5 Free Apps to Avoid Toxins in Food,Toys, and Products

From Yahoo Health. Caution: know the politics of the app-maker before you download and use--places like the Environmental Working Group heavily advocate vegetarianism, and for the wrong reasons. Their "dirty dozen" food pesticide list is okay, but that's about all.

"At least once a week a friend of mine--usually one with a child, although not always--says something like this: "I know that there's a whole bunch of stuff out there that's probably bad for me, and it's easy to find information on all the various ingredients that are bad and which kinds of cancer they'll give me, but how do I find the good products?" I have my usual list of links to databases that I send them, but there are also a few apps out there that really help consumers find safe products. Of course, there are still dozens of different choices, which gets at the problem with all this stuff: so many databases, so much different analysis, so little time. Until all the watchdogs get together and share info, or the government passes TCSA reform and takes the burden of research off U.S. consumers, download these five free apps to bring shopping:

FindNano - Nanoparticles--particularly nano-sized iron, titanium oxide, or carbon nanotubes--have emerged as this year's scary consumer product ingredient. Because they are not new ingredients, per se, just smaller versions of existing ingredients, nanoparticles aren't regulated ... even though they behave very differently from their normal-sized siblings and have been linked to a few recent health scares. Nanoparticles also don't need to be labeled, so it's next to impossible to figure out if a product contains them or not. The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, a collaboration between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts, has been gathering information for years about nanoparticles in consumer products. That research now powers this handy app, which lets you search through databases to figure out whether that toothpaste in your shopping cart contains nanosilver.

GoodGuide - Available for both iPhones and Android phones, the GoodGuide app includes a barcode reader, so consumers can scan product codes and get ratings related to the product's health and environmental impact for over 115,000 products, ranging from paper to food to household cleaning products.

Seafood Watch - The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch pocket guide has long been considered one of the handiest ways to ensure that you're buying sustainable seafood. This app (available for both iPhones and Android phones) is an updated, digital version of the guide, kept current with real-time data and tricked out with the Project FishMap, a feature that allows users to find and share markets and restaurants offering sustainable seafood.

TrueFood - Compiled by the Center for Food Safety after thousands of interviews with food producers, the True Food app contains one bit of info that consumers tend to care about, but that food labels leave out--what, if any, genetically modified ingredients a particular product contains. The app also includes suggested brands, plus information about the most commonly used GMO ingredients.

Dirty Dozen - Although it's not exactly interactive or high-tech, the Dirty Dozen app does contain the #1 most requested bit of info when it comes to toxics and food: a super handy list of which vegetables and produce consumers should buy organic, and which are probably okay, with additional info on 49 different pesticides commonly used in foods, all updated annually by the Environmental Working Group."