Jennifer Taggart - Smart Mamas Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Childs Toxic Chemical Exposure

Copyright 2009 by Jennifer Taggart

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Center Street

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

www.twitter.com/centerstreet

Center Street is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The Center Street name and logo are trademarks of the Hachette Book Group, Inc.

First eBook Edition: June 2009

ISBN: 978-1-599-95214-7

To my father-in-law, William Hoyer Welcher.

Thank you for always being ready to help.

We miss you.

by Devra Davis

When my children were little, I was the community head-lice inspector and lead inspector. This was not because I had any special training in the area, but because the District of Columbia, where my young urban family lived in the 1980s, did not have anyone paid to do this work at the time. Sad to say that some thirty years later, many localities still lack the resources and expertise to provide help to parents of young children, especially to those who are most in need of itthe poor and those without the ability to bring in expert consultants.

One has to ask why we transfer property throughout our nation with certificates that the homes are free of termites and their roofs will not cave in, but do not always certify whether or not they are safe places for our children to livethat they dont contain asbestos, lead, or persistent toxic agents, like PCBs or pesticides. Of course, those who rent where they live have even less access to such information. Our homes remain our castles, the places where we bathe, clothe, feed, and take care of our children. But, as Jennifer Taggart reminds us in this well-written compendium, our homes and the environments into which we bring our children can be sources of hidden dangers.

Though the first environment of our babies is the only one that we can control, even that control is not as complete as pregnant women may believe. You can control what you eat and your good and bad habits, but you cant control the residues in your body that will flow through your growing baby. As Jennifer Taggart shows us in this beautifully written book, our babies are being born already polluted, because most of us contain chemicals in our bodies that did not exist even three decades ago. What all this means for our health is a subject of intense scientific debate, but the facts are clear. If we want our children to have the right to be as healthy as possible, we need to become informed about those things around them that we can control. We start, naturally, with the mother, who becomes the first fortress of human life. Cleaning up workplaces and homes for moms and dads has to be understood as a fundamental need for any society that prides itself on taking good care of its children.

My dad used to say a consultant is a man with a briefcase and a suit who comes from 200 miles away. Nowadays, the Internet has changedmostly for the betterour ability to get information about the environmental hazards that can affect all of us. We dont need to call on men or women to travel long distances to help us understand how to improve our lives. We just need to read this book and learn of the many resources available to us to get informed about how to lower modern risks.

Anyone thinking about getting pregnant or who has small children will find this book of value. Of course, pregnancy should be thought about and not entered into as some omigosh experience after a forgetful night. The fact is that many more pregnancies in this nation and throughout the world are not carefully planned, but are the result of unexpected and sometimes unwelcome experiences. This book uses the candid, well-crafted stories of Jennifer to take us through the joys and fears of the pregnant and new-mom experience to the sobering realities of discovery that our charming worldthe world of well-built, carefully constructed woods and homescan contain hazards to our children and grandchildren. It provides a guide for many of the dangers that can be addressed.

The modern world is full of miraculous benefits. We have phones that keep us connected across the seas and with remote areas of the globe. We have cosmetics that can plump up our sagging faces and droopy bodies. We have lightweight toys with which to entertain our children and a dizzying array of mechanical sounds and devices to lull and soothe our infants and toddlers into states of relaxationor is it overstimulation? Some of these remarkable developments themselves come with added prices that are not always apparent.

Read this book if you care about the future of our children. Read this book if someone you love is about to become a parent. Jennifer understands that nobody can do it all, but everybody can do something to keep the environments of their children safer.

This book is part of my journey to living a healthier, greener lifestyle. During my journey, many have assisted me. Mom, thank you for reading me Dr. Seusss The Lorax. You were green in the 1970s without even realizing it. Thank you also for buying me Rachel Carsons Silent Spring, the beginning of my journey. Sis, thank you for telling me to write the damn book already and for patiently listening to all the information and statistics that I know you did not find interesting. And to my grandmother, who inspires me to be a better person and to live a better life.

Corky Harvey at The Pump Station: thank you for encouraging me to teach The Smart Mama class after I kept interrupting your new-mom class with information on chemical exposures, and Carol Patton for always being a smiling face.

To Christopher Gavigan, Natalie Cadranel, Mandy Geisler, and Janelle Sorensen at Healthy Child Healthy World: keep fighting the fight.

To the gang at Demetriou, Del Guercio, Springer & Francis, thanks for welcoming me back to the fold and giving me the opportunity to complete this work. Heather, thank you for your attention to detail and willingness to help out.

To the women of the Green Moms Carnival, thank you for inspiring me and teaching me. You are the most amazing group of intelligent, outspoken, inspirational women. Lynn at OrganicMania: thank you for putting us together. Beth at Fake Plastic Fish: I am in awe. Jess at the Green Phone Booth: you are my soul sister. Sommer of Green and Clean Mom: I wish I had your sass.

Thank you also to Christina C. I really needed your help! Thank you to Jill, my BFF. And Erica, thanks for patiently reading sections even though it was the last thing you wanted to do after work.

To my editor Christina Boys, it was a bumpy road getting to you but well worth the wait. Thank you for your able assistance and patience. To the most responsive agent in the world, ever, Sharlene Martin, thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to sit tight.

To my husband: I couldnt have completed this book without your help. Thank you for encouraging my passion, even if it meant putting up with some spectacularly unsuccessful attempts at making my own household cleaners. Again, Im sorry about ruining all of those dishes!

Finally, to Cole Griffin and Kylie Ruth Welcher. Without you, this book would never have been written. I hope my journey to make the world a little safer for you helps others make the world a little bit safer for their children.