Fwd: Bottled vs. filtered water, plus are you flushing chemicals?

July 31, 2007

Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com.

What Did You Flush Down the Drain?

EWG researchers found 95% of San Francisco Bay Area wastewater samples contained at least one unregulated, widely-used, hormone-disrupting chemical commonly found in personal care and household products.

Male fish exposed to these chemicals can grow eggs in their testes -- so what happens when people are exposed? Birth defects in babies, infertility in women, and reproductive problems in men are among the array of possibilities.

The good news? You can take simple steps to help protect your family's health and the environment:

Make sure your personal care and household products are fragrance-free.

Pass on the plastic bottles and utensils. Stick to glass and stainless steel.

Skip the "antibacterial" products and use plain soap and water. It's just as effective.

Learn more steps you can take

Read the full "Down the Drain" report

Tap Water: To Drink or Not to Drink?

Our recent DC Tap Water report revealed that tap water samples in the Washington, DC area contained toxic chlorination by-products at levels above federal health limits.

An average reader might read that and run to the local Safeway or Piggly Wiggly to stock up on bottled water. But you're smarter than that.

You probably even already know there's a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly way to dramatically lower levels of these toxic byproducts: carbon filtration. In fact, it's 10 to 20 times less expensive than bottled water ($100 vs. nearly $2,000 annually) AND it doesn't produce the waste and pollution bottled water does. Carbon filtration could be a countertop pitcher, a faucet-mount, an under-sink model, or a whole-house model.

So make the smart choice: pass up bottled water. Get a carbon filter instead.

Read the full DC Tap Water report

Grow Organics Campaign: A Smashing Success!

First off, THANK YOU! At the beginning of the campaign, we set our goals high: 30,000 petition signatures and $20,000 for organics.

EWG Action Fund supporters rose to the challenge. Over 30,000 signatures and $80,000 later, we're inspired by your commitment to grow organics.

Last Tuesday, EWG President Ken Cook presented your signatures to our allies on the Hill. And thanks to your support, the House just passed a Farm Bill that will expand research on organic farming methods, increase funding and improve policy to protect the environment, and expand outreach to socially disadvantaged and minority farmers.

In spite of these vast improvements, the subsidy system will still overlook family farms and will benefit some of the wealthiest farmers in the nation. EWG will continue to fight for more significant reform when the Farm Bill goes to the Senate in September. We'll keep you posted!

YouTube: Watch Ken Cook present signatures to Rep. Ron Kind

See pictures of the presentation in Enviroblog