Ian Urbina, New York Times investigative reporter, and Monona Rossol, chemist, industrial safety expert and author of Pick Your Poison, talk about the lack of testing of chemicals found in shampoos, cosmetics, cleaners, and other household goods. They’ll explain how the FDA regulates these chemicals, concerns about their safety, and how states are creating their own programs to police chemical safety.

Chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol talks about theater safety. She's the author of Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia is Making Lab Rats of Us All.

Mold is a common household nuisance—it can appear on shower curtains and in damp basements and on aging foods in the refrigerator, but it’s a major concern in the aftermath of flooding caused by Sandy. Industrial hygienist and environmental health expert Monona Rossol and microbiologist Chin Yang, of Prestige EnviroMicrobiology, explain what mold is, where it comes from, how it grows, what it can do to your home and health, and how to get rid of it.

Industrial hygienist and environmental health expert Monona Rossol was here last week to talk about the safety concerns about fire retardants. We got a lot of comments and questions during that segment, and Monona has responded with answers.

Fire retardants are everywhere. They are emitted by the plastics in our cars, computers, TVs, and radios. They are in our synthetic clothing and carpets, fluorescent light ballasts, and other electrical equipment. They are in caulks, paints, floor tiles, and linoleum. They’re leaking out of landfills, in the fish and meat we eat, and in our bodies. Our children have more fire retardants in their blood than we do, and each generation will have greater amounts. Our resident industrial hygienist and environmental health expert Monona Rossol explains how this has happened, how it affects our health, and what we can do about it.

In 1999, woodworker Steve Gass invented a device that makes it nearly impossible to be seriously injured by a table saw. His invention would prevent some 32,000 serious injuries—including 4,000 finger amputations—per year, but power tool companies resisted the change. Steve Gass and our resident safety expert, Monona Rossol, talk about why it's taken so long to have this and other safety devices accepted into everyday use.

Industrial hygienist Monona Rossol was on the show Friday, September 23, along with Miranda Massie of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, to look at the PCBs in schools and how to eliminate them. The segment got a lot of comments, and Monona offers responses to many of the questions listeners left that weren't answered during the interview on air. Listen to the interview and see Monona's responses here.

Here's an article about PCBs in New York Schools in the New York Times.

The Environmental Protection Agency has found PCB contamination to be "prevalent" in New York City schools, and as the school year gets under way, parent, teacher and community groups have been demanding the cleanup of affected schools. Industrial hygienist Monona Rossol, author of Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia is Making Lab Rats of Us All, and Miranda Massie of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, explain the dangers of these chemicals and looks at how to eliminate them.

Chemist Monona Rossol, talks about how the chemicals in everyday products are harming us—scientists have started linking our increased rates of cancer, autism, obesity, and asthma to chemicals—and what the government is not doing about it. In her new book, Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia is Making Lab Rats of Us All, she explains how everyday toxins get into our bodies and accumulate over time and provides us with inspiration to make changes. 

Monona Rossol, industrial hygienist and founder and president of Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc., and Dr. Robert Herrick, senior lecturer on industrial hygiene, Harvard School of Public Health, discuss the health risks of PCBs in schools, homes, and other buildings.

Monona Rossol, chemist and industrial hygienist, talks about the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act currently before Congress and what changes it calls for. She'll also take calls and answer questions about the safetly of household chemicals.

Do you have a question about the safety of household chemicals? Leave a comment below!

Monona Rossol, industrial hygienist and founder and president of Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc., discusses the European Union's adopting new labeling and information systems and requirements for industry testing of chemicals before they’re used in consumer products. She'll look at why U.S. manufacturers resist chemical testing and provide such ...

On September 7, 2009, scientists working for the Chemical Abstract Service (which assigns identification numbers to all new chemicals) entered the 50-millionth chemical substance into their Registry. Chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol, President and Founder of Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, takes a look at what all these new ...

According to the Centers for Disease Control, bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms found in recreational water in the United States sicken thousands of people every year, and even result in deaths. We’ll speak with chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol about the protozoa, amoebas and other things that love to ...

The Makers of many common household cleaning agents have been reluctant to disclose the ingredients in their products. We'll be joined by Keri Powell, a lawyer for the environmental group Earthjustice, who filed a suit requiring manufacturers to come clean on what's in their products. We’ll ...

Look under your sink lately? There are more than 100, 000 chemicals used in commercial products in this country, and only about 1% have been studied for any possible health consequences. We’ll talk about the dangers these chemicals (and potential alternatives) with Monona Rossol. She is President and founder of ...

Find out what you need to know about toxic mold. Chemical/industrial hygienist Monona Rossol of Arts Crafts and Theater Safety and Dr. Eckardt Johanning of the Fungal Research Group explain the health effects of mold exposure, and why court cases involving toxic mold are very difficult ...

An upstate New York librarian claims that her MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) was caused by exposure to mold at the library where she worked. She's now so ill she can barely leave her house. Today industrial hygienist Monona Rossol and Dr. David C. Straus explain why some mold can ...