• Did you know that cotton is the most toxic crop in the U.S.? Cotton is also the most pesticide intensive crop in the world. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, it takes one-third of a pound of agricultural chemicals to produce one T-shirt.

• It is estimated that pesticides unintentionally kill 67 million birds each year. 14 million people in the U.S. are routinely drinking water contaminated with carcinogenic herbicides and 90 percent of municipal water treatment facilities lack equipment to remove these chemicals (Cotton: Facts Behind the Fiber (Part One) By Michael, July 29, 2007)."

• Conventional cotton farming takes an enormous toll on the air, water, soil and people who live in cotton growing areas. Over 1 million Americans will learn they have some form of cancer and 10,400 people in the U.S. die each year from cancer related to pesticides (Organic Consumers Association). The World Health Organization estimates that at least three million people are poisoned by pesticides every year and 20-40,000 more are killed.

• Organic cotton ensures that the cotton is not genetically engineered. Genetically engineered cotton is an untested experiment that has scary implications and unknown consequences for people and the environment. Cottonseed from herbicide-resistant or Bt-spliced genetically engineered cotton plants--and their oil and seed derivatives--also contain foreign proteins, bacteria, viral promoters, and antibiotic resistant genes; food ingredients which humans have never eaten before (OCA). Genetically engineered cotton has been found to kill Monarch butterflys and create superweeds and spread into natural systems.

• Egyptian Organic Cotton is known as the softest cotton in the world. It is also very gentle and durable.
  
  

- CHILDREN'S HEALTH CONCERNS -

• Report: China halts export of bead toys tainted with toxic drug (CNN) -- China has suspended exports of the Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a chemical that can convert to a powerful "date rape" drug, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. The toys have caused some children who swallowed the craft toys to vomit and lose consciousness.

• Tests reveal high chemical levels in kids' bodies October, 2007
  "We are the humans in a dangerous and unnatural experiment in the United States, and I think it's unconscionable," said Dr. Leo Trasande, assistant director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
  
  Trasande says that industrial toxins could be leading to more childhood disease and disorders. "We are in an epidemic of environmentally mediated disease among American children today," he said. "Rates of asthma, childhood cancers, birth defects and developmental disorders have exponentially increased, and it can't be explained by changes in the human genome. So what has changed? All the chemicals we're being exposed to."

• World Health Organization Finds Environmental Pollution Causes 30% of all Children's Diseases. Over 30 percent of the global burden of diseases in children can be attributed to environmental factors. 13 million deaths could be prevented annually by improving the environment. The WHO estimates that 4 million children die annually because of the bad quality of the air, water and exposure to chemicals and other factors. WHO released this data from a report, the first ever report which highlights children's special susceptibility to harmful chemical exposures at different periods of their growth. The new report is titled, "Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children Associated with Exposure to Chemicals."

• The EPA estimates that six out of ten homes are "sick" - meaning they are unsafe to occupy? What more, indoor air pollution is five to twenty times worse than outdoor air pollution, even if you live in a heavily industrialized city.

• Study Links Low Birth Weight to Low Levels of Commonly Used Chemicals Found in Consumer Products. New data link low birth weight and body mass to very low levels of commonly used chemicals found in consumer products ranging from Teflon-coated cookware to water and stain repelling textiles. By Dr. Michael Laiosa and Dr. Pete Myers, Environmental Health News, Aug 15, 2007, Straight to the Source.

• "Polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are human made and have been used in a variety of consumer and industrial applications for a long time. Recent studies have shown that these compounds persist in the environment, do not break down and that there is widespread exposure in wildlife and in humans (see map from EWG). PFCs have been used in a wide variety of consumer products ranging from the teflon used for stick proof cookware, to Scotchgard used in stain repellents for furniture upholstery and carpeting. Some insecticides and fire fighting foams also use PFCs."
  
  "Once in the body, PFCs do not break down and they are eliminated from the body very slowly. Indeed, it takes on average 4.4 years to remove half of the PFCs in the body due to excretion. However, given the ubiquitous and possibly daily exposure to these chemicals, humans are accumulating PFCs faster than their bodies are removing them."

• A Nationwide Toxic Toy Ban Likely to Follow State Lead
  Sacramento — One day after California became the first state in the nation to ban toys containing toxic plastic softeners, supporters of the measure announced plans Monday to help at least nine other states - and perhaps even Congress - enact similar laws... Researchers say regular contact with phthalates - chewing on plastic toys containing the chemicals, for example - may cause hormonal damage in young children and increase the chances of serious illness later in life... Phthalates are banned in 14 nations and the European Union, and alternative materials are being used, according to marketing experts." Go to the story...

• TRIBUNE INVESTIGATION: HIDDEN HAZARDS - Many more toys tainted with lead, inquiry finds. "Many Chicago-area stores are routinely selling lead-tainted toys, including items with levels more than 10 times government safety limits, testing by the Tribune shows... The findings suggest that, despite a flurry of recalls and legislative attention, the problem of lead in toys may be more widespread than previously documented and that testing by manufacturers fails to protect consumers." Go to the story...

• Millions pulled off shelf over chemical that becomes powerful drug when ingested.
  A popular China-made toy has been recalled in North America and Australia after scientists found it contained a chemical which turns into a powerful drug often used in date-rape cases, when swallowed. The toy beads, known as Aqua Dots in the US and Bindeez in Australia, are often used in art and craft projects. Three children in Australia and two in the US were hospitalised after swallowing the beads containing the chemical. Australia ordered the toys off the shelves on Tuesday after three children including a 19-month-old baby were hospitalised. Naren Gunja, from Australia's Poisons Information Centre, said the effect of the drug on children was "quite serious... and potentially life-threatening". Go to the story...

• Tests reveal high chemical levels in kids' bodies. October, 2007
  "We are the humans in a dangerous and unnatural experiment in the United States, and I think it's unconscionable," said Dr. Leo Trasande, assistant director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City... Trasande says that industrial toxins could be leading to more childhood disease and disorders. "We are in an epidemic of environmentally mediated disease among American children today," he said. "Rates of asthma, childhood cancers, birth defects and developmental disorders have exponentially increased, and it can't be explained by changes in the human genome. So what has changed? All the chemicals we're being exposed to." Go to the story...

• Dangerous Sealer Stayed on Shelves After Recall
  "Dr. Friedel was the latest victim of a product whose dangers had become known months earlier to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the companies that made and sold it. Before Dr. Friedel bought Stand ’n Seal, at least 80 people had been sickened using it, two of them fatally... The task of getting dangerous products out of consumers’ reach is perhaps the most pressing challenge the Consumer Product Safety Commission faces in this era of surging recalls, particularly of products from China." Go to the story...
  

- HEMP -

• HEMP is one of the oldest and strongest natural fibers and works well with natural clay dyes. Hemp fabric will soften with each wash. Fourteen states have passed pro hemp legislation. Meanwhile the DEA continues to treat hemp as an illegal drug. Making hemp legal would benefit consumers and farmers in the U.S. and would bring back an entire new industry. Hemp can be used as a substitute for wood products and cotton without using harmful pesticides.
  

- FAIR TRADE: PAYING WORKERS A LIVING WAGE -

• Fair Trade is about forming relationships between buyers in the global north and producers in developing countries. Partnerships are formed that ensure the farmers and artisans in developing countries receive a fair price for their products, have direct involvement in the market, and upholds environmental and labor standards. When you buy Fair Trade products you are using your spending power to help reshape the global economy to one that works for all people and the planet. Rogue Natural Living has many Fair Trade products to choose from.
  

- CORPORATE TAKEOVERS -

• Large corporations are buying out our favorite small green companies. The Organic Consumer's Association has compiled a list of who owns what. The report is called, Mergers in the Food Industry: Who owns organic/natural foods companies? http://www.organicconsumers.org/Corp/mergers.cfm
  

- INDOOR AIR POLLUTION - NONTOXIC PAINTS... -

• Safe healthy alternatives exist for the problem of toxic conventional products that often cause health problems ranging from mild headaches to death. Nontoxic products that we offer are made from the purest and safest ingredients possible, without harmful chemicals, so that your family can experience peace of mind. Toxic substances in your home can be eliminated with the right products! When in Doubt, Leave it Out. SEE THE PRODUCTS WE HAVE IN STOCK.

• The EPA estimates that six out of ten homes are "sick" - meaning they are unsafe to occupy? What more, indoor air pollution is five to twenty times worse than outdoor air pollution, even if you live in a heavily industrialized city.

• CLAY PAINTS are made from natural occurring earth borne clays. They reflect beauty from the inside out and capture the centuries-old warm ambience of aged adobe and plaster.