by Sarah
Teen Council member and Web Correspondent
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
When people think of Environmental toxins, their minds usually go straight to the news horror story of the newest ‘big and bad chemical. The thing farthest from their minds, is probably Planned Parenthood. However, On December 10th, the Planned Parenthood in Uptown Minneapolis hosted an event for anyone interested in examining the effects of environmental toxins on reproductive health. Senior Director of Government Public Affairs, Tim Stanley, explained clearly why Planned Parenthood has a vested interest in this issue.
He said that Planned Parenthood is an organization that works tirelessly to make sure that people can become parents when they choose, but unfortunately, harmful environmental toxins are getting in the way of that choice to become a parent. So, with a group of about 20 people, Mr. Stanley, gave participants some shocking yet extremely helpful information about what environmental toxins we are exposed to in our everyday life.
One of the things Mr. Stanley discussed the most was Bisphenol A. Studies have shown that this chemical can hurt the reproductive health of both men and women. One in particular studied men who worked in factories with this chemical and the men who were exposed to high concentrations of this chemical were shown to have a higher rate of asthma, as well as erectile dysfunction. This chemical can not only hurt the reproductive health of women, making it harder for them to conceive, but the effects on the woman can be passed on to her child through the placenta. The scariest part is that this chemical is found in common items such as certain types of hard plastic water bottles. Though these chemicals are out there, during group discussion we stressed the importance of awareness, not paranoia, and we realized that it is impossible to
completely protect yourself. However, Planned Parenthood has always recognized that people should take charge of their health, and know what is going in their body.
On a lighter note, after a very good group discussion, we moved onto making safe, all-natural products that are chemical-free. With the assistance of a few Planned Parenthood Metro Teen Council members, participants were able to make lip-balm and cleaner. Truc demonstrated how to make the lip-balm using only beeswax, olive oil, and essential oil to scent it. Not only was it chemical-free, but moisturizing and long-lasting as well! Another Teen Council member, Phoebe, introduced a toxin-free cleaner
introduced that consisted of borax, vinegar, dawn dish-soap, and water. These products showed us that the most common, everyday things can be made with ingredients not harmful to our health. In an era where everyday there seems to be a new story about a product having a negative effect on our health, it was a welcomed breath of fresh air.
If you are interested in learning more, Mr. Stanley said that Planned Parenthood would be hosting another event in the future, featuring a guest speaker who would outline some of the science behind the issue. Stay tuned for more info on that and we hope to see you there!