Lendri Purcell’s mission is to remove toxins from our homes, gardens and communities, and let us switch to safer alternatives.

Purcell of Petaluma is the chairperson of Family Advocacy for Chemical and Toxic Safety (FACTS) and the vice president of her family’s Jonas Philanthropies, where she spearheaded the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, which aims to identify and combat common toxins that harm children’s health , And help people make positive changes.

Her activism arose after her young son tested high levels of lead and observed students for environmental illnesses during his ten years as a special education teacher in Oakland.

Purcell and a friend created a science-based list of common toxic environmental exposures to avoid, linked them to effective research, and shared them online.

This is the beginning of FACTS, a one-stop information exchange that provides evidence-based information and expert resources on children's environmental health.

It is a bridge between concerned scientists, environmental health organizations, advocates, politicians and families.

“Of the 3,000 highly prevalent chemicals used in the United States, only about 250 have been tested for toxicity,” she said. "None of these chemicals have been tested for toxicity to children, and they are more likely to come into contact with toxic substances."

FACTS provides “a science-based'toolkit' for families to reduce their exposure to toxic substances in their homes, schools, and the larger community,” she said. "In addition, we work with environmental health organizations and policymakers to urge them to draft or support laws that keep their voters and our families healthy and safe."

Some side effects of common toxins may be decreased IQ, decreased concentration or memory, endocrine disorders, multiple organ damage, cancer, decreased sperm count, hormonal changes, hyperactivity, headache, neurodevelopmental impairment, increased oxidative stress, and abnormal increase in calcium In the blood associated with Alzheimer's and autism.

Purcell said she was shocked by “how many people believe that our government regulators (and elected officials) will protect our safety, and how bad they are doing this.”

She said that before they do so, everyone should be educated and use purchasing power to create demand for non-toxic products.

FACTS provides a good non-toxic life for a healthy family list, but here are some tips from Purcell:

• Know your chemicals. They can appear in everything from water and baby bottles, cosmetics, toothpaste and cleaning products to waterproof clothing, bathroom mats, and lawn and garden care products. Check out FACTS's common exposure page for a good list.

• Check the ingredient list. Avoid heavy metals and chemicals such as triclosan, biosan, phthalates, parabens, PFAS, DECA, and BPA.

• “Check the labels on your furniture to see if they contain flame retardants,” she said. "If you have upholstered furniture produced before 2015, you can replace the old foam."

• No pesticides and fumigants are used. "Get the Californians' email list of pesticide reforms on the Pesticide Reform website," she said.

• Choose "natural products that do not contain synthetic chemicals," she said. Find safer personal care and cleaning product options on the comprehensive list of the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) or Made Safe (madesafe.org)

• Choose cruelty-free products. "The toxicity in consumer products and animal testing are complementary," she said. "When you buy chemicals with lower toxicity, you are pushing the market to products with generally lower toxicity, and the company has no reason to try to justify animal testing." (The list can be found at leapingbunny.org or crualtyfree.peta. Found on org.)

• Consider others. "Think about the most vulnerable people who might be exposed to the most, such as gardeners, house cleaners, school administrators, farm workers, and hairdressers," she said. And provide safer alternative products when appropriate.

• Encourage the use of organic fruits and vegetables in school lunches. "Healthy soil sequesters carbon; pesticides will kill the soil," she said.

• "Buy less fast food," she said.

• "Reduce the amount of packaged food you eat to reduce exposure to plastics and chemical additives in food," she said.

• Use your zip code at ewg.org/tapwater to check for contaminants in tap water-and find a good water filter. "Although many municipalities no longer use lead pipes, lead connectors are still in use, and when the pipes are disturbed or flushed, the lead will be washed away," Purcell said.

• Reduce electromagnetic fields and wireless radiation from mobile phones, computers, Wi-Fi, baby monitors, virtual assistants, alarm systems, video game consoles, Bluetooth and some stuffed toys, she said.

"Keep the router away from the bedroom and turn it off at night. Turn off unnecessary wireless antennas on the device. You can hardwire the device and your home. Use a wired landline as much as possible. When not in use, throw away the microwave or unplug it ,"she says.

• Buy or borrow an EMF meter to check the EMF level in your home. "Acousticom 2 is a good meter for $200," she said. "I know people who lent these things in Petaluma and Marin, and I can connect interested readers with them."

• Improve air quality. Help "ban diesel buses in cities, and do not allow schools or tourist buses to be idle," she said. "Buy an air purifier to make the air you breathe at home as clean as possible. Find one at BecauseHealth.org.

• Use ceramic or stainless steel pots instead of non-stick pots.

• Use organic pest management in the garden. Avoid using rodenticides.

• Join a career. She said people will have to "learn to use a slightly less shiny toilet and some weeds." "We will learn to use fewer, better quality items, and (understand) that safer, cruelty-free items purchased locally are always the best."

She recommends starting at home, workplace, school and nursery. "Request stores to stop carrying toxic chemicals. Share your letters and actions with us, because proven actions can easily be copied by others."

Finally, "Don't be discouraged," she said. "One action a day works."

For more information, please call 510-798-4962 or visit facttoaction.org.

If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin house, I would love to know.

Please send an email describing one (or two) of them, what you like best about it, and a photo or two. I will post the best in the next column. Your name will be published, and you must be at least 18 years old and a Marin resident.

PJ Bremier writes articles on home, garden, design and entertainment topics every Saturday. You can contact her at PO Box 412, Kentfield 94914 or pj@pjbremier.com.  

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