How Do You Know Which Products Are Safe? Do You Know?
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Most of us give little thought to the toxins we’re exposed to every day. For the most vulnerable among us, including our children, however, the potential hazards have lifelong implications, according to Amy Ziff, founder and executive director of Made Safe.
Made Safe is an organization that aims to “democratize access to products that are made with safe ingredients for everyone, matter their age, stage of life or demographic,” Amy says.
The problem she sees stems from the “unrestriced and widespread use of harmful chemicals in products we use every day.”
“While everyone is impacted by toxic chemicals, for the most vulnerable population of children aged zero to six, toxic exposures can impact their health and well-being for the rest of their lives. On top of that, children aren’t able to advocate for themselves for protection from potentially harmful products,” she adds.
Ask yourself this question. Do you know how to spot a safe product? Can you see or smell toxins that may harm your children?
Amy explains what Made Safe does by putting “an easy-to-find, identifiable label on products that have been vetted by scientists as not containing known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, behavioral toxins, flame retardants, heavy metals, pesticides, insecticides, toxic solvents, VOCs, or GMOs.”
“While it seems obvious that those kinds of toxic chemicals shouldn’t be used in products, the fact is that they’re used all the time in items around the globe—but it’s hard for the average person to know what’s safe and what’s not,” she continues. “We do the hard work of vetting on our end to make it easy for people to actually find safe products.”
Made Safe faces the same sorts of challenges, including funding, that most nonprofits struggle with.
“We’re a new organization trying to change the world, and we’re doing this in a different way than it’s ever been done before. If the Made Safe cause resonates with people, we encourage them to donate to help us eliminate toxic chemicals through our work.”
Another challenge faced by Made Safe is that there are competing certifications in the market place. Amy says their seal stands out in a “sea of seals” because of its design. More importantly, she says, “we’re the only seal that applies to all kinds of consumers products that ensures they’re made without known toxic chemicals.” She hopes to become the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for this century.
Amy acknowledges that just avoiding toxins in consumer products isn’t enough. “Made Safe is just one piece of the puzzle. I always teach people that you have to look at managing your toxic exposure through three pillars: food, what you choose to surround yourself with, and how you manage stress. If you’re only working on one or two of these, you’re not giving your body all the skills to do the work of managing toxic exposures.”
Amy hopes to help drive big changes in global supply chains, making consumer products safer. “We want to see products containing harmful ingredients taken off the market—not just in the U.S., but in the global supply chain. We want to spur innovation for safer products. And we will be successful. When enough voices say we need a nontoxic solution to this problem and they demand it with their dollars, it drives change.”
On Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 1:00 Eastern, Amy will join me for a live discussion about the safety of consumer products and the work that she is doing with Made Safe to improve it. Tune in here then to watch the interview live. Post questions in the comments below or tweet questions before the interview to @devindthorpe.
More about Made Safe:
Twitter: @madesafehq
MADE SAFE is the first and only human health certification in the country to certify that products across store aisles–from baby to personal care to household and beyond–are made without known toxic chemicals. MADE SAFE literally means a product is made with safe ingredients not known to harm human health. For the first time, people know what’s acceptable to use with their babies, on the bodies, and in their homes.
Amy Ziff with her family, courtesy of Made Safe
Amy’s bio:
Twitter: @amyziff
Amy Ziff is founder and executive director of MADE SAFETM, America’s first comprehensive human health-focused certification to cross verify that products across store aisles—from baby to personal care to household products and beyond—are made without known toxic chemicals. Amy is a healthy living educator and successful internet entrepreneur, with a Masters in Journalism and Communications. She blogs about the chemical world we live in on Amy Ziff’s NoTox Life, has taught classes on living a nontoxic life, and co-founded the Veritey Shop, a site comprised of safe, nontoxic products. She was on the founding teams for Site59 and Travelocity, and co-founded JetSetter. Amy speaks at events around the world and her Girlfriend Lunch & Learn series are extremely popular.
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