The latest from EWG’s staff of experts
EWG News Roundup (1/22): Toxic Pesticides That President Biden Should Target, EPA Takes Initial Steps To Regulate PFAS and More
Friday, January 22, 2021
This week, President Joe Biden was sworn into office, which allows a brand-new opportunity to set safeguards to protect children from toxic pesticides. EWG broke down 11 pesticides and classes of pesticides whose use the new administration should target.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would take preliminary actions to regulate the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in drinking water. The agency made a final determination to set drinking water limits for PFOA, a PFAS compound once used to make Teflon, and PFOS, a chemical that used to be an ingredient in Scotchgard – which is the first step in the long process of regulation.
As we pregnant women keep in mind what is entering our babies bodies through our mouths and avoiding alcohol, processed foods, mercury in fish and food additives, we should also keep in mind what could be entering our babies bodies through our skin. When we slather creams, lotions, moisturizers and sunscreens onto our bodies, they are absorbed into our bodies via our largest organ, where they are able to impact developing babies. In the July/August issue of
Natural Home & Garden, there is a hefty, 8-page feature on healthy skin care products. Not regulated well by the federal government, laws restricting what skin-care companies can put into their products are virtually nonexistent, so it is truly up to us to become educated consumers when it comes to what we put on our bodies and to learn what chemicals to avoid during pregnancy.