UK – Fears over safety stop children from playing outside

New figures released for today’s Playday 2010 suggest that half of all adults think it is unsafe to let a child play outside without supervision.

One in three parents believe that they would be judged harshly by their neighbours if they let their child play outside on their own. More than half of the parents surveyed (54%) said they only feel confident for their children to play outside if other children are playing out too.

However, the research also found that most parents (70 per cent) think that improving spaces for children to play outside would make their area more desirable to live in. Three-quarters of the seven- to 14-year-olds who took part in the survey also said that they wanted more time to play or ‘hang out’ where they live.

The ICM survey, commissioned by Play England, questioned more than 1,000 adults and children about their views on play and children’s place in the community. It found that 79 per cent of adults feel there is less community spirit now than when they were a child.

This appears to be driven by growing anxiety among adults about ‘stranger danger’ and fears about children’s safety.

Men in particular (44 per cent) said they would be wary of helping a child who asked for help because they feared they would be suspected of attempting to abduct the child. Thirty per cent of adults also said that they would be reluctant to help in case the child was abusive to them. Children also seem to be picking up on adult fears, with 71 per cent of those responding saying they are worried about being followed or abducted.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England, said, ‘This survey highlights that children are increasingly isolated and unable to play outside with friends. Parents want to give children that freedom but are worried about the dangers and about what people will think. The danger is that these anxieties are perpetuating a cycle of children being denied important opportunities to enjoy their childhood and develop healthy, active lifestyles. This is storing up huge problems for the future.

‘Children with regular access to playable spaces are much more likely to enjoy childhood and grow up healthier and happier. We need to build parents’ confidence to let their children play out, by tackling the real barriers such as traffic and the lack of good places to play. But we also need to communicate more positive messages about children in public space.

‘The Government should ensure that its Big Society programme builds up community spirit and harnesses the desire that most people have for more playable, child-friendly neighbourhoods, by providing the planning framework and the support for local people to make the changes they so clearly want.’

http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/bulletin/NurseryWorldUpdate/article/1020457/?DCMP=EMC-CONNurseryWorldUpdate

US – Household Cleaning Products Still Pose Risk to Kids

While Number of Poisonings Has Dropped, Experts Say It Is Still Too High

Early childhood injuries from household cleaning products dropped by almost half over the past two decades, largely due to child-resistant packaging — but the number of injuries still remains high, according to an analysis of a national database.

Overall, the number of kids age 5 and younger treated in emergency departments for household cleaning product-related injuries fell 46 percent from 22,141 in 1990 to 11,964 in 2006, Lara B. McKenzie of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues found.

Child-resistant packaging mandated for the most dangerous products — furniture polish, drain cleaners, and oven cleaners — appears to be partly responsible for the overall drop, McKenzie’s group reported online ahead of print in the September issue of Pediatrics.

At the same time, injuries in young children sustained from cleaners contained in spray bottles did not decline; spray bottles were the most common source of exposure at 40.1 percent. The most common mechanism of injury was ingestion.

One reason is that spray bottles don’t feature the same degree of safety mechanisms that other types of bottles and containers do, McKenzie noted in an interview.

“The locking mechanism on spray bottles isn’t really child-resistant, and it may be easy for [children] to manipulate,” she told MedPage Today.

McKenzie recommended that household cleaners and other poisonous substances be stored in locked cabinets after every use — out of sight and out of reach.

“Simply having a safety mechanism on a product is not going to guarantee a child is not going to get into that product,” she said. “It’s resistant but not impossible to get into.”

The researchers examined household cleaner-related injuries treated from 1990 through 2006 at the network of roughly 100 hospitals that form the nationally-representative sample that reports to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).

They narrowed the search to cases that occurred among children age 5 and younger — since most poisonings occur in this age group — largely because of small children’s curiosity, mobility, and desire to put things in their mouths, McKenzie’s group noted.

Household Cleaning Products Still Pose Risk to Kids

In the analysis, 1-year-olds accounted for 45.6 percent of cases, while children 1 to 3 accounted for 72.0 percent of injuries.

Cleaning products are consistently in the top five causes of pediatric poisoning exposure, given the amount of time young children spend in the home, the researchers noted.

In the current analysis, bleach represented the most common culprit at 37.1 percent of cases.

The next most common source of injurious exposure, accounting for 30.4 of the cases in the research, was from low- molecular weight hydrocarbons such as those found in pine oil products and spot removers; acids and alkalis, such as oven cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners; and dish or laundry detergents.

Ammonia products accounted for 2.5 percent of cases.

The analysis excluded exposures outside the home, those that involved submersion or allergic dermatitis, and those that resulted from shampoo and other personal cleaning products, boric acid, methacrylic acid, battery acid, or ammonia inhalants.

Overall, the rate of injuries from household cleaners dropped by 50.3 percent over the study period from 9.83 cases per 10,000 Americans age 5 and under in 1990 to 4.88 in 2006. One-year-olds had the highest injury rate, at 3.08 per 10,000.

Most household product injuries — 62.7 percent — came from ingestion. Not surprisingly, then, poisoning was the most common type of injury at 68.4 percent of cases, followed by chemical burns (15.9 percent) and dermatitis or conjunctivitis (10.4 percent).

Only 5.6 percent of cases required hospitalization. The one case fatality was excluded from the study since, McKenzie’s group explained, NEISS is generally regarded as a poor source for identifying fatal injuries.

The researchers cautioned that their study was likely underestimated the number of injuries sustained by young children from household cleaners because it did not include injuries treated outside of emergency departments.

Also, the data on the mechanism of injury, the source, and container came from case narratives, which may have been subject to reporting or interpretation errors, they noted.

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=11305919

Australia – Swim lessons ’should be compulsory for kids

THE ROYAL Life Saving Society of Australia has called for all children to be taught minimum standards of swimming.

The call comes as a horror week of drownings in Australia has seen 10 people die – two in Victoria.

It also comes as a Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found an alarming rise in the number of beach drownings in Victoria in the past 18 months.

RLSSA spokesman Richard Franklin said there needed to be a greater emphasis on swimming and water safety education if the trend was to be turned around.

“We would like to see all kids have access to basic swimming and water safety skills,” he said.

Swimming lessons are compulsory in Victorian state schools, but there is no requirement for private schools to teach water safety.

The Education Department admitted it could not say how many hours a year state schoolchildren spent being taught to swim.

Dr Bernadette Matthews, manager of research and injury prevention at Life Saving Victoria, said drownings could be dramatically cut by:

EDUCATING people about the dangers of drinking and swimming.

MAKING swimming lessons with vigorous testing mandatory for all Victorian children.

INTRODUCING paid lifesavers and increasing the number of beaches patrolled.

Dr Matthews said reducing alcohol consumption around water would be a key factor in lowering drowning numbers.

“One in three drowning deaths is associated with alcohol,” she said.

She said improving life saving patrols on Victoria’s beaches was important.

“In the past 10 years, no one has drowned on a beach in Victoria that is being patrolled by lifesavers,” she said.

Dr Matthews said the Government should seriously consider introducing paid lifesavers to improve coverage of beaches.

“They could perhaps be on stand-by and go into action when we know it is going to be busy,” she said.

Life Saving Victoria echoed the RLSSA’s call for compulsory swimming lessons, saying it had grave doubts about how well our schoolchildren could swim.

“We need to do a study to see how well our kids can swim,” she said.

In the eight years between July 1, 2000, and June, 30, 2008, there were 66 beach drownings in Victoria – or an average of just over eight deaths a year. But the past 18 months has seen 16 deaths.

Most of those who drowned (78 per cent) were males. Most involved people swimming (33 per cent) or walking between rocks while fishing (17 per cent).

Anna Malbon, a spokeswoman for the Victoria’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, was unable to say how many hours children in government schools spent learning to swim.

“There is a range of options for schools in offering swimming programs to their students,” she said.

“For example, some schools may use VicSwim’s ‘Skoolz’ program and bus their students to the local pool, other schools may hire swimming instructors or use swim programs run by the YMCA, while other schools have teachers who are also qualified swimming teachers.”

Cameron Scott, a spokesman for Education Minister Bronwyn Pike, defended the current arrangements.

“Learning to swim is a big part of schooling in Victoria,” he said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/swim-lessons-should-be-compulsory-for-kids/story-e6frf7kx-1225815583133

Australia – Saving face

Forget expensive anti-wrinkle creams and cosmetics. A quality sunscreen is still the best and cheapest way to fight the ageing process, writes Kellie Hush.

If you were to judge a book by its cover then you would surmise dermatologist Dr Amy Wechsler hasn’t lounged by a pool a day in her life. At 40, her skin is flawless, translucent. Not a wrinkle in sight from where I’m sitting.

One of New York’s top dermatologists, with a star-studded patient list, Wechsler is in Sydney as a guest of Invisible Zinc sunscreen as she’s a passionate advocate of sun protection. She says it is the only anti-ageing cream you need. One look at her freckle-free arms and it is blatantly obvious she practises what she preaches. Sun is our enemy.

YOUR SAY: What part does sunscreen play in your beauty routine?

“People laugh at me because I wear sunscreen 365,” says Wechsler, who is also a PhD in psychiatry and a published author. “In New York in December when the sun goes down at 4pm, do I really need it? Probably not but it is just a part of my routine. It’s the message I’m sending. If you can make sunscreen a part of your routine – brush your teeth, apply your sunscreen – then it isn’t a pain.

“Sunscreen is the best anti-ageing product. Some people roll their eyes at me when I say that. ‘What about this special $500 antioxidant anti-ageing cream?’ Yes, antioxidants are helpful but I don’t think there is a lot of data on them at the moment. Obviously stress is horrendous, but sun and smoking are the two worst things we can expose our skin to.”

Wechsler says not all sun protection is created equal, less so in the US, which is why her quest for better protection went global and why she personally imported sunscreen from France until recently. Now her sunscreen of choice is the Australian-born brand of Invisible Zinc, which she was first introduced to by a friend some years ago. She is such a fan of the zinc oxide product that she is spruking its worth to all her clients and now has a relationship with the Invisible Zinc team.

According to Wechsler, broad spectrum is essential when looking for a sunscreen that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays for as long as possible. While zinc oxide provides the much-needed physical barrier to blocking UV, it was not aesthetically appealing in the white-nosed, Aussie lifeguard form. Like Andrea Horwood-Bux and her husband, Adil Bux, who created Invisible Zinc, Wechsler had considered trying to find a way to make zinc oxide less visible.

“I kept thinking that there has to be a way to make zinc better so you could rub it in but I am no chemist,” she says. “The cool thing about zinc is it sits above your skin and doesn’t sink into your pores. It is also hypo-allergenic. As a dermatologist I see a lot of people with sensitive skin who can’t tolerate a lot of fragrance and sunscreens.”

Wechsler knows first-hand about the damage the Australian sun can inflict on individuals. Her patient list includes a host of high-profile Australians whom she won’t reveal (model Tyra Banks is the only client she will name only because Banks has spoken publicly about being a patient) but says Australians fare far worse in the ageing stakes.

“Australian women age much quicker than American women,” she says. “I happen to have a large Australian patient population all around the same age, in their 30s and 40s, so I can compare them to my American patients. They have had so much sun exposure as kids, with a few even having had skin cancers removed already. Some of them are good about sunscreen now but others feel like it is hopeless because they have had so much sun damage. But it’s never too late to start.”

On the flip side, Wechsler says she has patients who don’t need convincing about sunscreen. They have invested so much money in Botox, fillers and laser resurfacing that they see sunscreen like insurance. And the cost of sunscreen is so small in comparison to Wechsler’s services, which start at $US1000 for a consultation fee.

Wechsler says the re-application of sunscreen throughout the day is essential as it is impossible to turn back the clock or slow down the ageing process when you are continuously battering your skin with UV exposure. Burning your skin repeatedly over a summer can add five to 10 years to your skin age: sun spots get darker and crows feet longer. Even sitting in the window seat on an aeroplane is dangerous as your skin is exposed to UV rays. Driving in a car with untinted windows even more so.

If Wechsler had her way, by law all face creams would have an SPF 15+ in them and sunscreen would include zinc oxide. She would also like to re-educate many female celebrities, who she jokingly says suffer from what she describes as tanorexia. “Taylor Swift hopefully will start a new trend in Hollywood and show young girls that pale skin is beautiful and natural,” she says.

Wechsler is first to admit that using sunscreen 24/7 is not the only reason her complexion is so flawless, admitting to injecting Botox in small amounts.

“I err on the side of conservative,” she says. “I believe in preserving facial expression, as opposed to freezing your face. Caring about the way you look and ageing is not frivolous because it is important to feel good about yourself.”

BURNING ISSUES

Faking it

“Fake tanning I am fine with but it is not something I would ever do,” dermatologist Dr Amy Wechsler says. “I don’t want to promote the message that being tanned is better. I am more about the skin you are born in.” The chief executive of the Cancer Council Australia, Professor Ian Olver, is not a supporter of fake tanning. A 2001 survey conducted in South Australia found fake tanners were more likely to report being sunburnt more than once over summer than non-users. “Unfortunately, people think fake tans will protect them from the sun and do not take the necessary precautions,” he says. “They provide no protection.” Solariums, according to the Cancer Council, can emit harmful levels of UV radiation that can be up to five times as strong as the midday sun. According to new research, people before the age of 35 who used solariums regularly may increase risk of melanoma by as much as 98 per cent.

Cancer facts

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with 1700 Australians dying each year. It is estimated that up to 95 per cent of melanoma is caused by exposure to UV radiation in sunlight. “Newly analysed data from our National Sun Survey shows that 43 per cent of teens believe a suntan ‘looks healthy’,” Olver says. “Peer pressure is largely to blame, with 71 per cent of teens saying their friends thought ‘a suntan was a good thing’.” In Australia, sunburn can occur in as little as 15 minutes on a fine January day. The peak UV period is between 10am and 3pm.

UVA and UVB

Both UVA and UVB radiation cause skin damage and pose a skin cancer risk. Both UVA and UVB are responsible for photoageing (premature ageing of the skin and wrinkles ) and sunburn. A broad spectrum sunscreen filters out both types of UV radiation — but some sunscreens that are not broad spectrum will only filter out one type of radiation effectively.

Reading the label

Sunscreens in Australia are subject to regulation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and therefore must comply with certain standards. The ability of a sunscreen to protect skin from burning is measured using the Sun Protection Factor (SPF), so for maximum protection look for 30+, apply 20 minutes before exposure and reapply every two hours. Always look for a water-resistant sunscreen. Always look for sunscreens that contain at least 10 per cent zinc oxide (Invisible Zinc contains at least 18 per cent zinc oxide). Titanium dioxide is also an inorganic reflector and absorber and a prime UVA and UVB filter. OMC (octyl methoxycinnamate) and methylbenzylidene camphor are both organic absorbers but only a prime UVB filter. Butyl methoxycinnamate is an organic absorber but only a UVA prime filter.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/saving-face-20091202-k4n9.html

US – Consumer group issues list of toys it deems hazardous

Advocates say shoppers need to know risks

A consumer advocacy group is hoping holiday shoppers will cross several toys off their gift lists this year.

The U. S. Public Interest Research Group rounded up more than 30 toys it said pose choking and strangulation hazards, violate labeling regulations and exceed acceptable noise and toxin levels.

The findings are published in its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report. Additional information was published by HealthyStuff.org.

Among the toys deemed dangerous are the MLB Soft Sport glove, bat and ball set; a Disney High School Musical argyle belt and Learning Curve’s Gordon from the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway. They were found to exceed legal levels of lead, chlorine, cadmium, arsenic, mercury or bromine. Those toxins have been linked to hampered development, birth defects and cancer.

Pucci Pups, stuffed dogs in play pet carriers, come with long leashes that could strangle a child, the report said. The box lacks an explicit strangulation warning, and manufacturer Battat recommends it for children ages 2 and up. Similarly, a Disney Toy Story Buddy Pack contains small pieces on which kids can easily choke, the consumer group said.

These potential hazards were found despite tightened regulations put in place by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act last year. Toys are required by law to meet strict safety standards, but testing is not required to be sure those standards are met, the group said.

“You can’t assume that because you’re in a reputable store that you’re buying a safe toy,” said Letizia Tagliafierro, special counsel to the New York State attorney general’s office in Buffalo.

In fact, most of the toys on the list are sitting on Western New York store shelves now at places such as Kmart, Target, Walmart, Toys R Us, Babies R Us and Claire’s Boutique, according to New York Public Interest Research Group representatives who bought samples at those stores.

“Most are from name brands you would never eye with suspicion,” said Corey Tarreto, of NYPIRG’s student chapter at Buffalo State College.

The group found toys from well-known brands such as VTech, Playskool and Mattel it said exceeded at close range the noise hazard maximum of 85 decibels. Among the toys the group found fault with is the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Phone, which they claim is too loud. The company, however, said the sound levels were tested and found compliant in a Consumer Product Safety Commission-certified lab. The toy fully complies with the U. S. and international toy standards regarding sound levels in toys, said Fisher-Price spokeswoman Juliette Reashor.

“We are not aware of the testing procedures used by [the research group], but at Mattel, we are extremely careful in establishing appropriate volume levels in all of our toys . . . We have also worked closely with established audiologists to confirm that our standards are safe and appropriate for children based on sound science,” said Reashor.

In October, Mattel and subsidiary Fisher-Price agreed to settle a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit over toys containing lead.

Joan Lawrence, vice president of safety standards for the Toy Industry Association, said “protecting children will always be the toy industry’s highest priority,” and pointed to the report’s finding that the number of toys found to be in violation this year is smaller than years past and “steadily declining.”

The toy association said it is “concerned” that the reports by the research group and HealthyToys. org “contain errors” and use “scare tactics” that “needlessly frighten parents.”

Still, some feel the report doesn’t go far enough.

“These reports are [incomplete] because they do not test for all dangerous chemicals in children’s products; they do not test for [Bisphenol A] . . .,” said Ron Vigdor, president of Born- Free, a brand of baby products manufactured without BPA.

Bisphenol A has been linked to negative effects on infant brain development and other defects, leading many manufacturers to voluntarily curb use of them.

NYPIRG urges parents to visit www.ToySafety.net to familiarize themselves with common toy safety hazards and to check www.NYPIRG.org for the most recent lists of hazardous toys. “Regardless of what the label says, there have been so many violations,” said Tarreto. “Think critically.”

NYPIRG claims its industry reports have lead to the recall of 130 unsafe toys and hundreds of other cautionary measures over the 24 years it has been published.

http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/881197.html

Australia – Toddler’s horror fall at childcare centre

The parents of a toddler who suffered cranial fractures and arterial bleeding after he fell off a change table at a childcare centre in Melbourne’s west say they feared their son was going to die.

Andrew Iezzi said his one-year-old son Xavier had a swollen head and appeared “lifeless” before paramedics rushed him to the Royal Children’s Hospital on October 28.

“When we got (to the childcare centre) before the ambulance, Xavier was put straight into Donna’s arms,” Mr Iezzi told Radio 3AW.

“He wasn’t with us. He was lifeless. He looked to me like we were going to lose him.”

Xavier was rushed to the resuscitation ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital, where doctors found the right side of his head had “swollen out by at least three to four centimetres”, prompting an immediate CAT scan.

“His face was swollen and unrecognisable. My son has that much fight he’s our hero. He never cried, he never whinged, he wasn’t screaming in pain, he was just a real fighter.”

The Age understands the incident occurred at an ABC Learning Centre in Hoppers Crossing.

Solicitor Gavin Kotnik of Shine Lawyers, who is acting on behalf of the family, said he understands the ABC Learning employee in charge of Xavier at the time of the incident was a 19-year-old female working on a temporary basis.

Mr Iezzi said when a paramedic asked had happened, the staff member who was caring for Xavier at the time, and had been escorted from the premises, told ambulance officers he had fallen from a change table.

“Doctors said a fall from that height was not serious and could not cause that damage,” he said.

“I honestly believe, from speaking with ambulance drivers, and seeing the area where Xavier fell, I don’t actually think Xavier fell from the change table,” Mr Iezzi said.

“I think she’s either moved him roughly or (without care) and he’s knocked his head on something else.

Mr Iezzi said after Xavier suffered the injuries staff put him down for a sleep.

ABC Learning conducted an internal investigation into the incident but a spokesperson for the company’s receiver said the findings were confidential.

Speaking on behalf of McGrathNicol, Jo Collins said the staff member involved was appropriately qualified and had a current working with children check.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been informed of ABC’s findings and is undertaking its own investigation.

‘‘As an immediate step, all centre staff have undergone refresher training with regard to the appropriate policy and procedure,’’ Ms Collins said.

She said the Department’s investigation would determine if the childcare chain’s policies or procedures needed to be reviewed.

“The Department is aware of the incident and is investigating, and it would be inappropriate to comment any further,” a department spokeswoman said.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/toddlers-horror-fall-at-childcare-centre-20091203-k7il.html

Australia – Toddler drowns in backyard pool

A three-year-old girl has drowned in a backyard pool in far western NSW, police say.

Emergency services were called to the home in Broken Hill about 8.15pm yesterday following the discovery of the toddler in the water.

She was pulled from the pool by a family member who performed CPR.

The girl was taken to Broken Hill Base Hospital but could not be revived.

Early investigations suggest the self-locking mechanism on the sliding door to the pool was not working, police said.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report is being prepared for the coroner.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/toddler-drowns-in-backyard-pool-20091201-k1hh.html

Baby boy drowns in backyard pool

A baby boy has drowned in a backyard pool in central western NSW.

Police said that doctors from Gulgong Hospital contacted them about 8.20pm yesterday to advise them a one-year-old boy had been brought in by paramedics and had subsequently died.

Police attended the hospital and commenced inquiries, including speaking with the child’s parents.

“It’s understood the infant wandered off around dinner time and either jumped or fell into the backyard pool,” police said in a statement on today.

“He was found in the water a short time later.”

Police secured at the family’s home at Yarrawonga, about 15km east of Gulgong, and the house was examined overnight by forensics officers.

Police said investigations into the baby boy’s death are continuing and police will prepare a report for the NSW Coroner

http://www.smh.com.au/national/baby-boy-drowns-in-backyard-pool-20091129-jye3.html

What You Should Know About Hand Sanitizers and Your Health

Are you carrying around hand sanitizer yet? During cold and flu season, especially during these days of pandemic flu, it’s a smart, preventive tool to protect your health. But, what exactly is it? Are there any risks you should be aware of? Are some options safer than others? Read on to find out.

Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Most hand sanitizers are made from 60-90% ethyl alcohol (to be effective, the alcohol content must be over 60%.) Ethyl alcohol is an anti-microbial that’s been recommended as a hand sanitizer for over 100 years and it’s preferable to other alcohols because it doesn’t dry out skin as badly.

Should you worry about applying alcohol to your skin? When used as directed, the alcohol in hand sanitizers poses no risk. What’s absorbed into the blood is comparable to a tiny sip of wine and you don’t have to worry about residue on your skin because it evaporates within seconds of drying. However, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can pose a serious poisoning issue to children under 6 if they ingest it. To be safe, hand sanitizers should be stored out of children’s reach and used only with supervision.

In addition to alcohol, hand sanitizers can include:

* Glycerin – speeds repair of the skin’s protective barrier
* Isopropyl Myristate – facilitates absorption
* Dimethicone – reduces sanitizer’s greasy feeling
* Aloe vera gel – soothes skin
* Propylene glycol – antifungal
* Tocopheryl Acetate – acts as an antioxidant and moisturizer
* Triethanolamine – helps maintain pH of the product
* Carbomers – thickeners
* Aminomethyl Propanol – adjusts acidity
* Fragrances – make it smell nice. (But, fragrance mixtures are considered proprietary and manufacturers are not required to disclose what’s in them. Approximately 1/3 of the 3,000 most common fragrances are allergens, asthmagens or respiratory irritants. Fragrances are also often where hormone disrupting phthalates hide.)

Alcohol is a serious microbial that wipes out germs and doesn’t give them an opportunity to build up a resistance, but read your labels to find out if there are any extra ingredients you don’t approve of. Here are some options to check out:

* Surya Brasil’s Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
* All Terrain Hand Sanz
* Burt’s Bees Aloe Vero & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer (bonus points for using alcohol made from corn and while they do use fragrance, they never use phthalates)
* EO Hand Sanitizing Spray (bonus points for using non-GMO, corn-based alcohol)
* JAO Hand Refresher
* Method Hand Sanitizer (bonus points for corn-based alcohol, points docked for fragrance and dyes)

Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizers:

Some alcohol-free hand sanitizers rely instead on the antibacterial properties of chemicals like Triclosan and Benzalknonium Chloride. Ironically, both of these chemicals have promoted the growth of antibacterial-resistant strains of bacteria. In addition, they are both rated as a high hazard in the Cosmetics Safety Database. Instead, look into some of these options that rely on all natural ingredients with antimicrobial properties.

* CleanWell
* Grandma Minnie’s Kid Gloves Hand Sanitizer
* Clean George (has ECOCERT*, Certified Organic, FSC* Certified ingredients)

Make Your Own?

The question with making your own is if you feel confident it’s going to be effective. It’s the case with some natural brands, too – there haven’t been conclusive studies demonstrating their efficacy as hand sanitizers. But, even the claims that alcohol-based products kill up to 99.9% of germs is also a bit flawed (the tests were done on inanimate objects and not actual hands). Do your research, assess your needs, and make an informed choice.

If you decide to make your own, consider this recipe from Melissa Breyer of Care2.com:

“Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen, a New Jersey pediatrician who dispenses natural health advice on his blog, recommends his tried-and-true recipe for homemade hand sanitizer called thieves oil. His formula calls for cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus. As legend has it, a group of 15th century European perfumers-turned-grave-robbers were able to defend themselves against the demons of bubonic plague (and other assorted bacterial maladies one might encounter while removing jewelery from corpses) by dousing themselves in a blend of essential oils, hence the name “thieves oil.”

Now there are any number of stories circulating about this legend, and just as many recipes, many of them with a vinegar base. But going on Dr. Rosen’s fail-safe recipe and the proven efficacy of cinnamon oil, I like the formula which includes equal amounts of cinnamon bark, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary therapeutic grade essential oils. Mix them with jojoba or olive oil as a carrier, and use on hands as a sanitizer. (Note: pure essential oils can be very potent; it’s important to test some on a small patch of skin to check for any adverse reactions.)”

How to Use Hand Sanitizers Effectively

Just with any soap or cleanser, it only does the job if you do it right.

How much should you use? Vigorously rub all sides of your hands with enough product to get them wet, and rub them together until they are dry. According to the C.D.C. guidelines for alcohol-based hand sanitizers, to be most effective, a dime-size dollop of alcohol gel should be rubbed into the hands for 30 seconds. For other hand sanitizers, you may need to contact the manufacturer to find out how to properly use the product.

Keep in mind that washing your hands is the best bet. Hand sanitizers don’t cut through dirt and grime well, so soiled hands should be washed first if the sanitizer is to be effective. And, if you have access to wash your hands, you don’t really need a hand sanitizer (except in isolated situations). If you’re on the go and you know you won’t be near a sink (especially with young kids whose hands are bound to get dirty) – you may want to bring wipes and a hand sanitizer. Then you can wipe the dirt and grime off before applying the sanitizer.

Read more: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/what_you_should_know_about_hand_sanitizers_and_your_health/#ixzz0YCfhvVLQ

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/what_you_should_know_about_hand_sanitizers_and_your_health/

UK – Maclaren Recalls One Million Strollers

Reports of Fingertip Amputations by Stroller Hinge

British stroller maker Maclaren and the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling approximately 1 million strollers after the company receiving a dozen reports of children’s fingertips getting amputated by a hinge on the strollers.

Popular stroller maker Maclaren recalled more than a million strollers. The strollers in question were sold between 1999 and today.

It’s a big recall in terms of the number of units affected, and because the potential injury is irreversible.

The recall includes all Maclaren single and double umbrella strollers, and the word “Maclaren” is printed on the stroller. The models involved include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerNews/maclaren-stroller-recall-due-hinge-danger-million-strollers/story?id=9032862