Relaunching the German Nesting website – helping you to reduce your daily exposure to harmful chemicals!
The life-changing effect of the Corona virus shows how important and worthy of protection health is. Even harmful chemicals in our everyday life can make us ill. Protecting ourselves from them and being protected against them is more important than ever.
We are constantly surrounded by harmful chemicals in our daily lives
Pesticides in fruit and vegetables, plasticisers in plastic products, fragrances in detergents and cleaning agents, preservatives in cosmetics, flame retardants in computers and in the sofa. This list could be extended almost indefinitely – and shows how much our modern life relies on the use of synthetic chemicals. However, these substances can be released and enter our bodies through breathing, eating, drinking and skin contact. Many of the chemicals used are hazardous to our and our children’s health. Scientific studies show that they can cause allergies, irritate the respiratory system and skin, reduce fertility and cause cancer. Especially chemicals that act similar to hormones, so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals, or “EDCs” in short, are problematic as they stay active even in small doses.
Our Nestbau programme – check out the new website, brochure, postcard and app
To show which products contain harmful chemicals and how you can reduce your exposure to them, we updated and redesigned our German language website www.nestbau.info .We introduce you into different product classes, inform you about the important labels which help to get along in the jungle made of products and which harmful substances should be avoided. A special highlight are the short WECF guides, giving tips on the correct handling of cleaning agents, cosmetic products, baby care products, textiles, toys etc. Our brochure “Beware! Toxic chemicals in everyday life. Better protection from toxic chemicals four yourself, your child, your family and your loved ones” brings together the most important information for you in English. The brochure is also available for download in German, French and Turkish.
Our German Nesting app “Giftfrei einkaufen” (available in: Apple store), helps you choose products that are free of harmful substances. Here’s how it works: You would like to buy a shampoo that is free of harmful substances. Under ‘products – body care’ you will find concrete tips on what to look out for when buying your desired product. Under ‘harmful substances’ you can compare the ingredients you find on the shampoo bottle with the list in our app. For other products where no ingredients have been declared, such as textiles and furniture, the “labels” and our tips will help you to make the best possible and healthy purchase decision.
Pregnant women and children
Pregnant women, newborns and children react particularly sensitive to external influences. The developing fetus is particularly susceptible to chemical exposures. According to FIGO, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, almost every newborn has chemicals in their body at birth. Various studies also show a high level of indoor exposure in some cases. Babies and toddlers spend 90 percent of their time indoors, at home as well as in day-care centres, and are much more sensitive to pollutants than adults, as their young organism is still developing. So far, laws do not protect us sufficiently. Education and information are therefore urgently needed.
Nestbau – protecting the health of children, during pregnancy and from birth on
The new Nestbau website provides information on how children and pregnant women can be protected in their immediate environment from harmful substances from products such as toys, renovation articles, furniture and cleaning agents as well as from mould and passive smoking. Nestbau is aimed at pregnant women, parents and all those who work and live with children.