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Drop Dead Gorgeous takes on new meaning

By Carol Klingsmith, RN, CES

Drop dead gorgeous and toxic. These two words are not what I think of simultaneously. Unfortunately, many of today’s cosmetics and personal care products which we apply to our faces and bodies on a daily basis now fall into that category. And the phrase Drop Dead Gorgeous suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.

Can the toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, makeup, nail polish, or perfumes that you use cause health problems? No, you say, because the FDA would not allow harmful chemicals on the market. The truth is that the FDA allows cosmetics and personal care products to go to market without prior third-party-testing for safety. According to Samuel Epstein, M.D., chair of the Cancer Prevention Coalition and professor emeritus of environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Illinois at the Chicago School of Public Health, “The agency has never required the $20-billion-a-year industry to label its products with any warning of well-documented risks…nor has the FDA banned the sale of a wide range of unsafe products to an unsuspecting public.”

In 1938 the FDA granted self-regulation to the Cosmetics, Toiletries, and Fragrance Association, the self-appointed industry organization. The FDA classifies products but does not regulate them.

Over 800 chemicals available for use in cosmetics have been reported to the government as toxic substances. The FDA has very few regulations to protect consumers from the ingredients used by the cosmetic and personal care industries.

With the exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without approval from the FDA (“Prohibited ingredients”, FDA office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet, Dec. 19, 1994).

This means that the industry does not have to answer to the FDA or anyone else. The direct result of industry self-regulation is that many of the produces we use daily, on and in our bodies, as well as, on our children are TOXIC.

The FDA must prove in a court of law that a product may be injurious…before the product can be recalled. The FDA admits they don’t have the budget to win in court against the giant cosmetic companies.

So what can you do to protect yourself and those you love (especially the children)?

We watch our baby every minutes she’s in the bath so she doesn’t hurt herself while we shampoo her hair with antifreeze and engine degreaser and other potentially toxic chemicals that could harm her developing eyes, irritate her skin, and be potentially carcinogenic. Does this make sense?

Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are engine degreasers that have been shown to impair hair growth, irritate the skin, and impair proper structural formation of young eyes. Studies have shown that washing your hair one time with shampoo containing sodium laurel sulfate could put as many nitrates into your blood stream as eating a whole pound of bacon. That is just one application. Many people wash their hair everyday.

After the bath we lotion our baby with products containing Propylene glycol (PG). PG is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage, and liver abnormalities.

And speaking of our children-

How long do we have to wait before we decide to return to nature’s skin care instead of using only synthetic, petroleum-based chemicals?

About the Author:

Carol Klingsmith is a registered nurse, Gold Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist and Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). She writes a monthly column, The Wisdom of Wellness and is one of the authors in a soon to be released book, titled "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health." Her website is www.carolswellness.com.