Archive | Consumer Safety

Cream of the crop: our eight most popular articles

Sea Otter (Dave Menke/WikiMedia)

Otter is eight moths old today (12 Feb 2014)! To celebrate, we’ve collected our eight most popular posts – its a short cut to the content our readers have loved. The articles and links cover key ethical issues from undies and jewellery to toxic sunscreens, sustainable food and the power of consumers to make change. But our most popular article to date (as a percentage of Otter readers at the time) was mainly about paper …

1. Our interview with EcoBuy’s Stephen Reardon

Stephen speaks to Otter about the power consumers have to make a difference in the world, how to choose sustainable printer paper and the value of owning a keep-cup. Continue Reading →

Choose safe cleaning products for your home

Photo: Sponges (Flickr/Horia Varlan)

A clean home feels fresh and healthy, but how healthy (and how safe) are the cleaning products that you are using? Chemicals in cleaning products can lead to health problems such as skin and eye irritation and chemical burns, headaches, asthma and other respiratory issues.

In Australia cleaning products are not required to disclose full list their ingredients on their label. While this makes choosing a safe product that is safe a bit more challenging, the following tips and guides can help you make more informed decisions. Continue Reading →

Swim safe this summer: pool maintenance guides

Keep your pool (and kids) safe and clean this pool party season with these three guides that cover home pool maintenance and pool chemical use.

1. Royal Life Saving Australia have developed this checklist on keeping your home pool safe for your family.

2. Make sure your pool is healthy and clean with Public Health WA’s
pool and spa guide.

3. Read up on Choice’s pool maintenance tips for ideas on cleaning and heating your pool, and which chemicals to use.

Continue Reading →

Chemical-free Parenting Apps

Keen to keep your family chemical-free? Here’s 3 apps that might be worth checking out.

Healthy Child Healthy World (free)

With shopping tips, advice (and products) for a healthier home. This is a US app, so while the tips may be useful, not all products will be relevant to Australian shoppers.

2932762-1324663657961

Chemical Cuisine (free)

With lists of chemical additives and safety rankings to help you make healthy decisions. Continue Reading →

Toxic sunscreens: how to ensure a safer ‘slip, slop slap’

While it may be protecting you from the sun’s harmful rays, your sunscreen might not be all that good for you. Some sunscreens contain harmful chemicals. Here are some key sources to help you buy a safer sunscreen this summer.

This simple infographic from Environmental Working Group sets out what product types to avoid (sprays and powders), what ingredients best protect you from the sun, and what to look for on the label to avoid harmful ingredients. Continue Reading →

App of the Week: Chemical Maze

Concerned about additives in your food, cleaning product and cosmetics, but not sure what they all mean for your health? Chemical Maze is as a directory of over 1200 additives. It explains the effects they can have on your body (positive and negative). The app costs $7.50, but there’s a free trial with 25 additives included for you to give it a whirl and see if it suits you. Read More

Safe supplements for pregnant women

Supplements are commonly recommended for pregnancy, but which ones are safe? CHOICE discusses the supplements that pregnant women should take and those they should avoid. The article includes a great discussion of the risks of some seemingly harmless herbal medicines.

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