Labels indicating that a product is organic can be confusing and, sometimes, meaningless.

Some labels offer backing by government standards:

100% Organic -- No synthetic ingredients are allowed by law. Also, production processes must meet Federal organic standards and must have been independently verified by accredited inspectors.

Organic -- At least 95% of ingredients are organically produced. The remaining ingredients can be non-organic or synthetic. One exception: organic labels on seafood are meaningless because the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no standard to back them.

Made with Organic Ingredients -- At least 70% of ingredients are organic. The remaining 30% must come from the USDA's approved ingredients list.

Free-Range/Free-Roaming -- A meaningless distinction stamped on eggs, chicken, and other meat. Label suggests that an animal has spent a large portion of its life outdoors. However, U.S. government standards are weak. The rule for the label's use on poultry, for example, it merely that outdoor access is made available for "an undetermined period each day."

Natural/All-Natural -- The label does not mean organic. There is no standard definition for this term unless it is applied to meat and poultry products, which the USDA defines as not containing any artificial flavoring, coloring, chemical preservatives, or synthetic ingredients. The claim is not verified by the government. The producer or manufacturer alone decides whether to use it.

For these information of these food labels, visit www.eco-labels.org

"Was your house built after 1978," asks Dr, Gary Ginsberg, a toxicologist, consumer advocate, and author of the remarkable book, What's Toxic, What's Not.

"No? Great news," he says, "that means you don't have lead paint to worry about. There are other sources of lead that can be toxic to you and your children." If your home was built before 1987, the plumbing may have lead in it - causing your drinking water to be at risk for lead. There are also a number of consumer products and hobbies that can still be a source of lead. You may also bring lead home from your job on your clothing. Or your child may pick up lead at day care, school or a neighbor's house.

A blood lead test is strongly recommended at least twice, generally at one and two years of age. The testing is available at doctor's offices and medical clinics, and is typically either offered for free or is covered by medical insurance.

The Centers of Disease Control creates this table to determine your next steps:

Lead is ranked a high toxicity risk because of its well-recognized effect on many organs, most notably the brain.

Dr. Ginsberg says. "The bottom line is that lead hazards need to be controlled or eliminated if they exist in your home."

To avoid lead poisoning:
• Keep any lead-painted surfaces in good repair
• Consider using a lead encapsulant to coat lead-painted surfaces. The painted surface must be intact (not peeling) and clean.
• Clean floors and window wells regularly to minimize the amount of lead dust available for children to ingest.
• Test your drinking water for lead if the plumbing in your house is from before 1985.
• Check the pH of the water to see if is too corrosive and needs to be adjusted.
• At a minimum, thoroughly flush the water before drinking it the first time it is used in the morning.

Source: "What's Toxic, What's Not." ISBN 0-425-21194-0

For more about lead, visit www.healthychild.org

You are a healthy, pregnant woman eating a balanced diet and taking your prenatal vitamins on schedule.

So why do you have to worry about listeria?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found listeriosis, a disease caused by the listeria bacteria found in many foods, to be particularly harmful to pregnant women and children. Listeriosis can cause miscarriage, premature delivery, serious illness or death of infants. However, symptoms may not appear for weeks. Symptoms of listeriosis are flu-like and include fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea, and stomach pains. Advanced symptoms are stiff neck, headache, convulsions, and vertigo. If you suspect you have listeriosis, call your doctor to obtain treatment.

To avoid contracting listeriosis, pregnant women are advised to avoid hot dogs and deli meats unless they are cooked until steaming hot. Also, it is advised that pregnant women not eat pates, meat spreads, smoked salmon, store-made salads such as ham, chicken, egg, tuna, and seafood salad. Soft cheeses must be avoided unless they are made with pasteurized milk. Such cheeses include feta, queso blanco, queso fresco, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheese, and Panela.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service offers the following advice to avoid contracting listeriosis from listeria:
• Clean: Wash hands often with soap and warm water. Use clean dishes, spoons, knives, and forks. Wash countertops with hot soapy water and clean up spills right away.
• Separate: Keep raw meat, fish, and poultry away from other food that will not be cooked.
• Cook: Cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature. Check with a food thermometer. Ground beef = 160-degrees Fahrenheit, Pork = 160-degrees Fahrenheit, Poultry = 165-degrees Fahrenheit.
• Chill: Refrigerate or freeze within two-hours, refrigerate or freeze within one-hour in hot weather (above 90-degrees Fahrenheit). Don't leave meat, fish, poultry, or cooked food out.

To keep food safe:
• Listeria can grow in the refrigerator. Keep the refrigerator temperature at 40-degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and the freezer zero-degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
• Clean up all spills in the refrigerator right away -- especially juices from hot dog packages or raw meat, chicken and turkey.
• Clean the inside walls and shelves of the refrigerator with hot water and liquid soap, then rinse.
• Use precooked or ready-to-eat food as soon as you can. Don't store it in the refrigerator too long.
• Wash your hands after you touch hot dogs, raw meat, chicken, turkey, and seafood (including their juices).

For more information on listeriosis and ensuring food safety, visit www.fsis.usda.gov or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) MPHOTLINE/674-6854, TTY: (800) 256-7072.