Yay, more chemicals to be aware of...
Apr. 4th, 2007 10:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17177813/site/newsweek/ (from Feb. 2007)
Focus overall in this article is on para-dioxane and its affects on children, but of course there are other chemicals in everyday items that are also a threat to our health, at any age. Children absorb pollutants more easily than adults, so the effects are more quickly noticeable in them than in adults. (Parabens are another one; affects hormones, can aid in weight gain, etc.).
Some quotes from the article:
"The Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org, a research and advocacy organization that ran the study [on para-dioxan], estimates that more than a quarter of all personal-care products sold in the United States may contain this cancer-causing agent." (in a lot of children's shampoos, and at higher levels than FDA safety recommendation)
"Now we're beginning to realize that the sum total of a person's exposure to all the little amounts of cancerous agents in the environment may be just as harmful as big doses of a few well-known carcinogens. Over a lifetime, cigarettes deliver massive quantities of carcinogens that increase the risk of lung and other cancers. Our chances of getting cancer reflect the full gamut of carcinogens we're exposed to each day—in air, water and food pollution and in cancerous ingredients or contaminants in household cleaners, clothing, furniture and the dozens of personal-care products many of us use daily."
"Europe has banned the use of para-dioxane in all personal-care products and recently initiated a recall of any contaminated products."
The article goes into some other types of pollutants and chemicals, in pesticides, shampoos, soaps, etc. that effect various animals (including humans) on the hormonal level. Including shampoos and soaps that were causing the early development of breasts in both boys and girls.
"Manufacturers have known for years about how para-dioxane forms as a by-product of manufacturing and how to get rid of it. "
A good site for checking on some of these sorts of things is http://www.skindeep.com
Focus overall in this article is on para-dioxane and its affects on children, but of course there are other chemicals in everyday items that are also a threat to our health, at any age. Children absorb pollutants more easily than adults, so the effects are more quickly noticeable in them than in adults. (Parabens are another one; affects hormones, can aid in weight gain, etc.).
Some quotes from the article:
"The Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org, a research and advocacy organization that ran the study [on para-dioxan], estimates that more than a quarter of all personal-care products sold in the United States may contain this cancer-causing agent." (in a lot of children's shampoos, and at higher levels than FDA safety recommendation)
"Now we're beginning to realize that the sum total of a person's exposure to all the little amounts of cancerous agents in the environment may be just as harmful as big doses of a few well-known carcinogens. Over a lifetime, cigarettes deliver massive quantities of carcinogens that increase the risk of lung and other cancers. Our chances of getting cancer reflect the full gamut of carcinogens we're exposed to each day—in air, water and food pollution and in cancerous ingredients or contaminants in household cleaners, clothing, furniture and the dozens of personal-care products many of us use daily."
"Europe has banned the use of para-dioxane in all personal-care products and recently initiated a recall of any contaminated products."
The article goes into some other types of pollutants and chemicals, in pesticides, shampoos, soaps, etc. that effect various animals (including humans) on the hormonal level. Including shampoos and soaps that were causing the early development of breasts in both boys and girls.
"Manufacturers have known for years about how para-dioxane forms as a by-product of manufacturing and how to get rid of it. "
A good site for checking on some of these sorts of things is http://www.skindeep.com
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-04 06:20 pm (UTC)Then on to skin lotions.... something I didn't worry about much when I was younger :D
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Date: 2007-04-04 07:28 pm (UTC)As to lotion, try lotion bars! Mix a blend of moisturizing, nourishing oils such as sweet almond, avocado, jojoba, etc until you get a blend you like. Then add enough beeswax to create a product that's harder than salve but softer than a candle. ;) (I usually use about 2 oz by weight of beeswax per 8-10 oz of oil, more for soft oils such as sweet almond, less for firmer oils such as olive or peanut. You can google for recipes, there are tons of them on the web.) Pour into soap bar molds, allow to set completely, and the next time you need lotion just rub the bar against your skin and then rub in the lovely smooth layer of "lotion" that resulted. You can also use essential oils, a wee dash of oat flour, and any other goodies you could put into salve.