Listen to Scientists.. not Journalists...

Ok.. so the plastic thing. I won't even try to put my thoughts into words. One good friend and one scientist friend-of-a-friend put it better than I ever could.

"this, I believe"

"Some Concerns about Negligible Chances: Bisphenol A"

Am I going to go through my house and throw away everything plastic? No. Am I going to buy into the hype that the Media has been playing like a violin? No. Am I going to do my damnest to make changes in my life and in my home to make it a comfortable and safe environment for my family.. of course. Will this involve some changes.. of course. Am I going to panic every time Ben starts sucking on Duplo blocks? ..no more than when he chews on the wheels of hot wheels cars or eats a rock.

I'm infertile. I have a possibly degenerative neuro-movement disorder. I have ulcerative colitis. I have hypothyroidism. I am diabetic. I am Generation X. We grew up on synthetics and preservatives. Have we learned some lessons? I would think so. Am I currently sipping a Diet Coke through a plastic straw that was, I'm sure, stored in plastic jugs in a hot warehouse somewhere? Yes. Did we just sign up for a local milk service that will be delivering milk to our house from a local farm once a week in glass bottles just like the old days? Yes. Do the glass bottles have plastic caps? Yes.

Like all things.. I think reality is a grey area and that we will do our best to keep ourselves and our child from harms way, but as society continues to change, we will learn new things and modify accordingly.. or evolve.. but that's for a different blog. My guess is that 10 years from now we'll find out that some of the first attempts at "going green" actually cause(d) more harm than good. There will always be some sensationalist story out there trying to stir up the masses (and sell new products).. be smart.. listen to a scientist.. not your local news..

and no.. i'm not taking ben's binky away because it's plastic. i'm also not giving up my diet coke. if we have another child, we will probably switch to glass bottles so that we can microwave away.. and if we own a house with a washer and dryer on a less distant floor.. we would probably do cloth diapers.. at least part-time.. but this is because we want to do our part for the environment.. not because we are in panic mode.

Do your part.. go easy on our planet.. do whatever you can.. but don't run and hide in fear... chances are you'll hurt yourself by falling on something plastic.