Regardless of the title, I think this is an excellent book.  It is everything I believe parents should do.  The author, Dr. Jenn Berman, covers twelve different ways to help your baby thrive.  These are the things I painstakingly researched over the past six years all located in one convenient book.  A must read for any parent with children under three!

If you want to be a Super Parent, you need to try to incorporate these twelve principals:

1. Respectful Communication – Don’t treat your infant like a doll.  Talk to her.  Tell her you’re about to change her diaper.  Tell your toddler she has a few more minutes before its time to transition to another activity.  Respect your child’s feelings.  Give your child choices.  Make your praise specific, rather than constantly saying “good job!”  One of my favorite suggestions from this chapter is to tell your toddler/preschooler “as soon as you’re done with lunch, we can go play” rather that “you cannot play until you’re done eating.”  This small positive twist is so much more pleasant to say all day long instead of “if you don’t…., then you can’t…..”
2. Responding to Cues - How to respond to your child so that he develops a secure attachment to you.  The importance of spending one-on-one time together.
3. Creating Security and Predictability – The importance of having a schedule and how it can help you better understand your child’s needs.  How to help your child sleep better.
4. The Importance of Touch – How skin to skin contact isn’t just good for premies.  How massaging/touching improves IQ, immunity, sleep, self esteem, etc.
5. Promoting Language Development – I loved this chapter.  Most startling was a study by Betty Hart and Todd Risley, where they spent 2+ years recording, transcribing, and analyzing the words spoken at home by 42 families.  They found that by the age of 3, children from “professional” families had an average vocabulary of 1,116 words, children from “working class” families averaged 749 words, and children from “welfare” families averaged 525 words.  The researchers discovered that the reason for the disparity in vocabulary was language exposure.  The average professional parents used 2,153 words/hour, working class used 1,251 words/hour, and welfare used only 616 words/hour.  Over the course of one year, this means that the child from the professional family hears 8 million more words than the child from the welfare family.  By the end of the study, the spoken vocabularies of the 3-year olds were larger than those recorded for the parents in the welfare families.  The point?  TALK TALK TALK to your children!  Talk to them, not just around them.  Narrate everything you do and see.  Dr. Lise Eliot, author of another book I know and love–What’s Going On in There?–says “speech is without a doubt the most important form of stimulation a baby receives.”
6. Sign Language – How signing to your baby helps her acquire speech earlier, increases her vocabulary, reduces frustration, increases IQ (signing children score 12 points higher on IQ tests at age 8 than non-signing children, in one study by Acredolo and Goodwyn), encourages brain development, etc.
7. Foreign Language – I must say that this was the only chapter that really contained new information for me.  I wasn’t aware of the research on how learning a second language helps brain development.  In this chapter, Dr. Brenan discusses how second language acquisition leads to higher IQs, increased focus, increased creativity, improved math ability, earlier skills in reading and writing, and even prevention of Alzheimer’s.
8. Reading – The importance of reading to your child and how it exposes him to words not usually used in spoken language.  Great suggestions for how to create a print-rich home environment, including lists of recommended books.  Nice section on how to get the most out of reading by inviting participation, pointing to words as your read them, engaging your child, etc.
9. The Importance of Play – We’ve all heard that “play is baby’s work,” but this chapter really explains why children should play more.  Not only does play make children smarter, it also improves memory, attention span, concentration, impulse control, problem solving, language development, social development–pretty much everything you want your child to have!  The author of The Parent-Child Game, Dr. Sue Jenner, has found that “difficult,” poorly behaved children do not participate in enough child-led play with their parents.  When parents of these children are taught how to let their child lead play, the children stop their challenging behavior.  Also contains a nice section on what toys are not recommended–electronic, commercialized, etc.
10. Screen Time – The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under two watch no TV at all.  Dr. Berman takes that a step further and says no TV until 3!  But if you read this chapter on why, I bet you’ll be up for the challenge.  For example, it was found that for every hour of TV watched per day in 1 and 3 year olds, the children had almost a 10% higher chance of developing attention problems like ADHD.  TV viewing in children under 3 is also associated with autism, asthma, high blood pressure, poor sleep, poor eyesight, academic problems, depression, aggression, fear, etc.  I really enjoyed the section on commercials (the average American child sees 40,000 commercials/year!)
11. Reducing Exposure to Toxic Chemicals - A good discussion on lead, PVC, flame retardants, BPA, pthalates, etc.
12. Eating and Nutrition – A nice, thorough section on feeding infants a toddlers, with information about toxins in our food (pesticides, growth hormones, mercury, MSG, glutamic acid, aspartame, food coloring, and genetically modified foods).

The great thing about this book is that each chapter can be read alone, or you can enjoy the entire book.  Dr. Berman also includes many excerpts from other authors/professionals and stories from parents.  This book is so enjoyable, I’m currently reading it again!

The first chapter discusses pregnancy.  Most notable is the effects of a stressed mother on the developing fetus.  Next, Medina discusses mom and dad’s relationship.  This is a chapter that all soon-to-be-parents need to read.  Bringing baby home rocks your life and marriage and I only wish I had read this good advice before becoming a mother.  The final chapters dive into how to raise a smart, happy, and moral baby.  The conclusion and practical tips at the end of the book do a great job of summarizing the most important information from the book.  Highly recommended!

Here are a few fun tidbits from the book:

• Infants are placed in front of a checkerboard square.  The longer the child is engaged by the pattern, the higher his/her IQ is likely to be.  Measurements taken between 2 and 8 months of age correctly predicted IQ scores at age 18.
• Intelligence = the desire to explore, self-control, creativity, verbal communication, and decoding nonverbal communication.
• Executive function, which controls planning, foresight, problem-solving, and goal setting, is actually a better predictor of academic success than IQ.
• Children who could delay gratification (in this case, eating a cookie) for 15 minutes scored 210 points higher on their SATs than children who lasted one minute.
• Learning sign language may boost cognition (specifically, attentional focus, spatial abilities, memory, and visual discrimination) by 50%.
• Four brain boosting ingredients = breastfeeding, talking to baby a lot, the right kind of play, and praising effort not intelligence.
• Outside of work, the typical person hears or sees about 100,000 words per day.  You want your baby to hear about 2100 words an hour (considered a moderate rate of conversation).
• Kids praised for their effort complete 50% more hard math problems than kids praised for intelligence.  So don’t tell your children “I’m so proud of you.  You’re so smart.”  Tell them you’re proud of how hard they worked.  It’ll help them develop a good attitude toward failure.  Rather than ruminate over their mistakes, they simply perceive errors as problems to be solved.
• No TV before the age of 2!
• Since 1937, researchers for the Harvard Study of Adult Development have collected intimate data on several hundred people.  And what made people happy?  Researchers found that “the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.”  After 75 years of this study, what was found to predict people’s happiness the most was their friendships.  And marriage is one of the most important friendships.
• Other things that predict happiness include a steady dose of altruistic acts, making lists of things for which you are grateful, and cultivating an attitude of gratitude.
• The two most important things your child needs to make friends are emotional regulation and empathy.
• Children who learn to regulate their emotions have deeper friendships than those who don’t.
• Help your child deal with his big emotions by labeling them.  He has the physiological effects of emotions but doesn’t understand that what he’s experiencing comes from anger, or frustration, or jealousy.
• The best parenting style is one that combines high expectations with high responsiveness (aka, demanding but warm).
• Musically trained kids (those who studied an instrument for at least 10 years starting before age 7) respond much more quickly to subtle variations in emotion-laden cues, such as a baby’s cry.
• The most important attitudes a parent can have towards emotions include:  not judging emotions, acknowledging the reflexive nature of emotions, knowing that behavior is a choice (while emotion is not), and seeing a crisis as a teachable moment.
• Be empathetic towards your children.
• In order to raise a moral child, set clear and consistent rules and rewards, punish swiftly, and explain the rules (we brush our teeth every night before bed to prevent cavities).
• Praise the absence of bad behavior.
• Punishment must be administered in a warm atmosphere of emotional safety.  When kids feel secure even in the presence of parental correction, punishment has the most robust effect.
• Children are most likely to internalize moral behavior if parents explain why a rule and its consequences exist.

Up until a few months ago, I literally had no idea that cell phones posed any risk whatsoever to myself or my family.  This is unfortunate, because while the science does not clearly prove the risk of cell phone use, there are some unsettling studies that show that the radiation emitted from a cell phone while in use can damage DNA, break down the blood-brain barrier (making the brain susceptible to whatever toxins or drugs are circulating in the blood), damage sperm, and unleash free radicals in the body.  Some studies suggest that cell phone use increases the incidence of brain tumors and various cancers, often on the side of the head where the phone was used most.  But because cell phones are relatively new and because use, at least in the U.S., has been taking place for a relatively short time, the full effects of this radiation remain to be seen.  The state of Maine has considered placing the following warning on all cell phones, much like each box of ciggarettes contains a warning:  ”This device emits electromagnetic radiation, exposure to which may cause brain cancer.  Users, especially pregnant women and children, should keep away from the head and body.”  Would such a warning cause Americans to stop buying cell phones?  Highly unlikely.  But perhaps it would draw awareness and caution to the use of wireless phones and would encourage the production of safer phones.

In addition to being unaware of the potential dangers of holding a cell phone next to my head while using it, I was unaware that most cell phone manuals now clearly state warnings such as this one, found on Nokia phone packaging:  DO NOT HOLD DIRECTLY ON THE BODY.  Some phones, like the BlackBerry, urge users to keep the phone 0.98 inches from the body while opperrating.  The HTC Droid Eris cell phone from Verizon contains a product safety and warranty information booklet.  On page 11, it is recommended that “no part of the human body be allowed to come too close to the antenna during operation of the equipment.”  Does anyone read these?  Do those who notice this fine print, often in point 6 font, follow the warnings?  While these recommendations seem to suggest that cell phone use, especially when the phone is in contact with the body as it no doubt is for the majority of users (do you hold the phone an inch from your head while using it?!), may pose some sort of risk to people, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) claims that cell phones are perfectly safe.  Steve Lagent, the CTIA president and CEO, said in 2010 that “CTIA and the wireless industry are deeply committed to safety and to providing timely, accurate information to consumers about wireless phones.  When it comes to the facts about cell phones and health-related effects, the industry relies on the conclusions of impartial groups such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, and the National Insitutes of Health, which have all concluded that the scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of wireless phones.”  If no evidence suggests that cell phones may cause adverse health effects, then why should they not be held directly on the body?  There is a disconnect there.

And that is why Devra Davis wrote the book Disconnect.  In it, she shares the research suggesting a potential risk from the radiation emitted by cell phones while in use.  She also shows what the industry has done to suppress or alter that research.  While I don’t think the book is written the way I would have liked to see, it contains important information that cell phones users should be aware of.  I would have liked to see the science organized clearly and succinctly, with methodology and sources included in the text, so that each reader could properly assess for himself/herself the weight of the evidence.  I would have liked to see less bashing of studies that found no link between cell phones and brain tumors while filling the book with plenty of anecdotal evidence.  I would have liked to know whether other wireless technologies, such as my cordless home phone or the laptop I’m currently using, pose a risk (which the author seems to suggest briefly but never fully covers).  Not the best book, in my opinion, but worth reading to learn about this important topic.

According to Davis, between 1995 and 2005, nearly all of the research sponsored by industry has found that cell phones are safe, while most of the studies independently funded have found a variety of problems.  This shouldn’t surprise you, but it should make you weary.  Particularly alarming is that the model used to establish safety levels of cell phone radiation, created in 1993, used a large, heavy set man with an 11-pound head filled with a uniform liquid (not at all like a living brain) who talked on the phone for only six minutes at a time.  Does that sound like your typical user?  Most research has looked at people that don’t use the phones much.  For example, the Interphone study’s average user talked on a cell phone for two hours a month.  It did not include any heavy users, young adults, or children.  And it only looked at users through 2002.  We should not be surprised that studies like these found no increase in brain tumors or cancers among cell phone users.

In contrast, studies that look at heavy cell phone use or use for longer than a decade have found some adverse health effects.  Dr. Lennart Hardell, an expert in the field in Sweden, has looked at people who have used cell phones extensively for a decade or more.  He found that the heaviest users have doubled the risk of brain tumors after a decade and that those who start using cell phones regularly as teenagers have four times more brain cancer about ten years later.  Hardell is not the only one with these results.  Similar findings have been developed by scientists in Israel, Finland, Russia and England.

Additionally, we have reasons to be concerned about our children and teenagers.  Their brains are still developing and the effects of cell phone radiation on them could be quite different than that of an older user.  Davis points out that “children’s brains are different from those of adults.  They are, of course, smaller, but they are also developing at a faster rate.  Anyone can understand that when something moves faster, the chance for mistakes to be made is greater.  That is why we have speed limits.  Speed kills and does so logarithmically–that is to say that the chances of dying while driving a car at sixty mph is 100 less than while driving a car at seventy mph…  Other models… have agreed–children’s brains and skulls absorb at least twice as much radio frequency radiation as those of adults.”  And their bone marrow can take in ten times more radiation than that of adults.

Given the data to date, I believe we should proceed with precaution.  We may not have diffinitive evidence that cell phones pose a risk, but there is no need to wait before we can take precautionary measures.  Siegal Sadetzki, an epidemiologist and physician who drafted the Israli government’s official warning on cell phones, has said, “It is far better to prevent human harm using simple and low-cost measures than to wait for long-term results to confirm a health hazard that has already occurred.  Therefore we must be prepared to act before scientific certainty has been achieved.”  Sadetzki is not alone in her thinking.  Devra Davis points out in her book that “when it comes to studying cell phones and brain tumors, how are we supposed to proceed?  There can be no double blinding in studying the matter.  It would be unethical to put people into experimental groups and deliberately expose some of them and not expose others and then wait to see whether the exposed group develops more brain tumors.  So how is it ethical to have billions of young people use a technology whose dangers will only become more broadly evident in forty years?”

So what can you do?  I believe the first step is to become educated.  Read the book Disconnect.  Visit the Environmental Working Group’s webpage about cell phone radiation.  Read their report and look up the SAR (specific absorption rate) for your particular phone.  You can also see their list of the top safer phones.  The website CNET also has a list of the 20 lowest radiation cell phones.  In addition to using a safer phone, you can also try to use your phone less.  When you do use it, do not hold the phone next to your head–rather, use speakerphone or blue tooth technology (in your car, with your wireless headset, etc.)  Text rather than talk, as less radiation is emitted when sending a text.  And do not let your children use a cell phone.

If you’re passionate about this subject and want to get more involved, you can also follow Davis’ recommendation to:

Join the Campaign for Safer Cell Phones at www.devradavis.com and write to your member of Congress.  We call on local, state, and national government and the private sector to:

1. Require that warning labels about safer cell phone use be applied to cell phones.
2. Require that phones be sold with earpieces and speakerphones.
3. Increase public awareness about the specific absorption rate of all phones and ways to reduce exposures to radiation.
4. Conduct a major review and revision of safety standards and support a major multidisciplinary independent research program on cell phones.
5. Develop speficic recommendations about lowering direct ratiation to the head.
6. Conduct a national survey of radio frequency radiation exposure ( the last one was done in 1980) and develop monitoring of heavy cell phone users by creating access to cell phone billing records to qualified researchers.

I recently checked out the book How to Grow Fresh Air from the library.  This book is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about which plants can purify the air of toxins like formaldehyde.  Although I was disappointed to read that the author, Dr. B.C. Wolverton, doesn’t believe that opening your windows more often is a viable solution to poor indoor air quality, I did enjoy his thorough description of the various plants known to purify air of toxins as well as their pictures.  The first third of the book discusses why indoor air quality is poor and why plants can clean it, while the remainder details 50 plants you’ll want to get into your home.  Each plant is covered in two pages, one full-page picture and one page of text describing the plant.  They are organized by those that clean the air the best and are easiest to maintain, making this book super easy to take to your local nursery to assist you in plant shopping.

The best air-cleaning plants are Areca Palm, Lady Palm, Bamboo Palm, Rubber Plant, Dracaena “Janet Craig,”  English Ivy, Dwarf Date Palm, Ficus Alii, Boston Fern, Peace Lily, Corn Plant, and Golden Pothos.  With the help of this book, I just bought a few more plants for my house (including a lady palm and several dracaena) and love the way they look in my home.  Plus I get the peace of mind knowing that they are cleaning the air now that it’s too cool to open the windows regularly.

The two Canadian authors, Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, decide to experiment with phthalates, BPA, mercury, and PFC’s (non-stick chemicals) to see what their personal levels were and whether they could increase them via normal, daily activities (like using personal care products, eating canned foods, or eating lots of sushi).  In addition to describing these mini-experiments (n=1), they elaborate on the history of these toxins, the science behind them, and why they are dangerous.  Particularly interesting to me was the research showing that even infinitesimally small amounts of certain chemicals, like BPA, have measurable effects.  Slow death indeed!

The final chapter Detox leaves you with hope though.  It describes some actions you can take to keep these toxins out of your body.  Much of the advice given in the book can be found on the pages of this blog as well:

• To reduce your exposure to phthalates, avoid personal-care products with artificial fragrance, avoid PVC shower curtains, never use air fresheners, reduce your consumption of fatty animal products (chemicals like phthalates bioaccumulate in the fat of animals we eat), and avoid toys made with PVC, such as the infamous rubber ducks.
• To reduce your exposure to persistant perflourochemicals (PFCs), stop using non-stick cookware, avoid fast food that is wrapped in PFC coated packaging (pizza boxes, microwavable popcorn bags, etc.), and be wary of replacement chemicals taking the place of Teflon and other PFCs.
• To reduce your exposure to brominated flame retardants (PBDEs), buy PBDE-free furniture and electronics (Sony, Philips, Panasonic and Samsung are PBDE-free), use naturally fire resistant materials like wool, hemp, and cotton, dust and vacuum often to keep PBDE-laden dust out of your home and off your children’s hands, and properly donate/recycle old electronics to keep persistant PBDEs out of landfills.
• To reduce your exposure to mercury, avoid large predatory fish, dispose of CFL lightbulbs or mercury-containing products properly to keep mercury out of landfills, avoid canned white albacore tuna, eat wild fish whenever possible, and support legislators who are pushing for reducing mercury emissions from products and industrial processes.
• To reduce your exposure to the antibacterial chemical triclosan, avoid antibacterial products, wash your hand with regular soap for 30 seconds, use natural cleaners in your home, and make sure you read ingredient lists for your makeup and personal care products.
• To reduce your exposure to BPA, avoid plastics 3,6, and 7, use glass containers to store food when possible, eat fresh/frozen food instead of canned, and never microwave plastic.

First, Deirdre tackles food, explaining the importance of organic food, eating less animal products, and eating more fresh produce.  While this information isn’t new or hard to find, in this book it is concise and easy to read.  Then she moves onto personal-care products, listing ingredients to avoid and giving examples of products that are high in dangerous chemicals.  This is the best book I’ve found on the subject.  I appreciate her exhaustive lists of safer products out there.  Finally, she moves onto clothing and medication.  Both topics are interesting, but not covered in much depth.

Here are the top 15 ingredients she suggests avoiding in personal-care products:

1. Oils and fats extracted from animals, which can be contaminated with pesticides and chemicals, and are used as conditioning agents in sunscreen, shaving gel, and hair spray.
2. Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), an antioxidant added to products to prevent other ingredients from changing color as they age.  It’s found in products like lipsticks, moisturizers, foundations, fragrance, bar soap, shaving products, deoderants, body wash, facial cleansers shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc, etc.
3. Coal-tar Colors (often show up as FD&C or D&C colors), which are derived from petroleum and are used to control itching, soften scaly skin, and dye hair.
4. Diazolidnyl Urea, an antimicrobial preservative which can release formaldehyde (a carcinogen) and other impurities.  It’s found in moisturizers, styling products, shampoos and conditioners, anti-aging treatments, facial cleansers, sunscreens, mascara, deodorant, lipsticks, shaving products, liquid hand soap, fragrance, etc.
5. Diethanolamine (DEA), which is used to make products foam (often called cocamide DEA or lauramide DEA).  It’s found in shampoos, body wash, facial cleansers, liquid hand soap, bar soap, body scrubs, deodorant, moisturizer, and hair spray.
6. Formaldehyde, used as a disinfectant and preservative, but is a known carcinogen.  It is also a component of many other chemicals, like quaternium-15.  While banned or restricted by the EU, Japan, and Canada, it can still be found in nail products, hair dyes, hair gels, deodorants, shampoos, soaps and shaving creams in the U.S.
7. Fragrance, which includes hundreds of chemicals and potentially toxic ingredients that companies don’t have to list on the label since they are “trade secrets.”  By some estimates, 95% of chemicals in fragrance formulas are derived from petroleum.  Many fragrances also contain diethyl and dibutyl phthalates, known to disrupt hormones, to make the fragrance last longer.
8. Nanoparticles, where chemicals are reduced to sizes aout one hundred thousand times small than the width of a human hair.  Found in sunscreens, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, anti-wrinkle cream, moisturizer, foundation, face powder, lipstick, blude, nail polish, perfume, and after-shave lotion.
9. Parabens, which are used as preservatives.  Are known estrogen-mimickers and can potentially raise your risk for certain types of cancer.  Found in moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, hair gels, foundations, facial masks, skin creams, deodorants, and baby lotions.
10. Petroleum and its byproducts.  Banned in the EU, but still used here as good old Vaseline.  Also found in creams, lotions, styling gels, concealers, mascaras, eye makeup, and lip products.
11. Phthalates (dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, and diethyl phthalate), which are used as solvents and plasticizers in personal-care products like nail polish.  May also be in personal-care products with fragrance, although not listed as an ingredient.
12. Placenta.  Some anti-wrinkle creams and hair relaxers can contain extracts from cow and human placentas.
13. Propylene Glycol, which is used as a conditioning agent that keeps products from melting in high heat or freezing in the cold.  Also helps other ingredients penetrate skin more readily.  Found in shampoos, conditioners, bar soaps, body washes, face cleansers, liquid hand soap, hair dyes, shaving products, moisturizers, toothpastes, sunscreens, perfumes, deodorants, nail polish, lip products, and eye makeup.
14. Sodium Lauryl Sulface (SLS), which makes other ingredients penetrate your skin more deeply.  Also beware of sodium laureth sulfate.  Found in shampoos, conditioners, var soaps, body washes, facial cleansers, liquid hand soaps, hair dyes, mascara, shaving products, moisturizers, toothpastes, sunscreens, perfumes, etc.
15. Talc, which is irritating to our respiratory system.  Found in blush, eye shadow, face powder, baby powder, perfume, and soap.

Nina believes that we should be eating “real food,” stuff your great grandparents ate, and not any new age concoction made from corn and soy products.  She promotes a diet full of meat and dairy from pastured animals, fruits and veggies, and no imitation products (i.e. soy milk).  Readers of my blog know that I don’t completely agree with her, but the book is still a very good read.  Unlike Nina, I think that meat should be used more sparingly, as suggested by the author of Blue Zones.  However, I do agree with her stance on breastfeeding, the importance of omega-3′s, and feeding baby real food from your plate rather than pureed baby food from a jar.  Women pregnant for the first time will especially benefit from hearing her birth story and experience with nursing–she’s honest, funny, and gives really good advice to first time moms.

Along these lines, see this video clip about Chipotle and what kind of pork founder Steve Ells likes to use.

Also, I’d like to recommend a nice way to discuss the treatment of factory farmed animals with your kids–reading the children’s book That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals.

The author, Barbara Kingsolver, and her family of four move from Arizona to an area where they can more easily grow their own food.  Then they try to eat locally for one year.  The book is a fascinating account of that year, with additional useful information (recipes, facts about industrial food, etc, etc.)  I learned a lot about asparagus and turkey mating that I doubt I’d ever hear about otherwise.  I personally do like to eat local and grow my own vegetables, but eating healthy is still my number one priority.  And if that means buying oranges from Florida and strawberries from California, then so be it.  Still highly recommended though!

However, I must say that this is one of the better pregnancy books out there.  It’s written by an ecology professor and tracks her pregnancy from her first positive home pregnancy test through her daughter’s second birthday.  It’s beautifully written–a nice blend of personal narration with facts about development and the environment, and most importantly, how changes in our environment may affect the development of a fetus.  I especially appreciated her balanced descriptions of toxins like lead, mercury (and why eating fish can be so dangerous–the FDA doubled the amount of allowable mercury for pregnant women in 1969, in response to pressure from the fishing industry), PCBs, dioxin, and pesticides.  I also was captivated by her account of when in history humans have made good preventative decisions (like not allowing the synthetic estrogen DES, prescribed to pregnant women in Europe and responsible for serious birth defects, into the U.S.) and when we failed (like disregarding an international covenant that had already banned lead-based paints for interior use in 1925 on the basis that lead was a neurotoxin and lead paint in homes produced lead dust).

Intermixed with serious descriptions of toxins in our environment, wombs, and breastmilk, are Sandra’s personal experiences with pregnancy–deciding to do an amniocentesis, having a natural labor and delivery, struggling to breastfeed her child, and then struggling to eventually wean her.  Somehow, this information dense book was actually a page-turner and I found myself finishing it in less than a week.  Highly recommended for anyone expecting or planning to become pregnant in the near future.