Holiday Health - Chemicals in our Gifts

It's holiday gift-giving time. Remember all those toy recalls? California and the federal government both have new laws banning certain chemicals, but they don't go into effect until the new year. Join Health Dialogues as we navigate the murky waters of healthy gift giving this holiday season.

A Sea of Chemicals

Most of us have little idea what chemicals are in the things that we buy. We think government safeguards us, regulating things like lead in toys. That much is true. But what about the more than 80,000 chemicals used in manufacturing today? As it turns out, almost all of them are completely unstudied and unregulated. Guest: Dr. Mike Wilson, PhD, environmental health scientist with the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley..

The Secrets in Makeup

The Food and Drug Administration was created to protect Americans from dangers in consumer products. But lobbyists succeeded in leaving cosmetics explicitly out of the FDA's reach. Today, no one uses more of those potentially dangerous products than teenage girls. From KPBS, Kenny Goldberg reports.

Chemicals and You / The U.S. vs. The European Union

The FDA and EPA are supposed to be protecting us from potential health and environmental risks. How good a job are they doing? Host Scott Shafer put that question to a couple of journalists who cover the issue. Guest: Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and author of "Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power". Guest: Sarah Varney, KQED health reporter .

• Chemicals at Home: Searching for Safe Alternatives: A special multimedia series exploring the issue of regulating chemicals in consumer products. View an interactive timeline of regulation policies, learn how to keep your toy chest safe and discover how chemicals are regulated quite differently, depending upon where you live.

Green Chemistry - Government and Industry Weigh In

Here in California, the agency charged with protecting public health and the environment from toxic chemicals is the Department of Toxic Substances Control, part of the California EPA. Host Scott Shafer speaks with the DTSC and the chemical industry about the Green Chemistry movement in California. Guest: Maureen Gorsen, director of the Department of Toxic Substances Control at the California EPA. Guest: Tim Shesteck, director of state affairs and grass roots for the American Chemistry Council.

What Happens to E-Waste?

We've heard a lot about the things we use and how they can harm us. But the potential hazard doesn't end once we throw our products away. In fact, in the case of e-waste (electronic gadgets like cell phones and i-Pods), disposal is where the problem often begins. Join Scott Shafer on a trip to the San Francisco dump.

• Eliminating E-waste: When you toss your old electronics - TVs, cell phones, iPods - into the trash, they become known as e-waste, and can be very harmful to the environment. Take a tour of the San Francisco dump, and see how the city's unique e-recycling program does our dirty work.

Green Toys

All these green chemistry initiatives in California raise the question: what would consumer products look like in this new world of green chemistry? KQED health reporter Sarah Varney found one company who just might have the answer.