concern for a long time but we are just getting around to doing something about it in the USA. California has banned phthalates from children's toys and several others states are looking at banning them as well. GL: It's ironic that we are buying these products thinking we are doing the best for our babies. GL: Does price make a difference? Is it safer to avoid cheaper products? SM: The irony is that some of the most expensive products are not any safer to use than those cheap products. You're buying the packaging and the marketing. People were upset when they figured this out. But the high end brands use the same basic set of ingredients as the lower end brands. We recently tested one of the highest end brands of lipstick, but it also had lead in it. A company representative said, at point, "Lead is only a problem for children." Lead is highly toxic to children but where do they think children come from? GL: So we need to include mothers into the mix as well. SM: That's critically important when it comes to cosmetics. We often think about the children and get mad about toxins in baby shampoo, but women of child-bearing age are exposed to these chemicals day in and day out. A developing fetus is the most vulnerable of all to the health effects of phthalates and other toxic chemicals. One study from the University of Rochester shows that pregnant women with higher levels of