I grew up in the rolling hills of rural northern Illinois – in a small town where everyone knew your name. I still thank my mom for not letting me ride my bike behind the truck spraying pesticides for mosquitos - though at the it was the cool thing to do and I was pretty mad at her! I was the first scientist and the first to attend a 4 year college in our traditional working class family. After my undergraduate training, I decided to attend graduate school and I just kept enrolling in classes – in fact, I’ve spent 30 semesters of my life as a student! I have a MD and PhD in Reproductive Biology from the University of Illinois. In 2001 I moved to San Francisco to do my residency training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and along the way picked up a Masters in Public Health. Now as a Scientist at NRDC, I use all my training to work on eliminating chemicals from the market that have been associated with causing infertility and reproductive harm. Like any parent, I want to protect my child from harm and I find a lot of inspiration for my work from my toddler daughter. When I’m not at work, you’ll find us at Ocean Beach, at one of the many great parks around the Bay area, or spending a quiet moment at home snuggled up with a book.
Posted December 8, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Yesterday, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on breast cancer and the environment. The report (downloadable for free) was commissioned by the Susan G. Komen foundation and was written by a committee of experts who spent over a...continued→
Posted December 7, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally committed to a decision by March 31, 2012 on whether to ban BPA from use in packaging for food and drinks. This was announced today as part of a settlement agreement...continued→
Posted October 12, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today, the state of California has added the flame retardant, chlorinated Tris, or TDCPP to the Prop 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer. Today’s listing will not ban the chemical from use, but could result in labeling of consumer...continued→
Posted October 12, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Yesterday I posted a blog about an industry group who declares all baby bottles and sippy cups in the U.S. are now BPA-free. They have filed a formal request at FDA asking them to ban the use of BPA in...continued→
Posted October 11, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
UPDATE: The FDA announced that it plans to grant the chemical industry’s request to ban BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups in the U.S. Sarah responds. Like most parents, I have invested a lot of time and money in buying...continued→
Posted October 4, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
This afternoon Governor Brown signed the "Toxin Free Infants and Toddler Act" a bill that will ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups sold in California. The bill, AB 1319, was authored by Assemblywoman Betsy...continued→
Posted August 30, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
A study published today by a group of researchers at UC-Berkeley has found that exposure to a group of flame retardants, PBDEs, is linked to lower birth weight in infants. I have written blogs before about the health concerns associated...continued→
Posted August 10, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
A study published today in the journal, Environmental Science and Technology, is further evidence that Californian’s are the most highly polluted people in the world with toxic flame retardant chemicals. Most concerning is that these high levels continue to be...continued→
Posted May 20, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
You may not have heard about it yet, but you will. Actress and mother Jessica Alba is travelling to Washington DC next week to lend her name and star power to an extremely worthy cause: reducing our exposure to unsafe...continued→
Posted May 17, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today a new study published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Environmental Science & Technology, found that out of 101 baby products tested, 80 contained flame retardant chemicals. The products tested included nursing pillows, car seats, changing table pads, sleep positioners,...continued→
Posted April 25, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today the professional organization of pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), issued a strong policy statement calling for better protection of children and pregnant women from hazardous chemicals. Citing the unique vulnerabilities of the fetus and children, the group...continued→
Posted April 15, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
A study published today in the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, is further evidence that California children are the most highly exposed to flame retardant chemicals. Based on the results of this and previous studies, it is likely these high levels...continued→
Posted April 14, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Two weeks ago, NRDC co-released a paper on disease clusters in 13 states with the National Disease Clusters Alliance. The report was discussed in a U.S. Senate hearing and has generated a lively discussion on my colleague, Dr. Gina Solomon’s blog....continued→
Posted March 30, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
A new study published today in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that dietary changes can reduce exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA) and the phthalate, DEHP. The study was done by my colleagues at the...continued→
Posted March 7, 2011 by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Over the weekend, Chinese media reported that bisphenol A (BPA) would be banned from children’s products. Reportedly, the Chinese Ministry of Health has decided that BPA leaching from baby bottles presents too great a risk to an infant’s health. Though...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
