Recommended Consumer Information Resources
Forsythia Foundation frequently fields questions from the expecting family or engaged consumer about how to make one’s home environment healthier and safer from toxic chemicals. With these questions in mind, we have put together some of the information sources that we have found to be of value in our professional and personal lives.
Because Health www.becausehealth.org
Committed to encouraging individuals and young families to purchase nontoxic products and maintain healthy lifestyles, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment launched Because Health to share knowledge, provide resources, and build a community around a shared concern for how environmental risks can impact health.
Breast Cancer Prevention Partners www.bcpp.org
Focused on cancer prevention through reducing one’s exposure to environmental hazards, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners offers simple tips for prevention and hosts an interactive homepage where visitors click on household objects to learn their associated chemical risks and how to reduce them.
The Center for Environmental Health www.ceh.org
Committed to protecting children and family from toxic chemicals that cause health problems, the Center for Environmental Health publishes straightforward recommendations for consumers to reduce their chemical exposure, including its Protect Your Home & Family sheet, which walks through chemicals to avoid according to common household and baby products.
Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org
Environmental Working Group empowers consumers to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. It hosts a comprehensive set of Consumer Guides on a wide range of products, chemicals, and daily activities. And its article on “How to Give Kids A Green And Healthy Start” succinctly covers basic tips for pregnancy, feeding a baby, the home, and cleaning products.
Healthy Babies Bright Futures www.hbbf.org
Dedicated to reducing exposures to neurotoxic chemicals for babies in the first thousand days of development, Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) has released the Safe Product Guide, which details thousands of products that are free of toxic chemicals to help expectant mothers and babies stay safe.
UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment www.prhe.ucsf.edu
Focused on preventing exposures to harmful chemicals in our environment through advancing science, clinical care, and health policy, the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment also has strong education resources for patients. Its “Toxic Matters” brochure provides a straightforward overview of methods to reduce chemical exposure in an easy-to-print format.