Air Pollution
91% of the world’s population breathes polluted air! Yet over one-third of countries have no laws protecting outdoor air quality! The World Health Organization (WHO) released updated air quality guidelines and targets for common air pollutants. WHO’s new guidelines aim to push governments to reduce pollution levels, protect the health of children and adults, and prevent climate change.
Pesticides
Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill, repel or control unwanted pests, such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), fungus (fungicides), harmful to cultivated plants, humans and animals.
Only a small amount of the pesticides actually reach their target; most of it leaches in the environment, contaminating the air, water, soil, and our food. Persistent pesticides, like DDT, can still be detected in humans 50 years after they were banned. Scientists have found pesticides in:
• Blood, urine and hair
• Breast milk
• Cord blood of newborns
• Placenta
No Safe Level
No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to negatively affect a child’s intelligence, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. While the effects of lead poisoning may be permanent, if caught early, there are things parents can do to prevent further exposure and reduce damage to their child’s health.
PFAS: Forever Chemicals
Hundreds of everyday products are made with highly toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS. They build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment. PFAS are universally detected in pregnant women and cross the placenta. Very small doses of PFAS have been linked to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases.
Microplastics and Babies
Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic, often too small for the eye to see. And they’re everywhere.
A new study finds that they are released in huge quantities from plastic baby bottles when they’re used to prepare formula. The study suggests that bottle-fed infants around the world may be consuming more than 1.5 million particles of microplastics per day.
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What We Do
Little Things Matter raises awareness of the growing environmental risks we face as a global community by translating science into free, easy-to-understand and actionable materials. Our goal is to spread awareness about the effects of toxic chemicals on the health of our population and planet.
We believe that every child has the right to a healthy environment.
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Follow Our Footsteps
📰 In the News 📰
"Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested." @theguardian
https://bit.ly/3uoXg3w
`“It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day.
“We also know in general that babies and young children are more vulnerable to chemical and particle exposure,” he said. “That worries me a lot.”`
Watch our video on #microplastics and impacts on #children, and visit our #LittleFacts page to learn more, including how to reduce your #exposure: https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
Infants fed using #plastic bottles may be exposed to up to ~1.5 million microplastic particles every day! The #Health impact of #microparticles are unclear, but prior studies have linked chemical tracers of #microplastics, such as BPA and phthalates, with #brain-based disorders and #Infertility .
Plastic #chemicals can be avoided in early life by switching to glass baby bottles, and avoiding baby foods with plastic packaging and storage. Scientist Jane Muncke from Food Packaging Forum commented that "infants should also be fed using stainless steel or wooden spoons as opposed to plastic or silicone spoons".
Read the original study here: https://go.nature.com/3zrm3Hw
We are strongly advocating for stricter government policies that prohibit the use of toxic chemicals.
Read more about microplastics on our website: https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
Microplastics are made from over 16,000 chemicals! ⠀
Scientists found thousands of chemicals in everyday plastic products.⠀
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Yet only 6% are subject to international regulations. ⠀
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Scientists’ Red List has identified 3600+ unregulated plastic chemicals of concern for people and planet.* These chemicals are one of the reasons microplastics are so harmful to human health.⠀
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Plastic chemicals interrupt or delay hormones, disrupt brain development, decrease fertility, and more. ⠀
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Demand action to protect our planet for future generations!⠀
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The pending Global Plastic Treaty must:⠀
Regulate the use of problematic chemicals in plastics.⠀
Inform users about chemicals used in plastic production⠀
Make plastics less complicated so we can manage and recycle them better⠀
Encourage safer plastics⠀
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“The evidence is clear. Governments just need to get their act together.” ⠀
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—Prof. Martin Wagner, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, PlastChem Project Lead⠀
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https://reut.rs/3w1NSHT ⠀
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*PlastChem Report, 2024
Plastic poses significant threats to both humans and the environment. Let’s uncover the dark side of plastic…
Did you know that plastics are made from oil and gas refining by-products? And some of the chemicals used, like benzene and vinyl chloride, are known to cause cancer! 😱 As plastics break down, the chemicals used in their production can leak out and create new compounds. These compounds might be even more harmful than the original ones!
The excessive use of plastic, compounded by its unique difficulty to recycle, is causing a major problem; plastic is ending up in our babies, oceans, beaches, and wildlife! 🐬🌳👶
Matt Simon, a science journalist at Wired, writes, “So long as we’re churning out single-use plastic . . . we’re trying to drain the tub without turning off the tap. We’ve got to cut [plastics] out.”
So what can we do?
-Stop using plastic not labeled No. 1 or No. 2.
-Properly recycle No. 1 and No. 2 plastics.
-Bring and use reusable bags while shopping
-Package your food in glass containers rather than plastic.
-Support companies that use biodegradable packaging
To read the whole article: https://bit.ly/3DA1IBp
To learn more about microplastics:
https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
Microplastics are everywhere: baby bottles, 🍼 dust, 🧹 food packaging, 🌯 water,🚰 and even human placenta🤰. And microplastics can carry chemicals we know are unsafe 🤢.
What risks do microplastics pose for children`s healthy development? Read the latest piece by researcher Kam Sripada PhD and colleagues and their call to action for policymakers, the plastics industry, and researchers, in #EnvironmentalHealthPerspectives. doi.org/10.1289/EHP9086
Tips to prevent exposure? Check out Little Things Matter website: https://bit.ly/3WEtBAx
Did you know that plastic is made from over 16,000 chemicals?
Scientists found thousands of chemicals in everyday plastic products.
https://reut.rs/3w1NSHT
Plastic chemicals interrupt or delay hormones, disrupt brain development, increasing fertility, and more.
Demand action to protect our planet for future generations!
The pending Global Plastic Treaty must:
1. Regulate the use of problematic chemicals in plastics.
2. Inform users about chemicals used in plastic production
3. Make plastics less complicated so we can manage and recycle them better
4. Encourage safer plastics
"The evidence is very clear. Governments just need to get their act together." -Prof. Martin Wagner, Norwegian University of Science & Technology, PlastChem Project Lead
Your Teflon pan sheds millions of microplastics loaded with PFAS during cooking – even when it’s brand new!
Groundbreaking new study by researchers at the @uni_newcastle, discovered hidden hazards in the Teflon pans millions of families use to cook food for their children.
Try safer alternatives like cast iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel.
Read the full study here: https://bit.ly/3QXewI8
It`s scary to think about the number of chemicals that enter our environment through plastic packaging. Many of these chemicals can block or enhance healthy hormone production.⠀
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Until industry cleans up its act, little steps like these can positively impact your health. ⠀
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- Eat a fresh food diet. 🥗 When families switched from a typical diet to one purely of fresh foods, they lowered the amount of BPA in their bodies by 60%. ⠀
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https://bit.ly/46uvCTT ⠀
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- Use a stainless steel or glass water bottle. 💧When people drank from a stainless steel water bottle, they had 69% lower BPA in their urine than when they drank from a plastic water bottle.⠀
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https://bit.ly/3SGGb2J ⠀
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- Avoid fast food when possible. 🍔 Families who never eat fast food have 20% - 40 % lower levels of phthalates than families who regularly eat fast food.⠀
- This month, world leaders are meeting in Ottawa to discuss the future of plastic production. Let them know that reducing plastic and plastic chemicals is important to you https://bit.ly/4aIjFwK
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#peopleoverprofits 🌟⠀
#powerofprevention 💪🏾⠀
#littlethingsmatter 🐣
Meet Nalleli Cobo
Nalleli Cobo led a coalition to permanently shut down a toxic oil-drilling site in her community in March 2020, at the age of 19—an oil site that caused serious health issues for her and others. Her continued organizing against urban oil extraction has now yielded major policy movement within both the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which voted unanimously to ban new oil exploration and phase out of existing sites.
Together with her mother, Nalleli began walking door-to-door in 2011, distributing fliers about the dangers of oil extraction and documenting the rampant illnesses in the community caused by oil pollution. She mobilized her neighbors to report the foul chemical smells to officials and share their own stories at town halls and city council meetings. Her organizing resulted in the formation of People not Pozos, for which she became the spokesperson—despite being the group’s youngest member. As the community’s voice against oil pollution, she began speaking publicly at community events and rallies, testified at government meetings, and garnered press coverage and support from elected officials. Courtesy of the Goldman Prize
The Toxic Chemicals Line Up
Phthalates
Phthalates
EDCs
EDCs
Pesticides
Pesticides
Lead
Lead
Air Pollution
Air Pollution
PFAS
PFAS
Fluoride
Fluoride
Microplastics
Microplastics
PFAS
PFAS
little Steps big impact
Sometimes the events that alter history and have enduring impact happen behind the scenes or without much fanfare. Little Steps, Big Impact takes a moment to highlight those significant events and celebrate their contributions.
Shifting to phthalate-free products
can quickly lower toxin levels
A new study shows that young women who use conventional foundation, blush, and mascara have higher levels of phthalates in their blood. Phthalates are hormone-disruptors, and can mimic or block hormones from properly signaling in the body, disrupting important reproductive and neurological systems.
When the young women in the study stopped using
products with phthalates, the level of some chemicals
in their blood lowered up to 45% after three days.
To reduce the amount of phthalates in your blood, swap personal care products for those without phthalates, parabens, or PFAS (or just stop using them). Products without these chemicals can be found by searching EWG’s SkinDeep database.
little videos that capture the big picture
Expand your mind and understanding of how environmental toxic chemicals affect all of us with these short educational videos.
The Deadly Impact of Airborne Particles: air pollution is all around us, what can we do?
Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxic Chemicals on the Developing Brain