We know that autism is on the rise, and as parents, we are frustrated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 88 children in the US has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This is an increase of 78% since 2002. What is driving this? Genes evolve far …

“Air pollution is invisible, so we don’t pay attention to it.” I’ve heard variations of that sentiment often, even from people who want to clean up the air. It’s an excuse, an apology, a cop-out. And it ticks me off, because it is incorrect. Air pollution is not invisible. You can see photochemical and industrial …

Life is not fair. Some people are born with great advantages and others are born with major disadvantages. This is a fact of life that we are faced with from birth…and one that African Americans are all too familiar with. Being disproportionally affected by diseases, unemployment, divorce, crime, failing education systems (the list goes on …

In my last post, I outlined mercury’s journey from trace amounts in coal to a potent poison in fish. Because coal contains small amounts of mercury, and because we burn coal for energy in large amounts, and because many coal plants have neglected to use readily available pollution control technologies in their smokestacks, mercury accumulates …

This pre-BlogHer discussion was moderated by Cheryl Contee of Jack and Jill Politics. Cheryl was joined by Elisa Batista, founder of Mothertalkers, Joanne Bamberger, aka PunditMom and author of Mothers of Intention, and Dominique Browning, blogger at Slow Love Life, former editor-in-chief of House & Garden, and lead blogger for the Moms Clean Air Force. …

Guest blogger Gina Balaty blogs at Mom-Blog. She’s a late-in-life mom, a special needs mom, a fussy child mom, a writer, a web developer & designer,  a writer, working at home mom, mom entrepreneur, and oh yea, happily married wife and a pretty cool chick too.  Gina’s mission is to help, encourage, inspire and commiserate …

This piece was cross-posted at MomsRising. About a year and a half ago, I testified before a California senate committee in support of a bill that would stop mandating — not ban! — the use of toxic flame retardants in certain baby products. Studies have linked these toxic chemicals, also known as “halogenated flame retardants” …

This piece was cross-posted on MotherTalkers, DailyKos, and MomsRising. As co-founder and co-publisher of MotherTalkers.com, I receive many books and products to review. I recently received an advance copy of Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children In An Age of Environmental Crisis, which is now available in hardcover on Amazon.com for $16.91. First, a couple thoughts on environmental …

I recently ran across an excellent article in Orion magazine, by Sandra Steingraber, on the effect of toxic chemicals–with an emphasis on mercury–on our children's brains. “Developmental disabilities now affect about one in every six U.S. children, and most of these are disabilities of the nervous system,” she writes. Among them are mental retardation, attention …