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There are plastic baby bottles that leach chemicals, lotions and fragrances with toxins that can enter the bloodstream and disrupt enzymes, and household cleaning products that sanitize but can cause health problems.

And as if that isn't enough, there are hundreds of new chemicals introduced to our environment every year, most of which are not government-approved or tested for effects on human health.

With all that in mind, which products should you use? What's a mother (or father) to do? What's most everybody to do?

It's all overwhelmingly frustrating, seemed to be the consensus among parents - mostly moms - who attended a recent presentation by Lynn Tondat Ruggeri and Laura Costa at the Children's Museum in Easton.

The two women, who are physiological psychologists, have studied the relationship between the brain and behavior since the early 1990s and co-authored the book "Safer For Your Baby: A Guide to Living Better with Fewer Chemicals." They spoke about ways for people to reduce the use of, and exposure to, chemical-laden products that threaten human health and that of pets, too.

Babies especially vulnerable

Costa said that, while her and her colleague's recommendations relate to everyone, it is expectant moms who are most likely to make changes to minimize exposure to everyday toxins.

Babies are especially vulnerable, she said, because of their developing systems. Their skin is thinner and can absorb more into the bloodstream, and their liver doesn't develop the enzymes to help filter some contaminants until age 2.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a manmade chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers.

Opinions on its safety are mixed. The Food and Drug Administration says current uses with food are safe, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that animal testing has shown BPA has hormone-like effects on the reproductive system. The CDC says more study is needed to see if it could be harming people.

Some pediatricians advise families to use alternatives to polycarbonate bottles to be on the safe side, and Ruggeri and Costa concur. Why wait for studies that will take years to complete when certain chemicals have already been linked to reproductive, upper respiratory and any number of other health ailments?

Danger to teens

Teens are more susceptible to toxins as they go through hormonal changes and brain alterations. They are also bombarded with advertising for many perfumes and personal care products that contain chemicals that can interfere with their health, Ruggeri and Costa said.

The elderly are susceptible because their livers are producing fewer enzymes that help process and filter. Consider, said Ruggeri, that the average person uses nine personal care products - from toothpaste and shampoo to lotions and perfumes - that can result in exposure to 135 chemicals a day.

Primary to reducing chemical exposure and intake, say the women, is learning to read the ingredients in any product.

While it may seem tedious at first, it soon becomes second nature, they said.

The old adages hold true in most cases when it comes to choosing products, said Costa. Don't use products with those long ingredient names or ones that you can't pronounce, and don't use anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat.

On the positive side, Costa and Ruggeri noted that many companies are responding to the growing demand for less toxic products by offering alternatives.

The women also recommended making changes one room, or one aspect, at a time. Even small steps can help, they said. Taking your shoes off in the house, for example, can reduce the lead in your home by about 70 percent, along with cutting pesticides and other contaminants tracked in on footwear, Ruggeri said.

Another good idea is to open the windows in your home. A government environmental agency estimates that inside air is 7 to 100 times more polluted than outside air, Costa said.

Here are some other recommendations from Costa and Ruggeri on how to tone down toxins in the home.

Bleach, ammonia and aerosols are among the top offenders. Vinegar to kill bacteria and Bon Ami cleanser are a couple of safer alternatives, along with baking soda.

Avoid all-too-common petrochemical-based products like sodium laurel sulfate, which is found in many toothpastes and shampoos among other products. Propylene glycol is another one to avoid and that's found in foods as well as a lot of baby wipes.

When it comes to "air fresheners" or "odor neutralizers, "you're not improving air quality when you're adding a petroleum product to the air," Costa said. That goes for candles, too. Synthetic and other artificially scented products can be made up of hundreds of "trade-secret" petrochemicals that have not been tested for their neurotoxic effects. They can cause immediate breathing problems, asthma, nausea, headache, flu-like symptoms, and in extreme cases, seizures, Ruggeri said.

Look for USDA-certified organic food and products; non-toxic and natural, vegetable-based, biodegradable ingredients in cleaning products. But don't just go with a product if it has "natural" or "organic" in the title. Read the ingredients.

Move away from microwave plastic. Avoid using plastic for food/beverage storage, baby bottles, "sippy cups," teethers or toys that are labeled #3, #6, #7 plastic. They can leach toxins that can be ingested. Tempered glass is recommended. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are safer plastics, but ceramic or glass are considered safer alternatives.

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.