Toxic Toothpaste

I know. I should have my head examined.

How did I ever think that if the government allowed corporations to pollute our water, soil and air and agri-businesses to spray pesticides over all the produce that we eat, that my toothpaste or shampoo or body lotion would be safe to use. I just did.

Why would my government allow corporations to sell us everyday products with ingredients that were anywhere from mildly to highly toxic. Carcinogenic, bio-accumulative, and hormone disrupting ingredients in things that I use everyday and thought were safe. Not only that, but the government would allow most children these days to be more contaminated with toxic substances than their parents.

Here's some websites where you can see this for yourself. The first one is Toxic Nation, and the headline is: Pollution. It's In You.

www.toxicnation.ca

Scroll down the page until you get to the Latest Reports, and click on Polluted Children, Toxic Nation: A Report On Pollution in Canadian Families or click on this:

http://environmentaldefence.ca/toxicnation/resources/publications.html#1

Isn't that cheery? I didn't think so. If that doesn't make you mad, try another website about what is in the personal care products that you and your family use every day. The website is called Skin Deep, though the web address is:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Try searching for the brand of your shampoo or toothpaste. Wouldn't you think a shampoo just for kids like the following would be safe?

L'Oreal Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo, Extra Gentle, Burst of Fruity Apricot

However, this shampoo is listed as a high hazard product (8 out of a 10), with 100% shampoos and 100% conditioners having lower concerns) with ingredients in the product linked to:

-- Cancer
-- Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
-- Allergies/immunotoxicity
-- Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concern, Biochemical or cellular level changes

How about a brand of body lotion? An Avon product should be safe, shouldn't it?

Avon Moisture Therapy Intensive Body Lotion

This body lotion is also high hazard (9 out of 10), with 99% other moisturizers with lower concerns. Ingredients in this product are linked to:

-- Cancer
-- Developmental/reproductive toxicity
-- Violations, Restrictions & Warnings
-- Allergies/immunotoxicity
-- Other concerns for ingredients used in this product: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive, exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes

The website that has this information lists every individual ingredient in a product, how hazardous it is, and what kinds of concerns there are with using a product.

Have a look at this article on Alternet, by Vanja Petrovic. Posted August 15, 2007.

The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products.

Investigative journalist Mark Schapiro discusses why companies that manufacture hazard-free products for the European Union often produce toxin-filled versions of the same items for America and developing countries.

American industry would have you believe that taking potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals out of everyday consumer products--removing phthalates from children's toys and cancer-causing coal tar from hair dye--would damage our economy and result in a loss of American jobs. In his latest book, Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everday Products, Mark Schapiro busts this myth and reveals the grim fact that some companies, whether American or international, often have two production lines: one that manufactures hazard-free products for the European Union and another that produces toxin-filled versions of the same items for America and developing countries.

For more on this article:

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/59714

So how do you feel about how your government protects you now?