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MY TOXIC BABY
A film by Network Premiere on Global Television’s “Currents” “This isn’t an activist story. I’ve made those. This isn’t a news report. You can turn to CNN for the latest update. This is a personal film essay to share some of the thoughts that have revolved around my head as I took the journey into mothering and realized that in a chemical world, I was my daughter’s first line of defense.” – Min Sook Lee ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Following a much anticipated World Premiere screening at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival – MY TOXIC BABY will have its network premiere on What’s a mother to do? Welcome to the world of MY TOXIC BABY, a documentary about new mother and award-winning filmmaker Min-Sook Lee’s search for safe, sane and affordable ways to raise her daughter Song Ji in a world that seems increasingly embedded with toxic threats. Like all new moms Min Sook had to make some basic parenting choices for her daughter Song Ji. She breast feeds but has used baby bottles too. A recent study found plastic baby bottles leach bisphenol A, a developmental, neural, reproductive toxicant linked to exposure to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity, to name a few. (Canada banned bishpenol A in 2008, the only country in the world to do so to date). The caution list continues. Petroleum products are in Song Ji’s bath rinse; and half the ingredients that are in her diaper rash cream are unpronounceable. The teething toy Song Ji sucks on has orange plastic filled with liquid. Some manufacturers have removed PVC from their products, especially those intended to be put into children’s mouths. But no law requires or regulates these products and few are labeled In MY TOXIC BABY Min Sook discovers lots of other parents who were making some alternative choices themselves. Like “lactivist” Monique Fabregas (www.greenmoms.ca) who chose to breast feed her premature twins in an intensive care unit. Preemies and their parents go through so much in the first few days, that most are given formula. In fact, 80% of mother’s give their babies formula in the first 6 months contributing to an $8 billion dollar world market. Monique’s spent a large part of her life looking at toxins and how babies are affected by chemicals. For her, breastfeeding was critical to protecting her children. Min Sook also meets with Lulu Cohen-Farnell, mother of two, who was appalled when she saw how much processed, frozen and canned convenience food was used at day care and school cafeterias. Together with her husband they formed Real Food for Real Kids (www.rfrk.com) five years ago to address this problem and their catering company is now serving 5,000 children at daycares, schools and camps in Toronto, fully cooked lunches, prepared snacks, fresh fruits and vegetables all free of chemical preservatives, artificial colouring, fake sweeteners, synthetic ingredients, and factory-farmed meats. But for Min Sook the most terrifying revelation of her journey was the discovery that her own family’s home, their ‘nest’ was riddled with lead and other hazardous chemicals on the walls, toys, clothing and bedding. Min Sook invites Colin Bradford into her home. Bradford tests for toxicity with his XRF analyzer that detects the presence of toxins in not only Song Ji’s mattress lining, her favourite PJ’s and toy horse “Roby”, but most alarming of all - lead in the painted cabinets and walls of her kitchen. Min Sook consults with local lead expert Kathy Cooper of the Canadian Environmental Law Society (www.cela.ca/objectives) who confirms that anything built before 1970 likely used lead paint – prompting an unplanned “emergency” quarantine and renovation of the room. MY TOXIC BABY isn’t a cautionary tale telling you the ‘do’s and ‘don’t’ of healthy parenting. Parents and mothers especially have enough to worry about without yet another voice making them feel inadequate. This is a story to broaden the options available to parents in the context of the chemical world we live in today. MY TOXIC BABY is written and directed by Min Sook Lee and produced by Ed Barreveld. It is produced by Toxic Baby Productions Inc. for Storyline Entertainment in association with Canwest, Canal Vie and with the participation of the Rogers Documentary Fund, the Canadian Television Fund, created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Cable Industry, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Images can be found at: For further information and to book interviews
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