Yoga Mats: Toxics Among a Wholistic Practice

Many people (myself included) who are concerned with toxic-free products and living natural lifestyles really enjoy yoga. There’s just something about yoga – it strengthens both mind and body, and it leaves a sense of peace and wholistic balance after a practice.

So here’s an irony: most yoga mats are toxic.

If you've read some of my previous posts, you should've learned that PVC plastic (plastic #3) is toxic. It releases phthlates, which are endocrine disruptors linked to a number of health problems. Many yoga mats are made from PVC.

Yoga is supposed to be a cleansing, natural way to strengthen the body and connect with the mind. It is an all over wholistic ritual. But how can yoga be truly beneficial when you're practicing on a toxic mat? Every down dog or child's pose that puts your nose right to the mat may be forcing you to breathe in unhealthy chemicals! Chances are that your yoga mat (if you have one) is made of PVC. I realized mine was - so I did some research to find brands that are made without PVC, and I thought I should share the results of my research.

In the end, I settled on a Nike yoga mat. I had to give up my “extra thick” and extra comfy mat for the phthalate-free assurance, but it’s more than a fair trade.

In general, don’t trust that something is PVC free unless it explicitly says so. Not everything that actually is PVC free will disclose itself, but use it as a loose guideline.

Here are some links to some PVC free yoga mats:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=yoga+mat+pvc+free&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1726221041&ref=pd_sl_422wrr5kf1_b

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-girls-pvc-free-yoga-mat.html#

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00618703000P?vName=Fitness%20&%20Sports&cName=Yoga&Pilates&sName=Exercise%20Mats%20&%20Bags&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2930556&CAWELAID=164555269

http://www.barefootyoga.com/Detail.bok?no=512

http://www.gaiam.com/product/yoga-studio/yoga-props/eco-yoga-tools/earth+lovers+yoga+mat.do

There are many options out there of PVC-free yoga mats; you just have to find them! The list above is nowhere near a comprehensive list; these are just the first few I found in a quick internet search. That said- I’m not endorsing any of the specific products, just the PVC-free ones!

We can't just throw away our old yoga mats though, despite wanting to get as far away from the phthlates as possible. PVC is toxic to not just your health, but the environment too! My recommendation is to recycle your PVC yoga mat; many groups and yoga centers collect old mats to be used in community service sessions, and I even considered passing mine off to a homeless person to have a more comfy place to sleep.

I know.. it's bad to be giving toxic mats to these people- but in the case of the homeless, they might not care about the phthlate issue because of larger, more pertinent concerns. In their case it becomes a cost-benefit where accepting the yoga mat might help them more than harm.

Of course, it's up to you about what you do with your yoga mat and if you even care enough to purchase a new toxic free one. But, I hope you will put all of these factors into consideration and decide what is best for you!

Release of CHEJ's PVC-Free Back to School Guide

The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ) is a nonprofit organization located in Falls Church, VA with the aim of helping low income communities organize and fight against environmental injustices they face. CHEJ offers networking, organizing, and encouragement to communities who call in for help. They advise clients on ways to gather community support, help clients develop their strategic plans to change policy, and they provide periodic training sessions for people around the country who subscribe to CHEJ’s network. In addition, CHEJ also has key campaigns they are running to bring about change. As an intern this summer, I was placed on the Childproofing our Communities campaign (CPOC), which deals with school siting issues, as many public schools are built on cheap land that is often highly polluted from prior use or is close to a polluter of the community, as well as the PVC: Poison Plastic campaign.

As part of the PVC campaign, I was in charge of compiling a lot of research to go into the organization's annual publication, the PVC-Free Back to School Guide. And, after many peoples' hard work all summer on this guide, it was released to the public today! Check it out!: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/852/t/2088/signUp.jsp?key=4410

The guide lists common supplies on back to school shopping lists that often contain PVC and different brands and products that we have determined to be free of the poison plastic. Even if you don't use it to go shopping for back to school supplies, take a look over the list to see what some of the major companies are that have many PVC free items. It's surprising to find out that more and more companies are beginning to phase out PVC in their products.



Pasted below is CHEJ's Press Release for the guide:


School Supplies Pose Toxic Threat to Children’s Health
CHEJ Offers New Guide to Help Parents Make Safer Choices for Back‐to‐School Shopping in Over 20Product Categories

Falls Church, VA – The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) is releasing a new Back to School Guide to PVC‐Free School Supplies for parents to choosing safer, PVC‐free school supplies in over 20 product categories. The guide is being released just in time for this coming weekend’s important retail season: tax‐free back‐to‐school shopping. Parents across the country are stocking up on binders and lunchboxes. But while it’s easy to know the healthiest foods to pack in those lunchboxes, many parents are not aware of the toxic plastic used to make them. In fact, the average child’s character‐themed backpack is filled with supplies and materials made from one of the most toxic plastics, polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl).

“Numerous studies have found that young children are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of chemicals released by PVC. Last year, the government banned phthalates commonly used in PVC from children’s toys. These known hazardous chemicals were banned from our children’s toys, but can still be found in school supplies marketed directly for young children,” said Mike Schade, CHEJ’s PVC Campaign Coordinator. “Parents can easily protect their children by shopping PVC‐free. There are many safer PVC‐free products available and even being sold alongside the toxic PVC items at your local retailer. Read the labels, and give your child a healthy start to the new school year.”

Although this toxic plastic is found in many name‐brand products, parents can find safer PVC‐free
products. CHEJ is releasing the expanded 2nd Annual Edition of their popular Back to School Guide to PVC‐Free School Supplies to help parents make informed shopping choices. Over twenty categories of school supplies, from backpacks to art supplies, are covered in the guide. As a companion piece to the full guide, a pocket guide with top‐tips and at‐a‐glance advice is also available. A few of the top tips for avoiding toxic PVC school supplies are:

1. Avoid backpacks with shiny plastic designs as they often contain PVC and may contain lead.
2. Use cloth lunchboxes or metal lunchboxes. Many lunchboxes are made of PVC, or coated with PVC on the inside.
3. Used cardboard, fabric‐covered, or polypropylene binders. Most 3‐ring binders are made of PVC.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is unique among plastics because it contains dangerous chemical additives used to soften or stabilize it. These harmful chemicals include phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, which can be toxic to a child’s health. Over 90% of all phthalates are used in PVC products such as school supplies. Federal law has banned the use of phthalates in children’s toys, but not children’s school supplies and other PVC products found in schools. Lunchboxes, binders, vinyl backpacks, and even art supplies are frequently made out of PVC.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful health effects of toxic chemicals used in PVC. Recent studies have linked PVC flooring in the home to increased rates of autism and asthma in children. Chemicals that evaporate or leech out of PVC products may contribute to developmental disorders and damage to the liver, central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

For a copy of the PVC‐Free Back‐to‐School Guide, visit www.chej.org. To arrange an interview with a CHEJ expert on PVC and toxic threats to children’s health, contact Moira Bulloch at 703‐237‐2249 ext.19 or by email at mbulloch@chej.org

About CHEJ
The Center for Health, Environment & Justice exists to mentor the movement to build healthier communities by empowering people to prevent harm in as many ways, and for as many people, as possible. We believe this can happen when people and groups have the power to play an integral role in promoting human health and environmental integrity. CHEJ’s role is to provide the tools, the direction, and the encouragement to these people and groups, so that they can build strong, healthy communities where they live, work, learn, shop, play and pray. Following her successful effort to prevent further harm for the people living in contaminated Love Canal, Lois Gibbs founded CHEJ in 1981 in order to continue mentoring others seeking to prevent harm. CHEJ provides mentoring assistance to communities, homeowners, families and individuals throughout the country. To date, CHEJ has assisted over 10,000 groups nationwide. Currently, CHEJ is mentoring community groups in Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Ohio. Details on CHEJ’s efforts to help people and communities prevent harm can be found at http://chej.org/ .

Plastics (part 2): Which Number Means What?

There are many types of plastics - each made a slightly different way to have different useful properties. For example, plastic #3, or Polyvinyl Chloride, is made to be a softer, flimsier plastic and is used in shower curtains and for waterproofing purposes. Plastic #2 (High density polyethylene), on the other hand, is made to be strong and sturdy for plastic containers.

Some types of plastic have shown evidence of leaching harmful chemicals into the air and the products they handle. So, it is important to know what type of plastic you are dealing with when using an item. The way to know is to look for the recycling triangle and the number that is listed with that symbol.


#1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
Toxic? Unsure. Scientific research is sparse but hints that there might be a chance of toxicity with this type of plastic (leaching antimony into water). The majority of evidence shows no toxicity with PET plastic, however.
Commonly found in: Ziploc products, soda bottles, most food containers

#2: High density polyethylene (HDPE)
Toxicity? Low. Not shown to leech any endocrine disrupting or cancer causing chemicals.
Commonly found in: storage containers

#3: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) or (V)
Toxicity? High. To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen. Vinyl is PVC.
Commonly found in: shower curtains, plastic food wraps, shoes, binders, colored paper clips, construction siding, pipes, electronics, lunchboxes, credit cards, flooring, rain gear, and much more

#4: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Toxicity? Low. Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.
Commonly found in: films, wraps, bottles, disposable gloves and garbage bags

#5: Polypropylene (PP)
Toxicity? Low. Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.
Commonly found in: car trim, battery cases, bottles, tubes, filaments and bags, Tupperware

#6: Polystyrene (PS)
Toxicity? High. Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling. When this type of plastic is heated and air is blown through it, it forms Styrofoam.
Commonly found in: Styrofoam, disposable cutlery, packing peanuts

#7: Other (often PC, polycarbonate)
Toxicity? High. PC is made with bisphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. It is a hormone disruptor; encourages and stimulates estrogen production when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.
Commonly found in: reusable plastic water bottles


Here’s the deal. Some plastics that have not yet been proven to be harmful to our health, still might be in the future. What is known now, is that all plastics pollute the Earth, especially if they don’t make it to a recycling center to be reused. So, it is important to reduce our purchasing and use of all plastics so that they don’t end up sitting in a landfill - or in the ecosystem - waiting for centuries to break down.


References:

• http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html

• http://science.howstuffworks.com/plastic4.htm

• http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm

• http://www.savemobile.org/blog/plastic_types_jan07.pdf (very comprehensive list)

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/allybeag/2068645306/ (picture of mountain of bottles)