It’s not about the sugar this time – oh, no – it’s because of the arsenic!  A Consumer Reports study just informed me that apple and grape juice constitute a significant source of dietary exposure to arsenic. [1]

What!?  Arsenic in juice?! How could this be?  You see, arsenic and mercury residues from power plant air pollution end up on our fruits (and in our juice!), in our water ways, and in our fish. [2], [3].  These toxins, in turn, end up in consumer products like the apple juice boxes that we give our kids.

Tell President Obama and the EPA to move forward with the Mercury and Air Toxics rule, to defend public health and protect children from toxic arsenic and mercury ASAP:

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/Arsenic_Juice_2011/

Let’s face it — it would be pretty hard to get all the apple juice out of childhood, so we have to get the arsenic out of juice!  It’s up to our leaders to do their duty to keep kids–and us all–safe.

Why should President Obama and the EPA move forward with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants?

Mercury can harm children’s developing brains, affecting memory, attention and skills. Other toxic metals such as arsenic, chromium and nickel can cause cancer.[3],[4]

If the EPA and the Administration move forward with this important rule it, it would reduce the amount of arsenic and mercury in our air and water. [5]

The new rule would prevent thousands of premature deaths and tens of thousands of heart attacks, bronchitis cases and asthma attacks. THE EPA estimates that “the value of the improvements to health alone total $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016. This means that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, we get $5 to $13 in health benefits.” [6]

*Don’t forget to send your message in support of getting arsenic and mercury out of our air (and our juice)! Contact President Obama and the EPA today:

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/Arsenic_Juice_2011/

And please use the Share buttons below to make sure your friends and family are in the know, too.

Together we are a powerful voice for children and families.

P.S. Huge thanks to the Clean Air Defense Campaign for all the work they do on this issue!

[1] “Arsenic in your juice”, Consumer Reports, January 2012

[2] Ibid

[3] “Know Where It Comes From,” NRDC

[4] “Arsenic is a well-known environmental toxin and carcinogen.”
“Arsenic Exposure Activates an Oncogenic Signaling Pathway; Leads to Increased Cancer Risk”, Science Daily 2/2/10

[5] “Results confirm that children appear most at risk in the womb, where mercury seems to deform the brain’s fragile architecture and upset the maturation and migration of brain cells. But Grandjean also found that mercury could threaten children’s nervous systems well into adolescence.” “Mercury on the Brain”, Harvard Magazine 6/04

[6] EPA, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)

Congress is getting a little scary this Halloween season. In the budget debate, key programs for families, like affordable child care and preschool are on the chopping block.

We’ve had enough with tricks! We’ve decided to make sure the voices of families are heard in the halls of Congress by spreading a little Halloween treat.

Thousands of Parents and kids have already used our fun Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station to create unique cards for Congress members with an important message.  But we need more electronic cards for moms and kids to directly deliver on Halloween.  Why take 30 seconds to make an electronic card now? Because this Halloween nobody wants our country to get even spookier for kids.

Help us fill the Halls of Congress: Take a quick moment to use our easy, quick, interactive Halloween card station to send a note to your members of Congress:

http://www.momsrising.org/halloween_message/national/

And please pass this Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station along to your friends and family by forwarding this email now–and by posting the Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station link above on Facebook too–so we can work together to make sure the U.S. budget does not get any spookier for families!

But we have a secret: There’s a little Halloween magic happening all year round. Quality early care and education gives kids the foundation to be anything they want to be when they grow up. Halloween gives them a day of dress up, while early education gives them a lifetime of possibilities.

Budget numbers are flying around like bats on Halloween night right now–and we need to make sure Congress understands how important early childhood education is in their budgets.

Don’t let the bats scare early education out of the budget this Halloween season. Can you take a quick moment to use our interactive Halloween card station to send a note to your members of Congress?
http://www.momsrising.org/halloween_message/national/

*The link above will take you to our Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station! It only takes less than a minute (really, we timed it) to create a card complete with a costume of your choice and send a unique message to your Congressperson that will be sure to break through the noise on Capitol Hill. (Now if it were only this easy to make a costume for my kid…)

Why early education?

If we don’t invest in quality, affordable early childhood education for kids today, then we’ll be in even bigger debt tomorrow. Early childhood education helps all of our children, benefits taxpayers, and helps working families get to work.

Leading economists agree that prioritizing funding to early childhood education will provide taxpayers with returns of 7-10% per year for every dollar invested due to future reduced costs in remedial education, health, criminal justice system expenditures, and the tax revenues generated by increased earnings. That’s a higher return rate than my savings account!

Early learning is a win-win-win.

We all know that kids need more than costumes this Halloween: They need a strong education foundation to help them achieve their dreams. With quality, affordable child care and preschool we can make sure our kids are ready for school and life (and we can get parents back to work, while their children have a safe, enriching place to be during the workday).

Send your unique Halloween message urging Congress to prioritize kids today!

http://www.momsrising.org/halloween_message/national/

And please pass this Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station along to your friends and family by forwarding this email now–and by posting the Congressional-Halloween-Costume-Creation-Station link above on Facebook–so we can work together to make sure the U.S. budget does not get any spookier for families!

Together we are a powerful voice for children and families

Now, when a four-year-old dawdles it’s mildly frustrating. But when Congress dawdles while they should be creating jobs, it’s simply unacceptable.

Twenty-five million Americans are searching for full-time work.[1] Congressional inaction, i.e. dawdling, is NOT ok. It’s time for parents across the country to unite and stop Congressional dawdling. We’ve got to get the American Jobs Act passed ASAP.

If anyone can motivate a dawdler, it’s a parent. That’s why a donor has already stepped up with $5,000 to increase the power of MomsRising members who contribute in the next 48 hours.

This means your contribution of $15 or more will be supercharged and will enable MomsRising to take our jobs campaign full force into the Senate battle. We will launch a virtual storm on Congress to end dawdling.  We will come at them from every side: On the ground in DC, through local media outlets, Twitter and Facebook campaigns, family story deliveries, and a crescendo of email and phone calls. We won’t stop until Congress takes action on the American Jobs Act.

Chip in $15 today: https://action.momsrising.org/donate/American-Jobs-Act-Campaign/

Our nation is facing a national jobs crisis, but together, we can find solutions.  Start by pitching in to our jobs campaign.  Today’s a great day to donate because if you give a gift today, it will be supercharged:

$15 becomes $30…
$25 becomes $50…
$50 becomes $100…
$100 becomes $200, and so on….

Will you donate now and double your power in the fight against Congressional dawdling? Please chip in today: https://action.momsrising.org/donate/American-Jobs-Act-Campaign/

Twenty-five million people are looking for full-time work. Together we can make sure that Congress hears from real moms and families.  Congress needs to understand that inaction is not a viable option.  We know every parent is professional dawdler-buster and that together we can help move our nation forward.

Together, we are a powerful voice for families!

P.S. Please pass this message along to your friends and family by forwarding this email now, so they too can take advantage of this great opportunity and help us push the American Jobs Act through!  When times are tough, moms and dads get the job done!

[1] “A Recovery That Repeats Its Painful Precedents,” July 28, 2011 New York Times

But with only a few Race to The Top, Early Learning Challenge grants available to all 50 states, the competition between states to get this money is going to be fierce.

We have to be creative to bring funds into Washington State!

So instead of only including letters from muckity-mucks as is usually done for federal grants, this time our Washington state leaders are also going to include a letter signed by all of us!  That’s right.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and concerned citizens across Washington expressing their support for our youngest learners will be part of the official grant application. (Muckity-muck letters will still be included too.)

Sign on to our open letter to the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that reads: “We know Washington State is up to the challenge of making sure every young child in Washington is ready for success in school and life!” http://wachallenge.org/

* Sign today and we’ll include this open letter and your signature in Washington’s grant application. Together we can make sure that every child in Washington has a great start!  We have a goal of 10,000 signatures so please share this link far and wide.

Why is the Early Learning Challenge grant so important to Washington State?

Let’s face it.  Early learning and child care is expensive.  Like many new parents in Washington, I faced a challenge almost as tough as getting enough sleep: Finding affordable, quality child care and preschool.

In today’s economy child care is often a necessity, but it’s a very expensive necessity. On average, a year of preschool in Washington State is more expensive than fees and tuition for a public four-year college and child care for an infant is even higher. [2]

The current structure of early learning in Washington State is a patchwork system with variable standards and finding quality care is tricky.  And, we want to take on the federal goverment’s challenge to build an accountable and sustainable early learning system where Washington State children can thrive.

Quality preschool and early learning programs are crucial— and more than 85% of a child’s core brain structure is formed by age 5. [3]  In addition to helping children’s brains, early learning opportunities also saves taxpayer dollars.  Quality early learning programs have been shown to save money, reducing the need for remedial education, welfare, and criminal justice services.[4]

Getting an infusion of $60 million would jump start our Washington State goals of making sure every child can have a great start.  Help us get there: Sign our open letter today:

http://wachallenge.org/

And please share this link with family, friends, neighbors and even strangers.  This opportunity is too great to pass up!

Together we are a powerful voice for Washington families.

P.S.  HUGE thanks to our numerous partners on this petition including the Early Learning Action Alliance.

[1] “WA aims for federal dollars to expand preschool,” Seattle Times

[2] National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, “Child Care in the State of Washington 2011” report (PDF)

[3] Child and Family Policy Center and Voices for America’s Children, 2004

[4] PreK Now, Pew Foundation

That’s our new jingle for Campbell’s soup.  No more  “M’m M’m Good,” we now think “Eww Eww Toxic” is more appropriate.

Why the “Eww” jingle?

Because, according to experts, Campbell’s Soup Company still uses toxic Bisphenol A (BPA) in their canned goods, despite the fact that it’s proven harmful. In April, MomsRising joined the Breast Cancer Fund and over 20,000 parents to ask three major canned food manufacturers, Campbell’s, Del Monte, and General Mills, what they are doing about Bisphenol A (BPA) in their canned goods.  Two companies replied, offering rough timelines for replacing BPA, or sharing details about which products are BPA-free.

We have yet to see the Campbell’s Soup Company respond to those 20,000 people. We’re not going to let the company that markets directly to kids with products like Dora the Explorer “Kidshape Soups” get away with ignoring parents. Especially when parents have questions about a toxic chemical linked to breast cancer, infertility, early onset puberty, ADHD, and obesity.

Sign on now to our open letter to Campbell’s demanding a response to one key question: What are you doing to phase out BPA in your cans and what safe alternative are you replacing it with?

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/2011_BPA-Campbells1/

With two billion pounds of BPA produced annually in the U.S., it’s no wonder that over 90% of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies.

Removing BPA from all canned foods is a great first step in reducing our nation’s BPA exposure.  Canned goods are used in many ways.  And, even if you have the time and resources to get canned goods out of your kitchen, it’s super hard to keep them away from your family.  BPA exposure from canned goods shows up on your plate at the local pizza joint, at a five star restaurant, in your children’s school, or at the local food bank.

Let’s work together to make sure that Campbell’s is serving up some “M’m M’m Good” answers to consumers and taking real action on BPA!

Let Campbell’s know you want a response on how they’re going to phase out BPA today:

Together we can build a safer and healthier nation for all of our children.

This story got me thinking– we all would do anything, without even blinking, big or small, when it comes to the safety of our kids. And today, parents across the country are working to protect the health and safety of our children and we need your help.

At this very moment parents, nurses, doctors, college students, and people like you are calling their Senators to ask for common sense limits on toxic chemicals.  Later this summer the Senate is likely to vote on the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, and we want to make sure Senators know this is a top priority for moms and dads before the Congressional Recess.  Hearing from thousands of voters across the country today could make a remarkable difference.

Senators in your state still need to hear from voters like you.  Can you take 2 minutes (we timed it!) to be part of this important day?

Here’s the number to call 1-888-892-2110

*When you dial the number above you’ll also get easy instructions about what to say as you’re connected to your Senator’s office.

Why should you make this important call now?

Chemicals used in our homes, workplaces and children’s toys are virtually unregulated in the United States because of an out of date law passed in the 1970s.

Our broken chemicals legislation doesn’t help families. Studies show that one of the many contributing factors to the rise in early puberty and obesity is that young children are exposed to dozens of potentially toxic chemicals on a daily basis. In fact, endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals that mimic and interfere with hormones, show up in a wide variety of everyday items including household cleaners, canned foods, and school supplies. These endocrine disruptors can cause the early onset of puberty in girls, as well as boys.

We have the opportunity to ensure chemicals are safe before they end up in our consumer products. The Safe Chemicals Act would give parents and businesses the tools to avoid toxic chemicals without needing a degree in chemistry.

If your Senator hears from you today it could have a remarkable impact.  Call your Senator today and urge them to Co-Sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act:

1-888-892-2110

Together we are a powerful voice for our children and our families!

Did you take action on this one yet? The blogpost and action below shares details about toxics chemicals in infant car-seats, but the sad news is that this issue impacts us all because toxic flame retardants have been found in a wide variety of cushioning from car-seats to couches.   And even though my twelve-year-old daughter and fourteen-year-old son have been out of infant car-seats for a decade, they certainly spend “quality time” on couches now and again.

Help us take toxic chemicals out of furniture and cushioning! (See details below)

We need just 4,054 more signatures to reach our goal.  Together, we can send a strong message to the U.S. Senate that toxic products aren’t okay.

Urge the U.S. Senate to take action to keep toxics out of our homes and children’s products: http://action.momsrising.org/go/958

*If you’ve already signed the letter– thank you! Could you use the Share buttons at the bottom of this post to spread the word to your friends that would take action too?  Every signature we get moves us closer to our goal.

Thanks!

Kristin

***

This week I found out my son’s car seat probably contains neurotoxins and carcinogens!

I thought my little boy was safe when I buckled him into his cozy car seat.

But then I saw the news.  A study just published in the journal “Environmental Science & Technology” found that the majority of foam samples from baby products  (like car seats, changing pads, and infant carriers) were laced with toxic flame retardants shown to be neurotoxins and carcinogens.  Yikes!

After reading this information, my first instinct was to ransack my bedrooms and closets, and make sure not a single shred of foam was left in my house. But after a deep breath (well, maybe a few deep breaths), I realized there’s a better, long-term solution, for all of us.

We need Congress to effectively regulate toxic chemicals in this country and make it easier for us to keep toxics out of our homes and lives.

*Please ask your U.S. Senators to immediately co-sponsor, and urge your leaders to support, the Safe Chemicals Act today!

When I read about this new foam study, I was super shocked that toxic chemicals are in so many children’s products.  I was also blown away by the information about the double-dose of chemicals kids get through both touch AND through the air.  That means my asthmatic son is exposed to toxic chemicals through both his skin while he sits in his car seat AND through his lungs as he breathes the air around his car seat.

The neurotoxins and carcinogens in many flame-retardant foams aren’t just in baby products, they’re also in our couches and chairs.  In fact these toxins are so prevalent, a recent study found them present in nearly 100% of the U.S. population. And these toxins have been shown to cause reproductive, thyroid, endocrine, developmental and neurological disorders including decreased fertility, birth defects, learning disorders, and hyperactivity in animal studies.

(To learn about how to reduce your family’s exposure to these chemicals, check out the information in the P.S. below.)

The Safe Chemicals Act is a much needed update to our not-so-current toxics legislation, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. In 1976, we didn’t know as much about how toxic chemicals can migrate into our bodies and accumulate causing health issues now or decades later. Under the outdated TSCA, the EPA has only been able to require testing of a few hundred of the 62,000 chemicals that have been on the market since TSCA was passed, a number that has increased to 85,000 chemicals today.

Thirty-five years after this law was first passed, the Federal Center for Disease Control has found that every American carries hundreds of these chemicals through their blood and tissues. These chemicals aren’t just in our bodies; they’re in our babies too. Just last year, the President’s Cancer Panel found over 300 contaminants in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.   It’s clearly time to update this outdated toxics law!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have already spoken up for our kids and have come out in favor of toxic chemical reform, but now our leaders need to hear from you.

Our kids deserve safe toys and car seats, and parents shouldn’t have to worry about the products they buy.

Here’s that link again to ask your Senator to cosponsor the Safe Chemicals Act:

http://action.momsrising.org/letter/2011-6-2-TSCA/

And please pass this link along! We need lots of parents to speak up.  Together we can protect a lot of families and a lot of kids from harmful chemicals.

P.S. Wondering how to reduce your family’s exposure to this type of toxic chemicals?  Here are a few steps you can take:

1) Keep dust levels down by wet mopping and vacuuming with a HEPA filter
2) Purchase baby products and furniture filled with cotton, polyester, or wool instead of polyurethane foam
3) Avoid products that use polyurethane foam and have a TB117 label which likely contains chemical flame retardants
4) Contact manufacturers to inquire whether retardants were added to products

Some manufacturers state their products do not contain halogenated flame retardants, including (but always double check each product): BabyLuxe organic pads and mattresses, BabyBjorn baby carriers, OrbitBaby strollers and car seats, and Boppy nursing pillows.

You can read more about practical tips for reducing your family’s exposure to toxins by going to these great sites:

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families

Green Science Policy

Last week in Washington D.C., Congress passed a federal funding bill that decimates key programs that keep families in our country working.

And here’s how I get back to sleep:

I know that legislators in our state, the other Washington, can do better.  They can be super heroes and keep up the fight for working Washington state families.

At this very moment, our Washington State Legislature is discussing how and if they’ll invest in key programs that keep Washington families working.

My son always says that if you’re going to be a super hero, you’re going to need a cape.  So we thought we should deliver a cape to the Washington State House and Senate leaders who are deep in budget battles right now.

You can help! Take one moment now and add your short note to our superhero cape delivery. We’ll personally deliver the capes and notes from folks across Washington to Olympia tomorrow.  Together we can be superheroes and keep up the fight for working Washington families.

http://action.momsrising.org/survey/Wa-Super-03-08-11/

Here’s why we need our legislators to be super heroes:

*Child poverty is skyrocketing in Washington State right now: 15.8% of all Washington kids are living in poverty, and the poverty rate is even higher among Latino children (24.8 percent), Native American children (24.4 percent), and African American children (24.3 percent).

*Cutting key programs that working families depend on, like quality, affordable early care and education programs (i.e. Working Connections Childcare and ECEAP) will only throw more families into turmoil.

*The average cost for center-based care for a four-year-old in Washington state is more than the average cost of tuition at a public university. Child care is simply out of reach for many working parents. But as we all know, it’s affordable, quality child care that allows parents to work and make ends meet.

*So don’t forget to add your quick note to our capes today. Let WA lawmakers know why affordable, quality child care and preschool matter to your family. We’ll deliver your note personally to legislators’ offices!

http://action.momsrising.org/survey/Wa-Super-03-08-11/

Please pass this link along to your friends and family. The more messages we have, the more likely our capes will soar!

Together, we’re a powerful voice for women and families,

But over 368,000 parents across this country are in a panic far worse than mine. Depending on how our U.S. Senators vote, these families could find themselves permanently cut off from preschool and child care.

Take one minute right now to send a quick note to your Senator.  We’ve got to make it clear that working parents depend on child care and preschool.

http://moms.ly/e3uH8e

What’s going on?

Last week the House passed a federal funding bill that cuts 368,000 children from Head Start and child care programs. Now, the funding decisions are in the hands of the Senate. The stakes are high and time is of the essence: If the Senate cuts important early childhood investments, these children will lose access to Head Start and child care.

Here’s how one MomsRising member describes how the cuts would impact her family:

I’m a single mother with two kids under 3, a full-time student, and working, so I don’t have much time to write. But I have to tell whoever is willing to listen that the daycare subsidy I receive has saved my life. I’m able to go back to school to get the kind of job that will help me afford to support the three of us on my own and I’m secure in the knowledge that my children are well-cared for and developmentally stimulated while I can’t be with them. None of this would be possible without that subsidy. It is our lifeline and I thank god for it every day. Please don’t take that away.

–Nan, Washington state

Stopping these cuts would ease the panic of thousands of families and could help our economy.  Check this out: Scientific research and leading economists have said for years that investing in children is one of the smartest investments we can make. Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist, has found that the return on investments in early care and education can run from 10-18 percent.  Among Dr. Heckman’s top fiscal recommendations for our current deficit crisis? Investments in and expansion to proven early childhood programs.

Help stop these cuts.  Contact your Senators today:

http://moms.ly/e3uH8e

And please pass this link along to your friends and family.  We’re going to need everyone to speak out today.

Together we are a powerful voice for women and families!