Super Eco

Photo credit: Amazon.com

Yes, the Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure is written for parents—but no, you don't need kids to make good use of this savvy guide. Author Jennifer Taggart's background in environmental law means she knows how to sort out environmental fact from fiction, and her experience as a blogger means she knows how to tie up those facts in a neat, easy-to-use package. What does that mean for you? A book filled with the most important, the most relevant, and the most reliable strategies for reducing your exposure to toxic chemicals in your own home.

Taggart doesn't try to convert readers to a completely non-toxic, organic, homemade way of life. "Even if you wanted to," she admits, "you can't stop all of the toxic chemical exposures." What she does do is help you change the key things that in your immediate surroundings that make your home a safer haven. Starting with contaminants common to many homes (radon, flame retardants, mold, tobacco smoke, asbestos, arsenic), the guide moves on to problems and solutions for problem areas including lead contamination, toxins in plastics and foods, bathroom hazards and hidden hazards in personal care products, household cleaners and pesticides.

For parents, the book breaks down why the cumulative risk and aggregate exposure of children to chemical exposures matters, then follows up with chapters specific to the nursery, play room and baby gear.

If you find the deluge of details about "the bad stuff" in your life to be absolutely overwhelming, Smart Mama's Green Guide may be the tool you need to sort the wheat from the chaff.