Women's Journal 2010

Advertising supplement to the Sun Journal Sunday, January 24, 2010

Local women in business • Writing a business planChlorine in your water • Pollutants in breast milk

In this issue:

2 Women’s Journal Advertising Supplement to the Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, January 24, 2010

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Non-traditional

employment opportunities

Recently students in the Lewiston Regional Technical Center Trades Career Cluster program completed a wheel chair ramp and porch for a dis-abled veteran from Lewiston. Among the group of a dozen or so students are just two young women, both of whom have high career aspirations.

Jessica Denis, 16, from Lewis-ton, is a junior at LRTC; she has academic and career plans laid out. “I will continue to get as much experience as I can while at LRTC, after graduation I hope to enter into an appren-ticeship doing cabinetry.”

Aside from her academic work at LRTC, Denis is also the vice president of SkillsUSA Maine. SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serv-ing teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. Nationally, Skills-USA serves more than 300,000 students and instructors through 13,000 school chapters in 54 state associations.

Denis says her participa-tion in ‘Skills’ is particularly helpful as a young woman in-terested in career fields domi-nated by men. “The chance to talk with other students and network with professionals is important. LRTC and ‘Skills’ have both been important when it comes to supporting my goals.”

The U.S. Department of La-bor considers non-traditional occupations to be those in which women comprise 25 per-cent or less of total employed. In 2008, 68 million women were employed in the United States, only 1 percent working in trades related to construction or maintenance.

Another organization sup-porting women interested in non-traditional careers is Women Unlimited. Their mis-sion is to improve the economic well-being of Maine women,

See EMPLOYMENT Page 3

By her own admission, Anita Blais’ biggest role model and influence in her life was her mom, who instilled the belief in her daughter that she should never be fearful of new experi-ences. As Blais echoed her mother’s philoso-phy, she added her own: “If it didn’t work, it wasn’t a lost experience; I learned something from it.”

Blais’ openness to learning from novel expe-riences has taken her in many directions. Without any formal business education, Blais and her husband, Steven, launched a business 17 years ago in response to their mutual assessment of a need for a local retailer to stock both women’s lingerie and spe-cialty adult items in an environ-ment that made women feel comfortable.

“I wanted to do something that was fun,” in-dicated Blais, with a broad smile, but then went on to say her knowledge of the details of run-ning a business developed from her husband teaching her, or at times, the two of them learn-ing together. Given his unanticipated death five years ago, these lessons not only provided the know-how to manage their business then, but has enabled Blais to continue her business with her current managing partner, her son, John, whom she alone affectionately calls “J.” Her other son, Derek, recently moved his family to become Blais’ new neighbors. From the sparkle in her eyes as she relayed this information, spending time with family is clearly a priority.

When she isn’t working at the boutique or spending time with her former mother-in-

law doing one of her favorite things, shopping for vintage clothes (“You should see my vin-tage hat collection!”), Blais can frequently be found knitting or crocheting, often making doll clothes for her granddaughters’ Barbie dolls. In fact, even in that activity she pursues her inter-est in vintage clothing by using doll clothes pat-terns from yesteryear.

Her passion for living belies the sorrow life has shown to her. Becoming a young widow un-

expectedly one month after their 25th wedding anniversary cer-tainly was a major derailment for Blais who readily acknowl-edged that this loss sent her on a quest — “Not to find myself, but to reconnect with myself” — which culminated in Sedona, Arizona, a place which is world-

renowned as a spiritual mecca. Blais’ spirituality reflects her adventure-

some approach to life. In the same breath that she talks about her New Age accouterments (rocks and crystals) she orates on the goodness of Jesus and then also reveals that she is a Reiki master.

A diminutive, cheerful lady (Blais wears a child’s size two shoe and beams unceasingly), it isn’t readily apparent that this woman has coped with many significant life stressors — the unexpected and premature death of a spouse, the persevering life-threatening ill-ness of a child, the total loss of property to fire — with an inner strength that could intimidate Hercules. “It’s okay to feel scared once in a while.... My will power and refusal to believe it can’t be done — that’s what keeps me going.”

3Women’s JournalAdvertising Supplement to the Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, January 24, 2010

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minorities, and displaced workers by providing access to trade, technical, and transpor-tation careers, and to provide on-going support. Their execu-tive director, Lib Jamison, believes Maine’s career and technical education schools (like LRTC) can play a crucial and unique role in introduc-ing young women to trades. “Through their hands-on ap-proach, all students can see what it takes to do the work.”

Jamison also says it is im-portant for career and techni-cal schools to discuss the earn-ings potential these jobs hold. “With the right experience, right out of high school these careers pay considerably more than jobs young women have traditionally taken. Add a two-

year degree from a community college and the earning poten-tial increases even more.”

Women employed in non-traditional jobs earn higher wages than women employed in traditionally female oc-cupations. This statistic is important since nationwide the median weekly earnings of women (full-time and salary workers) was 80% that of men.

Denis’s message to other

young women interested in the trades: “Take advantage of your support networks. Talk with family members, guid-ance counselors and friends. Make sure they are aware of your interests.”

For more information about Maine’s career and technical education schools, students are encouraged to visit with their guidance counselor or visit www.mainecte.org.

EmploymentContinued from page 2

By NaNcy DuBorD Freelance Writer / Photographer

Anita Blais, Midnight Boutique

Passion for living and inner strength

Anita Blais shares her passion for living and reveals how her mother’s in-fluence had an impact on her life.

“Don’t be afraid to try something

new in life.” Anita Blais

Arriving from Vietnam unable to speak English and all alone, 19-year-old Jennifer Gay came to America to attend the University of Con-

necticut to study civil engineering. Determined to suc-ceed in the country she hoped to one day make her own, each day included the self-imposed task of learn-ing five pages of English from the dictionary.

Soon her younger siblings, a brother eight years her junior, along with a sister 10 years younger than Gay, joined her and for the next two-and-a-half years be-came her sole responsibility as their parents remained in their native land under the communist regime. When questioned about why her affluent parents did not help financially, Gay adamantly asserted that she didn’t want them to help.

“I can save money working on $7 an hour,” insisted Gay, adding, “You can’t spend what you don’t have,” indicating her dis-dain for living on credit. After explain-ing how her salary of $400 a week stretched to accommodate the ex-tra mouths, she happily shared some family vacation memories that to this day her brother maintains were “some of the best times in his life.”

“I’d put them in my Maxima to go to Niagara Falls, D.C., Chicago.” Describ-ing those times, she indicated that although they might not have vaca-tioned in the sense that others do, staying in a $35/ a night motel and eating at Burger King enabled them to “see the scenes” of wherever they touristed.

In reference to the economics and lifestyle associ-ated with providing for the needs of her young family while scarcely an adult herself, Gay contended, “I wasn’t struggling.”

At 20, Gay bought her first salon business and in-herited four employees. Since Gay had owned and operated a café in Vietnam at 17, this enterprise was already her second business. After studying for two years at UCONN, Gay understandably relinquished her role as a student to focus on her business endeavors and to help her family.

Gratefully conceding that all she knows about busi-ness came through observation, Gay appeared un-aware of the scope of her keen business sense as she rattled off the names of several businesses that she and her husband, Christopher, own together, but operate independently of each other.

A living example herself, Gay believes that America is truly the land of opportunity and prioritizes giving back to the coun-try that she legally adopted on March 11, 2005 when she became a Unit-ed States citizen. Annually, on July 4th, she and her staff at Paradise Sa-lon and Spa offer their services to the military and their immediate families for free. At times, individuals who’ve lost their jobs have also benefitted from her and her staff giving free haircuts and manicures. “You have to look good and feel good,” reflected Gay whose community involvement and generosity at one point earned her an award from the Compassion-ate Corporate Citizens that was pre-sented to her by Mayor John Jenkins.


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Jennifer Gay, Paradise Salon:

The importance of family and community

SuBmitteD photo

Gay’s advice to anyone, whether a recent immigrant or lifelong American: “You can do anything, if you really want to do it!”

Jennifer Gay

Volunteering in MaineThe bullets below are based

on an average using 2006 to 2008 data:q 351,100 volunteersq 32.8% of residents volun-teer — ranking them 15th among the 50 states and Wash-ington, DCq 48.5 million hours of serviceq 45.3 hours per resident — ranking them 7th among the 50 states and Washington, DCq $981.7 million hours of ser-vice contributed

Trends based on single year data (2008):q 31.8% of adults volunteered in Maine in 2008, contributing 51.3 million hours of service.q In addition to the 339.6 thou-sand adults in Maine volun-teering in 2008, an extra 38,418 individuals worked with their neighbors to fix a problem or improve a condition in their community, but did not serve through an organization.

FMI, visit www.Volun-teeringInAmerica.gov

Meeting community needs in Maine

More than 9,200 people of all ages and backgrounds are helping to meet local needs, strengthen communities, and increase civic engagement through national service proj-ects across Maine. These citi-zens tutor and mentor chil-dren, coordinate after-school programs, build homes, con-duct neighborhood patrols, restore the environment, re-spond to disasters, build non-profit capacity and recruit and manage volunteers.

The Corporation for National and Community Service com-mits money to support Maine communities through three national service initiatives:

Senior Corps: More than 2,400 seniors in Maine con-tribute their time and tal-ents. Foster Grandparents serve one-on-one as tutors and mentors to more than 2,300 young people who have special needs. Senior Com-panions help more than 660 homebound seniors and oth-er adults maintain indepen-dence in their own homes. RSVP volunteers conduct safety patrols for local police departments, protect the en-vironment, tutor and mentor youth, respond to natural di-sasters, and provide other ser-vices through more than 510 groups across Maine.

AmeriCorps: More than 280 individuals provide in-tensive, results-driven ser-vice to meet education, en-vironmental, public safety and other pressing needs in communities across Maine. AmeriCorps*VISTA mem-bers help bring individu-als and communities out of poverty by serving full-time to fight illiteracy, im-prove health services, cre-ate businesses and increase housing opportunities, and AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a 10-month, full-time resi-dential program for men and women between the ages of 18 and 24. In exchange for their service, AmeriCorps mem-bers earn an education award of up to $4,725 that can be used to pay for college or to pay back qualified student loans. Since 1994, more than 3,500 Maine residents have quali-fied for Segal AmeriCorps Ed-ucation Awards totaling more than $11,700,000.

Learn and Serve Ameri-

ca provides grants to schools, colleges, and nonprofit groups to engage more than 6,400 Maine students in com-munity service linked to aca-demic achievement and the development of civic skills.Service-learning, improves communities while preparing young people for a lifetime of responsible citizenship.

To learn more, visitwww.NationalService.gov

(Information current as of March 4, 2009.)


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The life of an actress

What skills does an actress use in the profession? “My sense of humor, my

curiosity and my idealism,” said Janet Mitchko, who in addition to being the associate artistic director for The Public Theatre in Lewiston, is also a professional actress.

Mitchko knew as a youngster in elementary school that she wanted to be a performer. Acting sparked her interest, but she also considered being a musician since she played the bassoon and clarinet.

Living on Long Island, New York brought her into New York City where she discovered a whole new world of performance. When she was 13 years old, she saw the Broadway show, “Irene,” starring stage and screen veteran, Debbie Reynolds.

“I got to go backstage and meet her,” said Mitchko, who doesn’t re-member saying much of anything at the time. “I was stage-struck meet-ing Debbie Reynolds from TV, mov-ies, ‘Singing in the Rain.’” From that day on, Mitchko knew that she was destined for the stage.

While she had great teachers in high school and opportunities at Juilliard, one of the world’s most prestigious conservatories, Mitchko said there is no strict formula to be-coming an actress.

“Nowhere does it say if you do this, you will succeed. There can be no logic in what happens,” she admit-ted. “Some folks have said it takes 10 years to make a good actor.”

Mitchko believes that self-confi-dence goes a long way in an acting career.

“It is a tough business. You have to remember that ‘you’ are the prod-uct. You have to remember who you are and what you are and not get rattled by opinions and rejection,” said Mitchko.

After years of stage and film work, as well as a career as a stage direc-tor, Mitchko is always learning from other actors and the people she works with.

“What happens is that you are always feeding the instrument, always paying attention,” said Mitchko, who is currently in re-hearsal for The Public Theatre’s next performance. “Not to sound Zen about it, but the more you are present, the better you focus on the work.”

Mitchko advises that would-be actors train themselves, par-ticularly in live theater.

“In movies and in television, you can cover a lot,” she said, implying that the multiple takes and editing can cover up any shortcomings an actor may have. “[But stage work] gets to your natural ability, your technique to maintain a perfor-mance and how to connect with a live audience.”

In her role as associate artistic director at The Public Theatre, she works directly with co-worker and artistic director, Christopher Schario. Schario also happens to be her hus-band and father to daughter, Emily.

“When we are in rehearsal mode, we know that the other person is consumed by this,” said Mitchko, who manages to find a keen balance between family life and work life with her husband.

“It may be a long day, since we re-hearse for eight hours, but I may end the day by going to Emily’s concert or walking the dog,” said Mitchko. “I also enjoy gardening, going to my daughter’s softball games, or read-ing — usually plays.”

While admitting that every pro-duction she’s involved in is “an adventure,” Mitchko is proof that the roles of actress, mother and wife play well on the stage here in Maine.

Janet Mitchko

suBMitteD photo

Life insurance: It’s for the people who live

Life insurance is a practical way to protect your family’s financial hopes and dreams. The death of a family member can be devastating to survivors both emotionally and financially. Life insurance can provide cash to help with your family’s immediate and long-term needs. Immediate needs include funeral expenses, unpaid medical bills and taxes.

Long-term needs include care for a disabled child or elderly parent expenses and, in gen-eral, the chance for members of your family to continue to live the life to which they are accus-tomed. Life insurance is not for the people who die, but for people who live.

It’s wise to explore options while you are still healthy; health problems can make life insur-ance expensive or unavailable. Three forms of life insurance are most common today: Term life insurance — this is temporary life insurance for a specific time period (one, five, 10 or more years). It can provide short-term coverage on a limited budget.

Term insurance, however, costs more to buy as you get older. There are two common types

of term life insurance: Level term: the amount of protection remains the same during the cov-erage period. Decreasing term: the amount of protection gradually declines during the cov-erage period.

Whole life insurance — premiums are gener-ally level with cash value growth throughout the life of the policy. Cash values can be bor-rowed (with interest charged) during the in-sured person’s lifetime to help meet temporary or emergency needs. Funds borrowed reduce the death benefit and cash surrender value.

Universal life insurance — this offers many traditional advantages of whole life insurance (such as protection for life), but also offers flexibility. Coverage amounts and premium payments are flexible to help meet changing needs during an insured person’s lifetime (sub-ject to certain conditions).

When you buy life insurance, you buy a promise of protection against financial loss caused by death. The promise is only as good as the company that stands behind it. In today’s marketplace, life insurance buyers should be concerned about the financial strength of the insurer and customer service.

Property-casualty insurance industry supports state/local government and the Maine economy

Employment and income: Property-casualty insurers directly employed over 1,300 people in Maine in 2008. This employment brought $82.2 million of payroll income into the state and local economies of Maine.

Taxes: Insurance companies operating in Maine pay a wide range of state and local taxes. State premium taxes alone totaled over $90.2 mil-lion in 2008.

Investing in state and local government: Property-casualty insurers are a major source of capital for state and local government in Maine. According to analysis of A.M. Best data, they held $1.1 billion in Maine municipal bonds in 2008 – approximately 14% of the outstanding state and local government debt in recent years. Insurers

invest in a variety of public projects, including education, housing, and pollution control. Insur-ers also purchase general obligation bonds that finance ongoing government operations.

Reimbursement for insured losses: The property-casualty insurance industry pays sub-stantial amounts to reimburse Maine residents for accidents, illnesses, and other personal and commercial insured losses. According to A.M. Best, in 2008, insurers paid out $340.4 million for losses covered by residents’ automobile insurance, $171.5 million for losses covered by homeown-ers insurance, and $455.3 million for commercial losses, a total of $967.2 million personal and com-mercial property-casualty losses.

— Courtesy of American Insurance Association.

By Lisa LaLiBerteState Farm Agent


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Entrepreneurs: Business plan roadmap Deb Morang’s entrepreneur-

ial journey follows a roadmap of stops, starts, detours, infor-mation areas, and an occasion-al scenic overview.

In 2004, when GH Bass shut down in Wilton, Morang trav-eled to the Wilton Career-Center and first learned about Women, Work & Community.

Women, Work, and Com-munity offers both one-on-one assistance and classes in four program areas — Building Your Career, Starting Your Own Business, Managing Your Money, and Be-coming a Leader. All programs offered at Women, Work and Community’s 18 centers across the state are free of charge to par-ticipants.

“I wanted to open a fun place, with de-licious teas and lots of baked goods. I went to Augusta and took a 3-class training course from WWC called, ‘Basics of Starting Your Own Business’ and discovered just how many pies I’d have to

bake to create a viable busi-ness. This really made me step back and think about my com-mitment and if I had the forti-tude to pursue such a dream. Not really knowing what I wanted at the time, I found a job instead.”

When her new employer al-so had a round of layoffs, Deb signed up for the Maine Enter-prise Option as part of her un-employment.

“As part of the MEO pro-gram you are required to take approved classes to move you forward in your

new business. About the same time I was

thinking about this entrepre-neurial adven-

ture, a friend of mine highly recommended that

I take the WWC New Ventures class because

it helped him to get his woodworking

business off the ground,” re-called Morang.

New Ventures is a 12-week, one-day-a-week, business plan-ning course. Topics covered include: the customer, com-petition, marketing, record

keeping, taxes, financing, le-gal aspects, and more. At the end of the class, participants will have a completed business plan.

The outcome of Morang’s in-vestment of time in New Ven-tures is Morang Connections. She’s happily combining wed-ding and event planning (like the recent Empower Lewiston “10 Years Making Change” cele-bration in Lewiston) with quali-tative research. She’s learned about networking, has created a Web site, and joined the local chamber of commerce.

“New Ventures is awesome,” Morang said. “It touched on every aspect of business plan-ning, from marketing and sales to taxes. The homework allowed us to really work at creating in-depth pieces of our plans and really prepared me to ask the right questions. I don’t know everything, but I know where to find help!”

Morang keeps in touch with several New Ventures classmates and her instruc-tor, Shirley Hamilton. “The support, discussions and com-ments about ideas and plan-ning really helped us all clar-ify our immediate and long-term goals,” she said, adding, “The instructors really care about your success and where you are at.”

Deb Morang can be reached at: [email protected]. For more information about New Ventures and other Women, Work and Communi-ty classes and workshops, visit www.womenworkandcommu-nity.org or call 1-800-442-2092.

Writing a business planINTRODUCTION

Writing a business plan is an important early step in starting or expanding a business. A business plan is important for a number of reasons. It assists the business owner as well as institutional and individual investors by organizing information that describes the business and demonstrates how an invest-ment or loan will further the company’s goals. A business plan provides the information that must be presented to a bank or other investor before a credit decision is made. Since most businesses can only start-up or expand through at least some borrowed dollars, the presentation of reliable and complete information in a business plan is essential.

WHAT A BANK LOOKS FOR IN A BUSINESS PLANSince most business plans will be submitted to banks, it’s important to

realize how a banker analyzes a business plan and what questions a banker asks during this analysis. A banker’s job is to assess the degree of risk in each proposed loan and to be satisfied that the loan can be repaid by the borrower while still allowing the business to operate profitably. A banker does this by analyzing a number of things including:

• the nature of the business• the purpose of the loan• the amount of the loan• the ability to repay the loan• the character and management

skills of the business owner• collateral

SUGGESTED BUSINESS PLAN OUTLINE

1. Cover Letter• Applicant name and address• Amount and purpose of loan• Term and source of repayment• Collateral offered2. Description of Business• Type and form of business• Location and plant description• Product(s) description• Timetable for business plan imple-

mentation3. Market Analysis• Market identification• Market size• Market’s growth potential• Industry trends• Pricing of products or servicesHow will you remain competitive?4. Competition• Identification of nearest competitors• Assess their strengths and weak-

nesses• Describe the advantages your busi-

ness will have5. Management Plan• Personal history of principals (re-

sumes)• Organizational chart• Duties and responsibilities• Staffing planInclude number of employees,

salaries, fringe benefits, training needs, etc.

6. Sources and Uses of Funds• Identify the items to be purchased• Include current contractor and sup-

plier estimates, including instal-lation, freight and contingency costs

• Identify proposed sources of funds; including owner’s cash injection, proposed bank financing, and funds from any other sources

• Include working capital needs, if applicable

• Closing costs7. Marketing Strategy• Identify method of selling products;

direct, through distributors, retail chains, etc.

• How will products be serviced?• What kind of advertising is antici-

pated?Identify costs.8. Financial Data• Historical Balance Sheets (three

years, if available)• Current Balance Sheet (less than 90

days old)• Historical Profit and Loss State-

ments (three years, if available)• Personal Financial Statements of

Principals with more than 20% ownership in the business

• Cash Flow for one year, month-by-month, for first year after receipt of loan. Include assumptions

— Courtesy of FAME.

To convince a banker (or any other investor) of the merits of a loan request, a borrower must present complete, well organized information which ad-dresses these and other concerns. It is important to remember that the proper packaging of a loan proposal can be an important step in getting it approved.


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From the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I am very concerned about the amount of chlorine in my tap water. I called my water company and they said it is safe just let the tap run for awhile to rid the smell of the chlorine. But that just gets rid of the smell, perhaps, not the chlorine?

— Anita Frigo, Milford, CT

“Researchers have now linked chlorine in drinking water to higher incidences of bladder, rectal and breast cancers. A recent study found that women with breast cancer have 50-60 percent higher levels of organochlorines (chlorination by-products) in their breast tissue than cancer-free women.”

Thousands of American municipalities add chlorine to their drinking water to get rid of con-taminants like nitrates, arsenic and pesticides. But this inexpensive and highly effective disinfectant has a dark side. “Chlorine, added as an inexpensive and effective drinking water disinfectant, is also a known poison to the body,” said Vanessa Lausch of filter manufacturer Aquasana. “It is certainly no coincidence that chlorine gas was used with deadly effectiveness as a weapon in the first World War.” The gas would severely burn the lungs and other body tissues when inhaled, and is no less powerful when ingested by mouth.

Lausch added that researchers have now linked chlorine in drinking water to higher incidences of bladder, rectal and breast cancers. Reportedly chlo-rine, once in water, interacts with organic com-pounds to create trihalomethanes — which when ingested encourage the growth of free radicals that can destroy or damage vital cells in the body. “Because so much of the water we drink ends up in the bladder and/or rectum, ingestions of THMs in drinking water are particularly damaging to these organs,” said Lausch.

The link between chlorine and bladder and rec-tal cancers has long been known, but only recently have researchers found a link between common chlorine disinfectant and breast cancer, which affects one out of every eight American women. A recent study conducted in Hartford, Connecticut found that women with breast cancer have 50-60 percent higher levels of organochlorines (chlorine by-products) in their breast tissue than cancer-free women.

But don’t think that buying bottled water is any solution. Much of the bottled water for sale in the U.S. comes from public municipal water sources that are often treated with, you guessed it, chlorine. A few cities have switched over to other means of disinfecting their water supplies. Las Vegas, for example, has followed the lead of many European and Canadian cities in switching over to harmless ozone instead of chlorine to disinfect its municipal water supply.

Getty ImaGes

As for getting rid of the chlorine that your city or town adds to its drinking water on your own, theories abound. Some swear by the method of letting their water sit for 24 hours so that the chlorine in the glass or pitcher will off-gas. Letting the tap run for a while is not likely to remove any sizable portion of chlorine, unless one were to then let the water sit overnight before consum-ing it. Another option is a product called WaterYouWant, which looks like sugar but actually is composed of tasteless anti-oxidants and plant extracts. The manufac-turer claims that a quick shake of the stuff removes 100 percent of the chlorine (and its odor) from a glass of tap water. A year’s sup-ply of WaterYouWant retails for under $30.

Of course, an easier way to get rid of chlo-rine from your tap water is by installing a carbon-based filter, which absorbs chlorine and other contaminants before they get into your glass or body. Tap-based filters from the likes of Paragon, Aquasana, Kenmore, Seagul and others remove most if not all of the chlorine in tap water, and are relatively inexpensive to boot.

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve read that human breast milk contains toxins from pollution and other causes. How serious is this and what effect will it have on my baby?

— Skylar S., New York, NY

Researchers have found that those of us living in developed countries — men, women and chil-dren alike — carry around quite a toxic burden in our bodies from the constant exposure to various chemicals in our urban, suburban and even rural environments. If this weren’t alarming enough, the fact that these chemicals end up in breast milk and are in turn passed along to newborns is even more troubling.

According to writer Florence Williams, whose groundbreaking 2005 article in the New York Times Magazine opened many women’s eyes to the environmental health issues with breastfeed-ing, breast milk tends to attract heavy metals and other contaminants due to its high-fat and protein content. “When we nurse our babies, we feed them not only the fats, sugars and proteins that fire their immune systems, metabolisms and cerebral syn-apses,” she reported. “We also feed them, albeit in minuscule amounts, paint thinners, dry-cleaning fluids, wood preservatives, toilet deodorizers, cos-metic additives, gasoline by-products, rocket fuel, termite poisons, fungicides and flame retardants.”

In the wake of such news reports, four nurs-ing mothers came together in 2005 to form Make Our Milk Safe, a non-profit engaging in educa-tion, advocacy and corporate campaigns to try to eliminate toxic chemicals from the environment and in breast milk. The group educates pregnant women and others about the impacts on children of exposure to chemicals before, during and after

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pregnancy, and promotes safer alternatives to products such as cleaning supplies, food storage containers and personal care products that contain offending substances.

“Along with its antibodies, enzymes and general goodness, breast milk also contains dozens of com-pounds that have been linked to negative health effects,” reported MOMS, which lists Bisphenol-A (BPA, a plastic component), PBDEs (used in flame retardants), perchlorate (used in rocket fuel), per-fluorinated chemicals (PFCs, used in floor cleaners and non-stick pans), phthalates (used in plastics), polyvinyl chloride (PVC, commonly known as vi-nyl) and the heavy metals cadmium, lead and mer-cury as leading offenders.

Despite these concerns, some recent research has shown the toxic load in breast milk to be smaller than that in the air most city dwellers breathe inside their homes. Researchers from Ohio State and Johns Hopkins universities measured levels of volatile organic compounds in breast milk and in the air inside the homes of three lactating Baltimore mothers, finding that a nursing infant’s chemical exposure from airborne pollutants to be between 25 and 135 times higher than from drinking mother’s milk.

“We ought to focus our efforts on reducing the indoor air sources of these compounds,” said Johns Hopkins’ Sungroul Kim, the study’s lead author.

Earth TalkContinued from page 7

He concurs with the U.S. Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention and many other public health experts that, despite breast milk’s vulnerability to chemical contamination, the benefits of breast feeding — from the nutrition and important en-zymes and antibodies it supplies to the mother/child bonding it provides — far outweigh the risks.

“When we nurse our babies we feed them minuscule amounts of the same chemicals and volatile organic compounds we are exposed to every day ourselves — from paint thinners and wood preservatives to gasoline byproducts and flame retardants. However, some research shows the toxic load in breast milk to be smaller than that in the air most city dwellers breathe inside their homes.”

Women's Journal 2010

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Transcript of Women's Journal 2010