©iStockphoto.com - DivaNir4a

Young children are particularly susceptible to heat injury. Heatstroke and heat exhaustion can set in rapidly as the temperatures climb, and, left unattended, can lead to brain or organ damage.

Water and light are two keys for preventing heat injury. As temperatures climb, think light clothes, light activity and light meals, and drink more water than you think you need. Make sure kids are getting enough to drink, too, since children’s smaller bodies dehydrate faster than adults’.

(continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - JLGutierrez

I’m committed to drinking more water, but don’t want to drink phthalates or bisphenol-a while I keep hydrated. What should I look for when choosing a reusable water bottle?

Proper hydration is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain overall wellness, and individual disposable bottles of water waste both natural resources and money compared to a reusable bottle. At home, glass is the safest choice, since as an inert substance glass doesn’t leach any plasticizers into the liquid. Around small children who may not be ready for heavier and breakable dishes, polypropylene is a safe material. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Creativestock

If you are using bottled water, you are spending up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water, thinking it safe and pure, even though this bottled water can be even worse. In addition to the health risks bottled water may pose, it harmsl the environment. Bottled water, thought to be an healthy alternative, now is criticized as an environmental menace, and for health risks bottled water may pose from the presence of harmful chemicals.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found chemical contaminants present in every bottled water brand they have analyzed. The bottled water industry is not required to disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts on bottled water products. On the other hand, tap water consumers are provided with water quality test results carried out every year. The attractive and expensive advertisement campaigns by the bottled water industry tempts us to believe that we are buying water that has been purified to a level beyond the municipal tap. Thus, we end up piling up water bottles, thinking the bottled water cleaner than the water that comes out of the garden hose. The truth is that tap water has to go through more stringent quality standards than bottled water. Studies have proven that some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Creativestock

Last month I watched the new PBS Frontline documentary Poisoned Waters, which explores the persistent pollution of our waterways. (You can watch the entire film online by clicking on the link). Three decades after the passage of the Clean Water Act, new chemicals continue to pollute our water. And now hormone disrupting chemicals are feminizing male fish and frogs, causing them to produce eggs in their testes. Sounds a bit like a sci-fi story, huh? Unfortunately, this is reality.

Hormone disruptors, or endocrine disruptors, mimic natural hormones in the body. They can disrupt estrogen and testosterone levels as well as thyroid function, reproductive function, and immune system function. (continue reading…)

The increase in asthma cases illustrates the relationship between the sensitivity of small children and the increased use of petrochemicals and toxic household products. Asthma is an all too common problem in children. EPA reports that since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under five. Understanding the causes of asthma illustrates the direct relationship between indoor air quality and health.

Chlorine has been linked to childhood and adult asthma. Chlorine, when combined with organic substances such as skin particles, hair follicles, water-borne bacteria, and even sweat and urine, forms a dangerous family of compounds known as Trihalomethanes (THMs). Prolonged inhalation of all levels of THMs and such chlorine gases as those found near an indoor swimming pool, will not only cause asthma, but will irritate the sensitive areas in the eyes, nose, and throat, as well. Amazingly, the chemicals found near indoor pools constitute only about 1/4 of the chemical vapors that result from showering in chlorinated water.

(continue reading…)

Few health topics can ignite a fire like tap water fluoridation. An Internet search on “fluoride” will bring up many citizen action groups. People against mass fluoridation want the right to choose whether or not to be treated systemically and have concerns over dangerous levels of fluoride and cancer.

Proponents of mass fluoridation claim that fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can prevent cavities. However, Dental Fluorosis can mottle and weaken teeth. At Green Diva Mom, we filter fluoride from our drinking water, use fluoride-free toothpaste & mouth wash and pass on treating cavities topically with fluoride in a dentist office.

The fluoride added by water municipals is a waste product. We encourage you to do the research and make up your own mind. We like Mark A. Breiner’s Whole-Body Dentistry. It is well researched and an easy read.

Glass would be our first choice, but we cannot all carry around heavy and shatter-prone glass water bottles everywhere. Alternatives we like are stainless steel and-PBA free polypropylene plastic bottles such as Camelbak and Nalgene. Enviro Products Inc. has a water bottle made from corn resin that is PBA free.

What is the safest and most effective way to sanitize water bottles?

Vinegar or 3% hydrogen peroxide will sanitize water bottles safely. For tough stains, try a baking soda and water paste and scrub.