistic approaches to combating the disease that reaches one million more people each year, the project advances prevention and survival through nutrition education and research. Taking this new direction in the battle, the project provides classes, books, video programs, fact sheets and other educational materials on prevention and the value of health diet changes. Its hands-on nutrition classes are gaining increased popularity and helping survivors and families adapt to diets that have proven results.

Mission: Make cancer prevention a top priority and improve survival after a diagnosis by providing comprehensive information about the role of dietary factors in keeping people healthy.

8. Pleasure Principle

Clitoraid

If we have come a long way, then how does Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects some 130 million women in the world today? This horrific practice in Africa, Asia and the Middle East carries lifelong psychological and physical effects – and truly is a barbaric way to keep women down.   Clitoraid aims to correct the wrong through surgery while completing a $200,000 Pleasure Hospital in Burkina Faso, West Africa, offering free medical services for physical restoration and rehab for FGM victims.

Mission: Training and education for clitoral repair surgery for victims and empowering them to reach their first orgasms as a way of celebrating sexual freedom and pleasure for all women in the world. Promoting campaigns against female excision and sharing pleasure, hope, kindness and femininity.

9. Compassionate Nesting

Housing Works

The double whammy of AIDS and homelessness is too much for a civilized society to take. Housing Works is made up of a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS with advocacy offices in NYC, Albany, Washington D.C. Mississippi, Haiti and Puerto Rico. Through grassroots efforts it fights for funding and legislation to ensure people with HIV/AIDS have homes, healthcare and other life-sustaining services, and legal protections from discrimination.

Mission: To end the dual crisis of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, provision of lifesaving services and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain its efforts.

10. The Race to Somewhere Happy

Project Appleseed

Its website poses the poignant question: Why wait for Superman? When it comes to improving our dismal public school offerings, parents are now taking the initiative, spurred on by disturbing documentaries like Race to Nowhere, which bashes the daily grind with a refocus on the thriving child who is educated for the current age and allowed an elusive childhood in the process.

Mission: For parents, grandparents, schools, faculty or any other caring adult to pledge to help our community’s children achieve a truly independent future by reforming public schools, including district evaluations, fitness and nutrition, funding, green schools and technology and six slices of parent involvement and engagement.

Tell us about a nonprofit that deserves to be heard: tips@ecosalon.com.

Images:  Pink Sherbet Photography, Warchild; Saltysoul; Food & Water Watch; AWEA; The Cancer Project; Housing Works; Project Appleseed; Clitoraid; Black Sexual Politics

With a science-hostile Congress moving into Washington next month, now – before reactionary attempts to turn back the nascent clock – is a good time to revisit the benefits of stem cell research.

By way of a quick review, work here in the United States is still in a relatively embryonic stage, so to speak, as it was only in March 2009 that President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13505 – “Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells.” The EO revoked one signed by President George W. Bush in 2007, as well as Presidential statement in 2001 that limited federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells. Obama’s order instructed the Director of NIH to “develop guidelines for the support and conduct of responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, to the extent permitted by law.”

It’s that last bit about the law where the new Congress has the ability to stop and reverse forward motion. Here’s a primer on the progress and opportunities we stand to lose if backward thinkers have their way:

1.  Cures for common diseases

Topping the list is the role that stem cell research and regenerative medicine might – most researchers, in fact, say will likely – play in developing cures for disease that might otherwise be incurable. (Note that: otherwise incurable.) Here’s a short list:

• Parkinson’s Disease
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Heart Diseases
• Diabetes
• Cancer

Know anyone suffering from something on this list? Most people do. And how about this recent headline from the peer-reviewed journal Blood, a publication of the American Society of Hematology: “Evidence for the cure of HIV infection by CCR5 32/32 stem cell transplantation.” Know what that means? Yeah. The AFP reported this just yesterday: “A US cancer patient who received a stem cell transplant has been cured of HIV.” Stay tuned on this one.

2. Reversing birth defects

Studies are showing that by injecting stem cells directly into the brain, neural birth defects may be reversible. This research into treating birth defects is pretty new, but teams have been developing therapies for rodents with real or simulated birth defects in the brain, says MIT’s Technology Review. “Even though most of the transplanted cells did not survive, they induced the brain’s own cells to carry out extensive repairs.”

3. Repairing stroke damage

Science Daily reports that according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, neural cells from human embryonic stem cells “helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities after a stroke.” This is big news. “The great thing about these cells is that they are available in unlimited supply and are very versatile,” said a senior scientist on the project. “The neural cells the group generated grew indefinitely in the lab and could be an ongoing source of cells for treating stroke or other injuries.”

4. Dealing with spinal cord injuries

Just this fall, a patient suffering from a spinal cord injury was injected with two million human embryonic stem cells. “The hope,” says CBS News Healthwatch, is that “one day this treatment may help the paralyzed walk again.” The procedure took place at the Shepherd Center spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation facility in Atlanta. The idea is that the cells will become specialized nerve cells which can then be injected directly into the injured area of the spinal cord.  If the treatment works, the progenitor cells will produce new oligodendrocytes (cells that produce myelin, which allows impulses to move along nerves) in the injured area of the patient’s spine, allowing for new movement.

5. Organ repair and replacement

Growing whole organs and critical tissue is a seemingly sci-fi scenario that’s a lot closer than we think – with the help of stem cell research. This new technology could make possible “a virtually inexhaustible supply of organ replacements, thereby doing away with the need to wait for organ donors and removing the risk of rejection.” Entire hearts, lungs, etc., aside, tissue generation has an entire host of curative possibilities.

6. Burn victim relief

Here’s an area where there’s already been a significant payoff as cultivated stem cells are today being used to generate skin grafts. Also, patients whose eyes have been damaged in chemical accidents have had their sight restored using their own stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research plays a significant role helping scientists understand and put to use adult stem cells, as well.

7. Developing new drugs

New drugs can be tested on stem cells to test safety before testing on humans, or even animals, for that matter. In fact, as CNN reports, some researchers are saying embryonic stem cells could end animal testing altogether. Says one expert, “It could save a lot of time and effort of taking the wrong drugs through, or it may allow drugs through which are lost at an early stage, because they affect the animal cells but don’t have an effect on human cells.”

8. (If the science isn’t enough) It’s the economy, stupid

States that support stem cell research have seen significant corporate investment and job creation. Estimates in California, for example, are that $1 billion in investment in stem cell research is not unreasonable. The commercial potential is overwhelming, according those who are in the business.

9. It’s the economy, stupid II

Oh, and don’t we have a little problem with healthcare expenditures in this country? Don’t most experts believe that the amount of money we’re paying out as a society for the sick and dying is going to bankrupt us if action is not taken? How about more healthy people? Seems like something we should be looking into.

10. (If the economics isn’t enough) It’s just the right thing to do

Stem cell research is inherently innovative and efficient, and a practical and a conscious demonstration of caring for those who are sick. These people are not only taxing the system, but they are taxing themselves and their families with trauma and anguish. Scientific progress and human quality of life are inexorably linked in our times and acting to improve and care for the entire system, the whole connected fabric of our existence, is a moral imperative. Consider that more than 100 million Americans suffer from ailments and diseases that may be cured with embryonic stem cell therapy. Alleviating human suffering. It’s the right thing to do.

Image: kaibara87

I had asthma as a kid. This meant that I was pretty much dependent on chemicals to get oxygen into my lungs and that I wouldn’t step out of the house without an abuterol in hand. Soccer game? I had an inhaler stashed by the bench. Prom night? My understanding boyfriend carried it in his pocket. It wasn’t the worst way to grow up, but it definitely had its memorable moments – usually caused by an unfortunately empty inhaler canister and a habit of breathing.

So to this day, when I see someone light up a cigarette, I watch with a secret kind of awe. It’s like watching someone walk on the moon without an oxygen tank. How is this possible that they aren’t collapsing to the ground like a goldfish out of water? Since my lungs would be vomited out on the sidewalk if I took a drag, this is perversely fascinating. I want to walk up to them and knock on their chest to see if they actually have lungs of steel. (And yet, I don’t.)

The one upside to asthma? If you are really really lucky to outgrow it, you really really appreciate your new-found ability to breath without chemicals. But unfortunately, if someone steps into my air space with a cigarette, I have an immediate problem. Sure, it’s not my business if Private Citizen wants to smoke. But it is my problem because Private Citizen’s second-hand smoke is “a toxic cocktail consisting of poison and carcinogens. There are over 4000 chemical compounds in secondhand smoke; 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and upwards of 60 have been identified as carcinogens.” And this is one problem that no one needs.

The American Heart Association estimates that around 23 percent of men and 18 percent of women smoke. Sure, that’s better than “Mad Men” times when doctors were lighting cigarettes for pregnant mothers. But it still means we’re going to run across a smoke cloud or two in our daily adventures.

I handle these errant smoke clouds by treating the world as a giant track and field event. When I encounter smokers, I get out of their space as quickly as possible and keep my anti-smoking opinions to myself. (However, an awesomely sweet guy did once offer to put his cigarette out on my tongue when I asked him to snuff it.)

But still, sprinting is problematic. First, it’s not always practical to race around someone in high heels/pushing a baby carriage/walking with someone who doesn’t recognize you are holding your breath and are about to collapse into a heap of pathetic. Second, a good friend of mine is a smoker who hates it when people run past him as he’s carrying a biological weapon. Can’t we just all get along?

So what to do? If you are traveling, there are steps you can take. Ask for a non-smoking room or, better yet, book a smoke free hotel. FreshStay offers a great resource on finding smoke-free hotels. If you are hosting a party, offer up alternatives to smoking – gum, water, snacks. Or ask them to step aside – though your average smoker is a reasonable human being who knows his or her smoke is going to bother people, so he or she is doing this anyway.

And in the end, if someone really doesn’t get the hint? You can pull out a Breath of Life Emergency Escape Mask and start sucking down air. If you’re going to make a point, go big.

Image: yourdon

Recently, a colleague sent me a link with the words “what, soy sauce causes cancer now?” emblazoned across the email. I could sense her frustration through the keyboard. What next, the very air we breathe causes cancer? (Actually, in my city, it does.) Sometimes it seems like we have to give up everything for the gods of health: trans fats, antiperspirants, and/or mascara that doesn’t run. When is the time to say – enough, I want my high fructose corn syrup-sugared cake and I want to eat it too?

Well, that day is not today. (Nor is it any day for a person who doesn’t want to live in Ignorance is Bliss Land. This exists right next to magical Cake Town and Pie Ville. Sighs all around.) Because, yes, some soy sauce could cause cancer. Soy sauce contains an organic chemical compound called 3-MCPD. It occurs when hydrochloric acid is used to speed up the reaction of the soy protein, a cheaper method used by some manufacturers. According to sources, this compound “is carcinogenic and highly suspected to be genotoxic in humans, has male anti-fertility effects, and is a chemical byproduct which may be formed in foods.”

The compound has been found at high levels in many causes in East and Southeast Asia. But recent information also links it to sauces found all over the world. As the Canadian Cancer Society reports, “3-MCPD is a substance that has been found to be present in a number of soy, mushroom and oyster sauces in Canada and the United Kingdom. The levels vary from product to product ranging from very low levels to relatively high ones.”

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has sorted out “brands and products imported from Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Brands named in the British warning include Golden Mountain, King Imperial, Pearl River Bridge, Jammy Chai, Lee Kum Kee (李錦記), Golden Mark, Kimlan (金蘭), Golden Swan, Sinsin, Tung Chun and Wanjasham soy sauce.”

So do we start a soy tea party and start dumping our soy sauce into the streets? Not just yet. The FSA stresses that some soy brands were found to be 3-MCPD free and that these non-toxic brands all came from major food chains.

So for now, just be aware of who made your soy sauce. And in the meantime? Prepare yourself for the next delicious food which will be declared unhealthy. I’m standing guard over cupcakes. They’re very healthy. I know it. (Hands plugging ears.)

Images: avlxyz

Have you noticed a trend among men lately? No, I’m not talking about orange tans or a disturbing move towards overly-gelled coiffing. Rather, some of our brethren are strutting the streets sporting moustaches not seen since Magnum PI was sporting daring thigh-grazing shorts. November is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – and to bring attention to this deadly disease, dudes are growing moustaches. November has combined with “the Mo” to make “Movember.”

Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer for men. (Number one? Lung cancer. Drop the cigarettes, gentlemen.) About one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in a lifetime, and it accounts for 11 percent of all cancer deaths in men. As the American Cancer Foundation reports, around 217,730 new cases will be diagnosed in 2010. And around 32,050 men will die of prostate cancer this year.

This leaves many thinking – how best to prevent prostate cancer? First, eat healthy. As any nutritionist will tell you, food is key to fighting off cancer. I spoke with Laura Klein, publisher of Organic Authority, for her best advice to prevent cancer through nutrition. Laura recommends reading the tome, Eat to Beat Cancer by Dr. J. Robert Hatherill. In it, Dr. Hatherill promotes eating large quantities of broccoli and tomatoes – together and raw.

As Laura told me, “Bottom line, if you are struggling with your health, up your intake of raw veggies and fruits and eat them at least five times per day. We’ve all heard those stories of people who have miraculously healed themselves from serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity and more simply by cleaning up their diet and eating a diet rich in whole foods, and low in animal fat. Anyone can do this.”

But nutrition is just one way to help prevent prostate cancer. Early detection is extremely important to fighting the disease. As the American Cancer Society reports, “Modern methods of detection and treatment mean that many prostate cancers are now found earlier and can be treated more effectively. If you are diagnosed this year, your outlook is likely to be better.” So get yourself checked out and checked out often.

And how to remind everyone to do so? Get aware and stay there. As we mentioned, Movember is the movement to bring much needed awareness to prostate and testicular cancer. Throughout the month of November, men across the globe are growing moustaches for the entire month.

According to the organization, “the moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.”

The group started in Australia in 2003 – and just last year, global participation was 255,755, with $42 million raised. Mo Bros grow, while Mo Sistas recruit Mo Bros and cancer awareness. In the end, funds go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LiveStrong.

And for some, it’s very personal. Ari Sturm, pictured above, is a writer/producer in Los Angeles who decided to live the mustachioed life after a recent health scare.

As Ari told me, “Movember means something a little extra special to me this year, and the fact that it’s a little wacky and fun, well, the entire better. It’s ridiculous, but it’s a conversation starter, which is the point, to raise awareness and money for means health. I’m growing a moustache in solidarity with my brother, and raising money through his official Movember site.” You can help Ari and his brother reach their goal here.

Image: makelessnoise

The world is ripe with green myth. (And here I thought that it was just ripe with oil spills.) There are so many rumors about what is toxic, what will kill you, and what just might give you a nasty rash that many people don’t know which green end is up. Here at EcoSalon, we’d like to take a moment from time to time, to address some of the health and environmental rumors out there. Think of us as the TMZ.com of green, but without Lindsay Lohan – that is, unless she has a pressing eco-oriented question.

So on our first foray into eco myth busting, we’re getting straight to the point – of our nails, that is! Have you heard? Getting your nails done will give you cancer. Between the chemicals in the polish and the nail remover and the cuticle softening, we might as well be dipping our paws in pails of toxic sludge, right?

Well, there might be some truth to this. As we have already reported, nail polishes contain chemicals likes toluene, formaldehyde and BDPs. Toluene can cause rapid breathing, blurred vision, dry skin and can affect the kidneys and nervous system. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and a volatile allergen and irritant, while Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) is linked to reproductive problems and underdeveloped genitals in newborn boys. There is a market for less chemically filled nail polishes, and you can find the deets on them here.

Also setting off green alarm bells, a recent report out of the United Kingdom shares that women who get their nails professionally manicured could be increasing their risk of skin cancer. The report was conducted after two women developed tumors on their hands from exposure to ultra-violet lamps used to fix/dry artificial nails. Doctors feel that the high dose of UVA rays are damaging hand skin cells when women hold them under the sun lamps during a manicure.

Dr. Deborah MacFarlane works at the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston. As she recently told The Daily Mail, “The UV nail lamp is most commonly used to cure gel nails but is also used to cure acrylic nails and dry traditional nail polish – but exposure to UV light is a major risk factor for the development of skin cancer.” Further, the salons that use cheap but potentially hazardous chemicals are also putting customers at risk. People who get professional manicures are urged to keep an eye on their hands for suspicious growths.

So will your manicure kill you? Well, think of it this way. Some people can smoke, drink, and run in traffic their entire lives and nary a scratch they will have. Others can get one whiff of second hand smoke and be sicker than sick. Your hands, your risk. In the meantime, all we can do is sift through the evidence and make our own health decisions. And keep up the green mythbustin’, naturally.

Any other green myths/questions/worries you’d like us to check out? Let us know!

Image: truk

It seems like every day we’re bombarded with marketing for some exotic “superfood” with seemingly magical qualities that supposedly justify an outrageous price tag. But while the benefits of some hysterically hyped foods are still unconfirmed, other fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and beverages sitting in your fridge right now get little fanfare despite the fact that they’re truly super. Red wine, oats, broccoli, soybeans, carrots, yogurt and walnuts are just a few examples of “˜bioactive’ foods, which go beyond mere calories and nutrients, to actually interact with our bodies in beneficial ways.

These seven bioactive foods can help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure, eliminate potential carcinogens from the body and even actively fight cancer cells. Want to pack all of these nutritional powerhouses into one meal? Pour yourself a glass of red wine and whip up some vegetable tofu stir-fry, then indulge in some sweet yet ultra-healthy apple walnut muesli with yogurt.

Red Wine

Not that you really needed an excuse to break open that bottle of organic California Pinot Noir, but the knowledge that red wine really is good for your health certainly doesn’t hurt. Compounds in red wine lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease, reduce blood pressure, relieve constipation and can even be helpful in weight loss.

A 2009 study on the bioactive compounds in red wine found that regularly imbibing low to moderate quantities may prevent damage to cells thanks to a complex cocktail of flavonols, anthocyanins, phenolic acids and the star of the show, reservatrol.

“The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more,” says Biomedical Sciences professor and study author Lindsay Brown.

Broccoli

Back when you were a wee vegetable-hater who pushed spinach around on your plate, your mama really wasn’t trying to punish you by telling you to eat your greens. As it turns out, that’s one piece of parental advice that is backed up by solid science. Sure, leafy green vegetables are full of vitamins and fiber – but they also contain those awesome bioactive compounds that make otherwise ordinary foods super.

Green vegetables – particularly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli – contain phytochemicals called glucosinolates that our bodies convert into bioactive substances called isothiocyanates. These “˜ITCs’ are a triple threat against cancer: they stop certain cancer-promoting enzymes, help eliminate some potential carcinogens from the body and induce the death of damaged cells that could otherwise turn cancerous, especially in the digestive tract.

Soybeans

Soy: friend or foe? There’s a lot of conflicting information out there. It all started when the phytoestrogens in soy were found in some studies to prevent breast cancer – and then other studies found that they could actually contribute to cancer risk. The jury’s still out, but according to the latest research, moderation is the key.

There’s much more to soy than just phytoestrogen. This powerful little bean can lower bad cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease, stabilize blood sugars, heal stomach ulcers and help you gain muscle. All those saponins, phytic acids, phytosterols, trypsin inhibitors, and peptides can be a big boon to your health when eaten in small quantities as part of a balanced, diverse, healthy diet.

Carrots

Scientists have been telling us for years that if we want to prevent cancer, carrots should be on the menu. But why? It took years of research to identify the compounds in these root vegetables that prevent the growth of tumors, but a natural pesticide and fungicide called falcarinol was finally singled out. Researcher Dr. Kirsten Brandt recommends that we all eat at least one small carrot every day.

Carrots have also been found to improve eyesight, strengthen the immune system, promote digestive health, increase good cholesterol and protect against heart disease.

Walnuts

If you’re concerned about your breast cancer risk, go into the kitchen and make yourself some walnut baklava – not to distract yourself from the fear of tumors, but to actually prevent them. Bioactive compounds in walnuts may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

“Among the many bioactive compounds found in nuts are phytosterols and flavonoids,” says Anna Denny, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. “More research is needed before it will be possible to attribute specific health benefits of nuts to specific bioactive compounds because nuts contain a complex mixture of different bioactive compounds.”

Oats

Ever wonder about those claims on cereal boxes that simply eating a bowl of oat-based breakfast can lower bad cholesterol dramatically? It’s true, but it’s not just a matter of fiber physically pushing cholesterol out of your body – it’s yet another bioactive compound at work. Oats contain beta glucans, sugars that increase bile production and prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the stomach and intestines. That’s what makes oats and, to a lesser degree, barley such a great choice for cholesterol management.

Yogurt

It’s easy to see why yogurt is able to interact with our bodies. After all, it’s alive. Live beneficial bacteria in yogurt, known as probiotics, populate our digestive systems and fight off harmful bacteria. It’s like sending an army of microscopic soldiers into your intestines to stand guard. Luckily, since yogurt is tasty, the process is a lot more pleasant than that statement suggests.

A recent study even found that certain bacteria in yogurt could someday be used as a natural alternative to chemotherapy. Bifidobacteria can actually hunt down tumors in the body and grow inside them, destroying malignant cells. Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center in Ireland say that it could be as simple as handing a patient a cup of yogurt with a high concentration of specific bacteria.

Images: jules:stonessoup, Pink Sherbet Photography, jenny downing

The sad truth is the carpets that hold up best to traffic are the ones coated with toxins. And we don’t want those in a place where humans dwell.

If you do have a healthy wool carpet in your home, you can still clean it without harsh chemicals like perchloroethylene – which the EPA has linked to kidney and liver damage. Naphthalene, made from coal tar, is also considered a carcinogen that can harm the central nervous system.

Ask cleaning services if they simply steam to lift dirt or apply shampoos to loosen those hard-to-clean coffee and wine stains. Treatments like Oxi Fresh use an oxygenated method by applying less water and natural ingredients. Some cleaners also use citrus-based products that smell much better than standard chemicals. Just check and see if their products are plant-based chemicals (Biokleen, NatureClean and Seventh Generation’s Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner) or made with synthetics.

Here are some natural ways to go for maintaining cleaner carpet:

1. For daily maintenance, have guests and family members remove shoes when entering the house if you have carpet on the first floor. Otherwise, remove shoes before heading upstairs. Obviously there can be exceptions, such as when you are entertaining. Guests often complain about taking off shoes for a more formal event. They may have holy socks or need the height so their pants won’t droop.

2. ehow tells us to spot clean with vinegar and water by mixing equal parts into a spray bottle and applying to the stain, then blotting with a clean, dry towel. For tougher stains, you can make a paste of baking soda and water and coat the stain. Let the paste sit for about 30 minutes, then wipe away with a damp cloth. For deeper cleaning, they suggest going with biodegradable cleaners like AFM Safecoat added to a rented carpet cleaner.

3. Do It Yourself recommends regular vacuuming to prevent dirt and pet dander from settling into your carpet fibers, and to sprinkle on some baking soda before your sweep to eliminate potential orders. You can even add spice, such as cinnamon or cloves, in the baking soda before you spread it. Also, let the baking soda sit on the carpet to lift stains and dirt at least 10 minutes before you vacuum.

4. For spot removal, use a clean dry cloth or paper towel to soak up the spill and blot the stain rather than rubbing it. Once you blot it, apply club soda or soda water to dissolve and lift, then blot up the liquid. You also can use hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mixed with water or rubbing alcohol to lift the stains. You might also try making your own spot cleaner with a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent and one to two cups of water.

In terms of cleaning fiber rugs, such as sisal, it is best to just use water or soda water. These can be the hardest rugs to maintain because many products don’t work very well to get out the stains.

Let us know if you have some other tried and true green methods of carpet cleaning!

Image: adriagarcia

Imagine the consequences of 20 years of nuclear waste dumping in the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea that surround the Italian Peninsula and its islands.

It’s an unfolding crisis that has the international community alarmed, including the fishing interests in Japan.

We’re talking about the coasts of 22 countries in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and a pending ecological and public health disaster which is being allegedly swept under the rug by the Italian government.

I only learned about it recently in a Counterpunch post on the nightmare, passed along to me by a devastated reader. Meantime, the disaster is also catching on in the mainstream media.

The post writer, Michael Leonardi, is a university educator who lives in Calabria with his wife and baby. He says after returning from a visit to the States, he was alarmed to learn that the Tyrrhenian Sea – which his daughter has been bathing in since birth – was intentionally poisoned with toxic waste.

“How shocked and dismayed we were to discover that government officials have known about it all along,” he shares. “And how enraged we are that a journalist has been killed, possibly for trying to reveal the truth about the disposal of waste by the international Ecomafia and their colluding government and corporate interests.”

The journalist described was Rai television reporter Ilaria Alpi. Leonardi says she was following the trail of arms and toxic garbage trafficking from Italy to Somalia in 1994 when she and her camera man, Miran Hrovatin, were gunned down and killed in Mogadishu.

“Many here believe, including the Mafia pentito, Franceso Fonti, that she was killed because she learned too much about the collusion between the Mafia and Italian military,” argues a bold Leonardi.

So how is the dumping engineered by the bad guys?

Leonardi says dozens of ships with the radioactive and toxic cargoes have been intentionally sunk by organized crime syndicates.

Leonardi says epidemic levels of cancerous tumors and thyroid problems have occurred in the area and along the coasts of the Mediterranean – where fishermen make a living by selling their catch throughout Italian and on the international market.

The public outcry is heating up as Greenpeace and the Italian environmental organization Legambiente work to bring the disaster to the surface. CNN reported on the scuttled hips, as well, last week. The report says it is believed between 32 and 41 of the ships sunk in international waters between Italy, Greece and Spain.

Lending credence to the sinking, testimony by Franceso Fonti, who admitted his role in helping to sink three ships in the fishing waters, including the Cunsky.

Last week a robot sub was sent down off the coast of Centraro to shoot photos of the ship thought to be the Cunsky. The images document the presence of drums like those used to transport and store radioactive and toxic wastes. The hope is that the barrels are still in tact but no one knows for certain what they contain.

“Traces of Mercury and Cesnium 137 have recently been found near the town of Amantea in Calabria further south of Cetraro by about 50 kilimeters,” explains Leonardi. “Amantea is considered a “hot spot” for tumors and ground temperature around the contamination area is six degrees warmer than normal.

“The population is demanding the truth and government action,” he says, adding international cooperation is needed.

Images: enigmachck1, Wiki, Wiki