You can run but you can’t hide, or escape, from chemicals! Have you heard the dire statistic why this is so? If not, here it is:
According to the National Toxicology Program (NTP):
More than 80,000 chemicals are registered for use in the United States. Each year, an estimated 2,000 new ones are introduced for use in such everyday items as foods, personal care products, prescription drugs, household cleaners, and lawn care products. (bold emphasis mine.)
That’s a lot of chemicals! However, more concerning are the next few lines regarding safety and the fact that more research is coming out that these chemicals are indeed more harmful than once thought.
We do not know the effects of many of these chemicals on our health, yet we may be exposed to them while manufacturing, distributing, using, and disposing of them or when they become pollutants in our air, water, or soil. Relatively few chemicals are thought to pose a significant risk to human health. However, safeguarding public health depends on identifying both what the effects of these chemicals are and at what levels of exposure they may become hazardous to humans—that is, understanding their toxicology. (bold emphasis mine).
Dying To Be Beautiful
Besides greening your home, another way to prevent excess exposure to all these chemicals is to swap out toxic personal care products. This is because although the FDA oversees cosmetic safety, many loopholes exist in protection monitoring. Furthermore, labels can be very misleading. Many who are health “foodies” know that “natural” doesn’t mean much, but feel at ease with an organic seal. However, in personal care products, “organic” doesn’t provide the same guarantees.
A major concern is endocrine disruptors, found in cosmetics and everyday products such as plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, and pesticides. They have been linked to many health concerns, and are included among the chemicals that are environmental concerns for cancer risk.
Women, who use a variety of personal care products and cosmetics, are especially prone to exposure and may not realize they are putting their health at risk for beauty. Though it is becoming more well- known that there is lead in lipstick, in which many are above safe levels, it isn’t concerned “unsafe” by the FDA because it is applied to the lips!?
This doesn’t make sense, because lead can be absorbed topically. Furthermore, don’t women lick their lips and wear out their lipstick. Then what do we do? We reapply (more lead), right?!
I know that all this information can be overwhelming; especially when you follow the news and updates that it may be getting worse with our little ones at risk. But, we can spin this around to mitigate fears and move toward a solution.
What Can We Do About This?
I’ve written about this topic extensively. A few things I discuss are eating organically, using clean and safe household products, and reading the labels of personal care products for chemicals of concern.
I feel it is imperative to get this information out. This is not to scare you, but because it’s preventative medicine! Please feel free to forward this to your family and loved ones.
A Sweet, Safe, Beautiful Deal This Week
If you use essential oils and their non-toxic household product line, you can be assured that you are feeding your body and environment with things to make them healthier!
This week, you can take advantage of swapping your petroleum-based lip toxic lip balm for something that is not only non-toxic, but also good for you.
This is important, for you to know, my oil users! This is because oils drive in whatever is on the skin. Why not use them to drive in non-toxic, health promoting substances, not chemicals linked to health issues.
You can know use this information, as Dr. Mercola would say, to “Take control of your health!”
Disclaimer: This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic, Grade A essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and quality and standardized. There is no quality control in the United States and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. Please consult the original study for sources. This article is not specific for any essential oil company or brand.
This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime.
References:
National Toxicology Program. About NTP. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/about/index.html
Dr. Joseph Mercola. Women Put an Average of 168 Chemicals on Their Bodies Daily. March 13, 2015. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/13/toxic-chemicals-cosmetics.aspx
Environmental Working Group. Skin Deep Database. Myths on Cosmetic Safety. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/
FDA. What is the Meaning of ‘Natural” on Food Labels? http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm214868.htm
National Institute of Health. Endocrine Disruptors: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/
Trasande L1, Zoeller RT, Hass U, Kortenkamp A, Grandjean P, Myers JP, DiGangi J, Bellanger M, Hauser R, Legler J, Skakkebaek NE, Heindel JJ. Estimating Burden and Disease Costs of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the European Union. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Mar 5:jc20144324. [Epub ahead of print]
National Institute of Health, National Cancer Institute. US Department of Health and Human Services. President’s Cancer Panel. 2008-2009. Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now. 2010. Available at: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf
Breast Cancer Fund. Chemicals In Cosmetics. http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf
FDA. Lipsticks and Lead: Questions and Answers. Updated March 17, 2015. http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm137224.htm#expanalyses
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Lead Toxicity How Are People Exposed to Lead? http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=7&po=6
Environmental Working Group. Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns. July 14, 2005. http://www.ewg.org/research/body-burden-pollution-newborns
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Chemicals of Concern. 2015. http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/
Beauty by Earth. Lip Balm Ingredients – Is Your Lip Balm Toxic? Check Your Labels. http://www.beautybyearth.com/lip-balm-ingredients-lip-balm/
