Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● November 7, 2009
When you hang a new vinyl shower curtain, you are sure to notice that wonderful “new shower curtain smell”. Ever wonder what that smell is?
It’s the shower curtain emitting toxic compounds into the air — not just for the first day or week, but for an entire month after you hang it up. When tested, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) curtains are shown to emit several air pollutants, including methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, ethylbenzene, acetophenone phenol, xylene, and cumene.
Instead of hanging a vinyl curtain in your shower, consider these alternatives:
More details
According to Foodconsumer.org, the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice commissioned a study that showed…
the curtains released over 108 VOCs over a 28-day period. Twenty-eight days later 4 VOCs were still able to be detected in the air. These organic compounds have been linked to diseases such as cancer, and reproductive toxicity and they are also known to cause conditions such as kidney and liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous system and other important parts of the body.
The test meant to determine the chemical make-up of the PVC curtains found some worrisome chemicals including phthalates, which have been associated with reproductive problems such as shortened pregnancy duration in women and premature breast development in girls. These chemicals can also cause damage to sperm and other male reproductive functions.
For more information, see these resources:
http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/about.htm
http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/2008/02/11/are-ethylene-vinyl-acetate-eva-baby-teethers-non-toxic/
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● November 3, 2009
People all around me have the flu. How about you?
Last Monday afternoon, I started feeling lousy. Headachy, sore throat, tired, and my sinuses were starting to ache a bit. So I scaled back the activities I had planned for the evening, made a quick, easy meal for the family, and plopped myself on the couch to rest. But first, I had a dose of Vitamin C, as well as a cup of tea made with elderberries and Iceland moss.
Huh? Moss?
Yeah! While ordering ingredients to make lotions and powders, I came across this description at Mountain Rose Herbs:
In the challenging environment of Iceland, the tiny Iceland moss guards its food supply by secreting antimicrobial chemicals. These chemicals also counteract bacterial and viral infections in the ears, nose, mouth, and throat… Research is underway for use of chemicals in Iceland moss as treatments for peptic ulcer disease, cancer, and HIV. It has been found to be an effective treatment for coughs, colds, and bronchitis as it can create a moist and soothing layer in the throat that can help ease these problems.
And MRH provides this information about elderberries:
European elder is a plant native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Western-and Central Asia. Its flowers and berries have a long history of use in traditional European medicine. Elder berries have also been used for making preserves, wines, winter cordials, and for adding flavor and color to other wines. Native Americans used the flowers, berries, and bark of elderberry trees to treat fevers and joint pain for hundreds of years, but elderberry’s real claim to fame is as a cure for the flu. Israeli researchers have developed five formulas based on elderberry fruit that have been clinically proven to prevent and ameliorate all kinds of influenza.
Extensive research show that elder stop the production of hormone-like cytokines that direct a class of white blood cells known as neutrophils to cause inflammation, especially in influenza and arthritis. On the other hand, elder increases the production of non-inflammatory infection-fighting cytokines as much as 10 fold. Elder berries are known to be effective against eight strains of influenza. This suggests that elder be superior to vaccines in preventing flu, because flu vaccines are only effective against known strains of flu, whereas the virus is continually mutating to new strains. Vaccines have another draw back: over half of people who get them report side effects. Dr. Madeleine Mumcuoglu, of Hadassah-Hebrew University in Israel found that elderberry disarms the enzyme viruses use to penetrate healthy cells in the lining of the nose and throat. Taken before infection, it prevents infection. Taken after infection, it prevents spread of the virus through the respiratory tract. In a clinical trial, 20% of study subjects reported significant improvement within 24 hours, 70% by 48 hours, and 90% claimed complete cure in three days. In contrast, subjects receiving the placebo required 6 days to recover.
So between the Vitamin C, elderberries, and Iceland moss, I figured I’d have a good chance of avoiding the flu, or at least having a mild case of it.
So I brewed a large cup of tea with 1/2 tablespoon of dried elderberries and 1/2 tablespoon of Iceland moss. After 4 minutes, I removed the herbs and tasted it. The moss makes it bitter, so I added a large dollop of honey. Then I drank it down, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Based on how I felt that evening, I expected to wake up with a full-blown case of the flu the next morning. To my surprise, I woke up feeling well-rested and just fine.
To be on the safe side, I repeated the treatment (Vitamin C + tea made with elderberries and Iceland moss) that evening and the next morning and evening. And no symptoms appeared. In the meantime, several people I know and their kids came down with some version of flu.
While I can’t be absolutely sure that I was coming down with the flu, it sure felt like it. And while I can’t be absolutely sure that this treatment worked, I don’t have the flu, even though others around me are coming down with it.
I started getting another sore throat this morning. So I am repeating the treatment. I might be doing it all winter. But that’s okay. If I can beat this thing with a few cups of tea, I’ll do it.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 24, 2009
After my very first post, Toxic Beauty #1, about the dangers of talc (causes ovarian cancer), I tossed out everything in my cupboards that contain talc. Honestly, we don’t use body powder on a regular basis. But we do need it once in a while.
If we are trying to avoid talc, what can my son and husband use to prevent prickly heat and chafing during their annual week-long summer camping event? (think about what happens when boys wear damp swimsuits all day) or to avoid friction during hikes? And what can my baby nephew use to keep his cute little bottom from getting sore?
Now, granted, these guys aren’t likely to get ovarian cancer. But if talc poses a danger to women, I am going to assume that it could do something equally nasty to the guys. We probably just haven’t connected the dots and figured it out yet.
So I am on a mission to create an all-natural, safe, effective body powder. For my son and husband, I want something along the lines of the Medicated Gold Bond Powder that they used last year. And for my baby nephew, something that is very soft and gentle, but can help avoid or heal diaper rash and prickly heat.
Last night I created my version of medicated body powder using the following ingredients:
And for baby, I made a simpler version with fewer ingredients:
Here is a description of each ingredient and its unique properties. (Most of this information is from Mountain Rose Herbs [MRH].)
Arrowroot powder: This is the base. It is made from the dried root of the arrowroot plant, and it makes a wonderfully soft, non-toxic substitute for talc. Some people use cornstarch, which is fine, too, but I know that some folks are allergic to corn. (If you use cornstarch, you should be sure to get a non-GMO product.) It is called “arrowroot” because South American natives used it as an antidote for poisoned arrows.
White kaolin clay: This fine powder is quarry mined from natural deposits and water-washed, but otherwise untreated. It is used in most powdered and dry cosmetics. It is naturally absorbent and very mild, making it perfect for people with sensitive skin. It does not draw oils from the skin, so it can be used safely by people with dry skin. The clay is high in calcium, silica, zinc, and magnesium. These constituents help the clay to heal existing blemishes and inflammations, while preventing new ones from forming.
Calendula flower powder: I used a certified organic product from MRH. With antibacterial properties, calendula is used to disinfect minor wounds and treat infections of the skin. It stimulates the production of collagen at wound sites, minimizing scarring. It is also reputed to reduce pain.
Club moss powder: This product consists of the wildharvested spores of club moss. The spores are highly moisture resistant. When used as a dusting powder, they help to heal skin ailments, such as eczema, and to prevent chafing.
Zinc oxide: Its recognized antioxidant properties help to soothe, protect, and heal skin. As a mild astringent and antiseptic, it helps treat and relieve moist, painful, or itchy skin conditions.
Essential oil of mandarin orange (certified organic): Makes it smell nice (because, really, who wants to walk around smelling like club moss?)
So now I get to test these products and see how they do. If you live within shouting distance of me (Pepperell, MA) and would like to be a guinea pig, please give a holler and I can give you some to try, as long as you promise to give me feedback. I can also create a customized product for you (scent, ingredients) to meet your specific needs.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 11, 2009
Lately I’ve been reading the book Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet - One Room at at Time, by Beth Greer.
This book repeats Dr. Epstein’s (author of Toxic Beauty) warnings about the dangers of sunscreen:
…four out of every five [sunscreens] contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect people from UVA radiation.
…the sunscreen brand Keys Soap Solar RX Therapeutic Sunblock was ranked #1 by the EWG as the safest and most effective sunscreen sold in the United States.
…sunscreen ingredients that wash off swimmers are bleaching coral reefs worldwide…reefs are being threatened by the 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen that annually wash off swimmers.
So not only do sunscreens endanger our health, they also have a real environmental impact.
Beth suggests making your own sun protectant, but one that uses a different strategy than using chemicals or physical sunblock (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) to protect the skin:
…research shows that a topical application of a 10% solution of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can prevent sun damage to skin. If applied one or more times per day, no sunscreen is necessary. The vitamin C is incorporated into the skin’s cells to prevent ultraviolet damage to DNA. It does not wash off. This solution can also be applied after burning to reverse damage already sustained. There are no side effects.
Recipes for Natural Sunscreen
SUN SKIN SPRAY
4 ounces distilled water (or aloe juice or rose water)
1 level teaspoon ascorbic acid powder
Put in 4-ounce spray bottle. Shake and use one or two times a day before sunning. Put makeup or other creams or lotions over the top. Always respray when you have finished sunning.
SUN SKIN LOTION
Use the same recipe as above, but add 1 ounce glycerin. [Patty: For a vegetarian product, use vegetable-based glycerin from a trusted source. The glycerin you purchase in the drugstore may be a product of animal fat.] Put in a 4-ounce twist lock pump bottle.
Apply makeup or other creams or lotions over the top. Always respray when finished sunning. Do not make more than 4 ounces at a time unless you are using it for your entire body. Vitamin C is readily destroyed in a solution, so it’s best to make a new batch every 5 to 7 days and the lotion every 7 to 10 days.
“This is skin food,” says Krispin, “not a topical product.” She suggests you put it on a few hours before going in the sun and let it absorb into the skin. Also, spray it on after being in the sun to help regenerate the cells. For it to be most effective, it’s important to use pure ascorbic acid, not ester-C or calcium C or any other derivative.
This is very exciting! Could it be true? Just spray this stuff on once in the morning, and again in the evening, and I’m done? No need to reapply every 2 hours when on the beach? (and no harm to those fishies!)
Now that Fall has reached New England, I have fewer chances to test this idea. But you can be sure that, come summer, I’ll be covering one arm with sunblock and the other arm with this Sun Skin Spray, to test its effectiveness. Perhaps my California-based sister can test it and let us know the results?
Also, I think I would like to try first infusing aloe vera juice with green tea, and then add the ascorbic acid to that. Aloe vera helps heal and moisturize skin, and green tea has known properties of protecting the skin from the sun. A winning combination?
Here is a source for ascorbic acid, and additional information about it:
http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/powder.shtml
What do you think? Would you try this?
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 10, 2009
I wanted to continue the discussion about the dangers of sunscreen (see my post Toxic Beauty #3), because the book (Toxic Beauty by Samuel S. Epstein, MD) contains more information that I should share with you.
From the book:
“One of the…chief dangers of sunscreens is that they are often also hormone disruptors. The evidence that most sunscreen ingredients have hormonal effects comes largely from experiments demonstrating their ability to stimulate proliferation of human breast cancer cells, and to induce the production of breast cancer protein in laboratory tests.
The sunscreen chemicals Bp-3, 4-MBC, and OMC increased uterine growth when fed to immature rats, and the painting of the skin of immature female rats with 40MBC, using concentrations of the chemical similar to those found in common sunscreens, significantly increased uterine growth.
Bp-3 has been detected in urine up to four hours after skin application of sunscreens, and both Bp-3 and OMC accumulate in the body, as evidenced by their detection in human breast milk.
Yet, if you read through the industry’s Cosmetic Industry Review Compendium, it makes no reference to the hormonal effects of Bp-3 or any other sunscreen ingredient.
Oxybenzone, a chemical similar to estrogen in its effects, is another hormone disruptor commonly found in sunscreens. Its effects have been highlighted by a University of California-Riverside research team’s discovery of evidence in 2006 that oxybenzone had transformed the males of two coastal fish species into feminized fish carrying ovary tissue. Two-thirds of the male fish examined had been feminized in this way.” [Patty: Ewwww!]
…and there’s plenty more information along those lines. Suffice it to say that most sunscreens contain stuff that messes with your body in a bad way, and you should avoid them. Here is the list of sunscreen ingredients to avoid (from the book):
|
Ingredient |
Toxic Effects |
|
Benzophenone-3 (Bp-3) |
Penetration enhancer, hormone disruptor, allergen |
|
Octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC) |
Penetration enhancer, hormone disruptor |
|
Oxybenzone |
Hormone disruptor |
|
Nanoparticles |
Penetration enhancers |
|
Parabens |
Hormone disruptors |
And to reiterate, the only sunblocks that are safe:
So I have a bunch of sunscreen to throw out. As it happens, I do have some of the Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen that the book recommends. And the next time I make my own body lotion, I plan to make a batch containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for my very own sunblock.
A couple more interesting points from this chapter, “Products Targeting Sun Worshippers”, in the Toxic Beauty book:
Live in health.
– Patty
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 10, 2009
“Will our efforts to avoid chemicals in personal care products and elsewhere really make a difference? We’ll probably all just get cancer anyway…”
After reading my blog posts, a couple of folks have expressed this sentiment. But I truly think it can make a difference. Here’s why:
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. While it protects you from lots of bad stuff, keeping germs out, it is also highly permeable, letting some stuff in. Anything that you apply to your skin can make its way directly into your bloodstream and throughout your body. And in doing so, it doesn’t go through your liver, whose job it is to clean food toxins out of your blood.
Says Dr. Samuel Epstein in Toxic Beauty,
Carcinogens in cosmetics and personal-care products pose greater cancer risks than food contaminated with carcinogenic pesticides and other industrial carcinogens because chemicals taken in by the mouth are absorbed by the intestines and pass into venous blood, which is then taken to the liver. Once inside this organ, carcinogens can be detoxified to varying degrees by enzymes before they reach the rest of the body. Carcinogens absorbed through the skin, in striking contract, bypass the liver and enter blood circulation — and body organs — without this protection.
Furthermore, a family history of cancer does not mean that you are doomed to share the same fate. Cancer is largely a result of exposure to environmental hazards. If both your parents die of cancer, chances are it has more to do with their shared lifestyle (eating habits, food preparation methods, environmental contaminants, etc.) than anything else.
If you do your best to avoid known carcinogens, you can do a lot to reduce your risk of cancer. Yes, if you are going to get cancer, your body might be more likely to respond in the same way, with the same type of cancer, as a parent. But whether or not you get cancer is something that you can do something about. We just need to pay attention to the chemicals we expose our bodies to.
Says Dr. Epstein:
[p. 43] …increasing cancer rates also cannot be attributed to genetic factors. At most, genetics can be directly implicated as a cause in less than 10 percent of all cancers. [In one study,] adopted children whose adoptive parents died from cancer had a fivefold increased risk of developing the disease themselves, clearly implicating environmental exposures. In the second study, which compared 9,000 identical twins in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, the authors reached this firm conclusion: “The overwhelming contribution to the causation of cancer in the population of twins that we studied was the environment.” In contrast, a strong body of scientific evidence demonstrates that, apart from carcinogenic ingredients in consumer products, the predominant cause of the modern cancer epidemic is directly related to petrochemical and nuclear industry technologies and their environmental pollutants.
So make the change, one baby step at a time. Each week, try to make one small change that moves you closer to being chemically clean. Trying to do it all at once can be overwhelming — and expensive! Instead, use up the personal care products that you currently have. When you run out, find a healthier alternative, with fewer dangerous chemicals, to replace it.
Little by little, you can make a difference in your overall health and that of your family.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 4, 2009
I’m branching out, and teaching classes at our local community center. Here is the class description. I hope you’ll join us!
Learn how easy it is to create your own all-natural hand and body lotions. During this 2-hour course, you’ll learn how to create body butter, non-greasy hand and body lotion, and a dry-skin-formula body lotion to help you through our long New England winters. Using common kitchen equipment and simple ingredients like almond or olive oil, beeswax, and cocoa butter, you can create all-natural lotions that don’t contain the parabens, petroleum, or other questionable ingredients found in commercial products.
These lotions and body butters make wonderful holiday gifts for friends and family. You’ll go home with recipes, complete instructions, a list of resources, gifting ideas, and a jar of body butter or hand lotion.
Held at the Community Center in Pepperell, Massachusetts.
2 sessions for adults: Saturday, November 7 at 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Monday, November 23 at 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
1 session for teens: Wednesday, November 25 at 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $50 per adult, $40 per teen.
Sign up with a friend and both receive a $5 discount.
To sign up, go to www.town.pepperell.ma.us/recreation/programGuide.html
Hurry! Sign up today. Space is limited.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● October 4, 2009
So we’ve been making our way through the List-of-Four ingredients in personal care products to avoid if you do nothing else, from Dr. Samuel Epstein’s book, Toxic Beauty.
We’ve already discussed the first 3 ingredients to avoid. Here’s a recap:
So here it is, the final ingredient to avoid in Toxic Beauty’s List-of-Four:
According to the book:
“Hair dyes…contain many frank and hidden carcinogens. Frequent and prolonged use to these dyes has been linked to leukemia, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and bladder and breast cancers. While the European Union has banned many hair dye ingredients, United States manufacturers and regulatory agencies remain stubbornly blind to the dangers.” (p. 208)
(pp 107-108) “Black and dark brown permanent and semi-permanent dyes contain…paraphenylenediamine (ppd)… Ppd is known to cause cancers, particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, bladder cancer, and breast cancer. There is suggestive evidence that it was Jackie Kennedy’s frequent use of these hair dyes that resulted in her premature death from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In fact, frequent and prolonged use of these dyes has been associated with significant risks for a range of cancers…It is estimated that use of these dyes accounts for more than 20% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in women, the incidence of which escalated by 70% from 1975 to 2004.
Evidence on the carcinogenicity of hair dye ingredients has been well recognized since 1979, but remains trivialized or ignored by the manufacturers of these products. The European Union banned 22 hair dye ingredients in 2006 because of the evidence of bladder cancer risk, and also because the industry had failed to submit safety files on 115 other ingredients in currently used products.”
In 2007, I started dying my hair to hide the inevitable gray. But when we took a hard look at our finances, in light of our daughter’s imminent departure for college, I stopped so we could save more money. I had my colorist dye the hair one more time, as close as possible to my natural brown color, then I let it grow out. Now the gray shows, interspersed with the brown. But, really, who cares? I’m forty-five, and I deserve every single gray hair on my head, as well as every wrinkle or “character line” on my face.
I don’t know why Americans are so afraid of growing old or showing their age. And I don’t know why it’s okay for men to have silvery gray hair, but not for women. (Why does gray hair make men look “distinguished”, while women just look old?) But I’ve decided to buck the system, show my age, and even more, own my age.
Here is a list of toxic ingredients in hair dyes:
Coal Tar Dyes:
Detergents/Solvents:
Humectants:
Preservatives:
Other:
So if you use dark hair dye, what can you do instead?
Do you use a natural hair dye? If so, please share your experience with us. Is it effective? Is it easy to apply? How long does the dye last? Do you apply it yourself? Or does a colorist do it in a hair salon? How much does it cost?
Or, like me, have you decided to age naturally? How do you feel about it? How do others react to you? Have you ever discussed your decision not to use hair color with friends and co-workers? If so, how did they react?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● September 26, 2009
First, this is a longer post than the others, so go grab a cup of coffee before you settle down to read it.
So did you find anything in your bathroom cupboards, toiletry kits, or make-up bag that contains titanium dioxide powder? (See Toxic Beauty #2.) Or that you suspect contains it? What did you find? Have you decided on any healthier alternatives? Please share your experience so we can learn from one another.
I took a look through my make-up kit. (I rarely wear make-up at all, really only at special occasions.) Here’s what I found:
Jane shimmering bronzer (to add color to cheeks, face after applying foundation): contains talc. Tossed it!
Physician’s Formula Talc-Free Mineral Wear Mineral Loose Powder. Aside from the “talc-free” statement on the jar, there is no list of ingredients on the jar. It must have been on the packaging. So I looked online and found that it DOES include titanium dioxide powder (for its sunblocking properties). So I tossed that, too.
By the way, it can be very challenging to read that little tiny print on these cosmetic jars, so I purchased one of those little magnifying glasses from the drug store for $5.00. It’s about the size of a credit card, although a little thicker, and it has a little button that turns on a light. Perfect for reading ingredients lists on packages or menus at dark restaurants. Easy to keep in your purse. I use it while shopping to see whether a product that I am considering has good or bad ingredients. I highly recommend that you get one.
Now for the third item on the List-of-Four ingredients to avoid (per the book Toxic Beauty by Samuel S. Epstein, MD):
Sunscreens
I know, I know. This one is very surprising. Sunscreen is supposed to be good for us, right? Keep those nasty, cancer-causing UV rays from harming our skin? Here’s why Dr. Epstein has them on his List-of-Four:
“Sunscreens, either alone or used in cosmetics or lotions, give users an illusion of safety that encourages them to stay out in the sun longer, exposing them to greater amounts of dangerous long-wave ultraviolet radiation. Sunscreens also contain chemicals linked in laboratory experiments to hormone disruptors.”
So, to break it down, sunscreens present 2 dangers:
1. They give you a false sense of security. You feel safe, so you stay out in the sun longer than you should, exposing your skin to more of those dangerous sun rays.
Here are some relevant excerpts from the book:
2. Many chemical ingredients in sunscreens are dangerous to your health. When applying sunscreen, you’re trying to protect yourself from one health problem, but you may create others.
Here are some relevant excerpts from the book:
But, wait just a doggone minute! We need sunshine, right? We need that vitamin D or we’ll get rickets and other nasty problems, won’t we? Here’s what Dr. Epstein says about that [pp123-124]:
So if I can’t use sunscreen, what the heck am I supposed to do to protect myself?
When you have to be in the sun, use sunblock.
While sunscreen protects your skin from the sun by using chemicals that soak into your skin, a sunblock provides physical protection from harmful UVB and UVA rays “by reflecting radiation off the skin’s surface. If you must be out in the sun, don’t use sunscreen, use sunblock.”
According to Dr. Epstein, the best sunblock ingredients are:
So if a product calls itself a sunblock, you still need to check the ingredients. If it does not contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, then it won’t be effective, and you’re still at risk.
And even then, you still have to be careful. Writes Dr. Epstein, “…cosmetic manufacturers often add ‘penetration enhancer’ ingredients to their products, including sunscreens and sunblocks, to decrease skin resistance and drive chemicals deeper into body tissues. Their reasoning is that by increasing the absorption of these chemicals, the products become more effective and longer lasting…While titanium oxide and zinc oxide are harmless and beneficial as topical sunblock agents, having those chemicals distributed more deeply throughout our bodies may create unknown health risks.”
There is also some controversy around using “nanoparticles” in cosmetics, and many sunblocks use nanoparticles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. “By shrinking chemical particles to 100 nanometers wide, or about 1/100,000 of the thickness of a sheet of paper and far smaller than the smallest blood vessels, these ‘nanoparticles’ are able to penetrate human skin more rapidly and much more deeply than was ever before possible.” So there is some question about nanotechnology, but at the moment, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide still seem to be more safe than other sunblocking/sunscreen ingredients.
On the upside, “once titanium dioxide and zinc oxide is reduced in size, the chemical becomes transparent, losing its usual white coloration when applied to the skin. Both nanoparticle versions still block harmful ultraviolet radiation, but allow visible light to pass through, making them a more appealing product to consumers previously repulsed by the white sheen sunblocks left on their skin…The presence of nanoparticles is sometimes indicated by the words ‘ultra-fine’ or ‘micro-fine,’ but often is not indicated on labels at all.”
While making my own body lotion this summer, I also tried adding titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to some of it to use as a sunblock. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it provided effective protection from the sun, but I have not yet been able to test it to determine its SPF.
According to the book, the following ingredients also offer some protection from the sun:
The book recommends Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen. (It calls itself a sunscreen, but the presence of titanium dioxide makes it a sunblock.)
Also, use common sense:
In the next post, the final ingredient in Dr. Epstein’s List-of-Four.
Posted by: patty_gale199 in: ● September 26, 2009
So did you rid your cupboards and drawers of talc? (See Toxic Beauty #1.) If so, did it feel good? Or did it feel wasteful, tossing all of that stuff in the trash?
Or haven’t you gotten around to it yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Ovarian cancer? Just do it, silly!
I struggle with the throwing-away part a bit, especially if I have always used it for a specific purpose, etc. And maybe it’s the Frugal New Englander in me, not wanting to throw anything away. (It might be useful someday!) But then again, if I haven’t used it up yet (thank goodness!), I won’t use it up at all. Best do a thorough purge and just get rid of it all.
Here’s what I found in my cupboards:
Johnson’s Baby Powder Pure Cornstarch (size 1.5 oz). I was keeping this just to sprinkle in my shoes once in awhile. It’s cornstarch, not talc, so from that point of view, it’s okay. But it’s not organic cornstarch, and it contains fragrance, which is an irritant/allergen to lots of folks. I haven’t used this in years. I tossed it.
Jason Body Powder Tea Tree Oil (Talc-Free, Naturally Therapeutic; size 3 oz) Contains purified natural corn flour, tea tree oil (a natural antibacterial/antifungal), other natural-sounding ingredients, methylparaben, propylparaben, and light natural fragrance. This product is probably better (that is, less toxic) than most. But the Toxic Beauty book also identifies tea tree oil and parabens (preservatives) as hormone disruptors. (More about hormone disruptors in another installment.) Again, I’ve had this container of powder for years. I tossed it.
Extra-Strength Gold Bond Medicated Body Powder, Triple Action Relief (size 4 oz). Active ingredients are zinc oxide and menthol. Inactive ingredients include talc, acacia, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, salicylic acid, thymol, and zinc stearate. According to the book, salicylic acid is a penetration enhancer. It helps other ingredients penetrate your skin better/deeper/faster. So if there are other toxic ingredients in there, that’s a bad thing. But the other ingredients are not listed in the book’s toxic list. We have this powder for when Joe goes camping with Boy Scouts. When boys hang around in wet bathing suits all day, they get a very uncomfortable rash, and this powder does the trick. I’m going to find a healthier replacement for it, then toss this. If you know of a healthy brand of product for this purpose, let me know?
What did you find in your cupboards?
Next in the List-of-Four ingredients to avoid:
Titanium dioxide powder
Titanium dioxide powder, which often appears as a whitening agent in women’s cosmetic powders, has been shown in rodent testing to be a source of respiratory tract cancer if inhaled. Numerous studies have demonstrated this effect, yet its use remains wide-spread, even in products otherwise billing themselves as safe and natural.
On the other hand, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are safe and effective sunblock ingredients, and most common sunblock products contain these substances. As long as the titanium oxide (or dioxide) is mixed into a lotion or in a form where you cannot inhale it, you’re okay.
So check the labels on your face powder or other cosmetics. If titanium dioxide powder is on the label, get rid of it. Find another, less toxic product to use.
More information from the Toxic Beauty book by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein:
“Powdered and ultrafine titanium dioxide dust is a carcinogen [cancer-causing agent] that has been implicated in respiratory tract cancer in rats exposed during laboratory testing. Canada’s Centre for Occupational Health & Safety issued an alert in 2006 warning employers to “review their occupational hygiene programs to ensure that exposure to titanium dioxide dust is eliminated or reduced to the minimum possible”…The Canadian alert was based on the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s classification of titanium dioxide as a carcinogen in 2006.”
“Titanium dioxide powder particle size is very fine, less than one micron, which is why it is readily inhaled deeply into human lungs. Though titanium dioxide appears in sunblocks, toothpastes, and other non-powdered products, it poses no similar threat to health in those non-powdered forms. But dozen’s of women’s facial powders containing titanium dioxide are widely available on store shelves, often without indicating titanium dioxide’s inclusion on product labels because it is not considered an active ingredient. [Isn’t that terrific? They don’t even have to tell us it’s in there!] Barbers and hairdressers sometimes fluff the powder on their customers’ faces.”
“Manufacturers of some “natural” lines of cosmetics remain wholly uninformed or misinformed about titanium dioxide’s carcinogenic risk. Earth Beauty Cosmetics, for instance, advertises its Real Purity product as containing titanium dioxide. Our survey of other brands of “natural solutions” cosmetic powders, such as Logona Cosmetics and Sante Kosmetics, also found titanium dioxide to be a common additive.”
So what should you use instead? The book does not suggest an alternative. My hunch is to skip the face powder altogether. Do you really need it? Or, if you feel naked leaving the house without something on your face, use a liquid foundation that does not involve microscopic particles that can be inhaled.
Does anyone else have a suggestion or safer alternative to face powder?
Stay tuned for the next installment of Toxic Beauty.
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