The Dangers of Cosmetics

Just in the United States, Americans spent $33.3 billion dollars on cosmetics and other beauty products in 2010! That’s more money spent on cosmetics than new foreign cars ($27 billion) and on TV’s ($25 billion). On average, a person uses up to 15 different cosmetic products a day (shampoo, hair gel, cologne, toothpaste, etc.). And with all the products that we pour into our hair or rub on our skin, about 60% of if gets absorbed into our bloodstream!

The problem is that the majority of these products we use contain some very harmful ingredients. A few of the most common that should be avoided include:

• Phthalates: Endocrine disruptors and developmental toxins linked to asthma. They can be found in nail polishes and in blended fragrances used in many personal care products. Phthalates are banned in Europe.
• Parabens: a family of preservatives that has been detected intact in breast cancer tissue, mostly used to prevent microbial growth in makeup. Banned in Japan and Sweden.
• Formaldehyde: a carcinogen associated with immune dysfunction, commonly used in lotions, mascara, nail polish, and makeup remover. Banned in Europe.
• Triclosan: antibacterial agent used in body wash and hand wash. It’s been found to build up in breast milk, and has been detected in 80% of US rivers and lakes.

With all the harmful chemicals out there in our beauty products, it can be hard to figure out what’s right for you. Below is a link to the website “Skin Deep”, with over 68,000 products ranked it’s a very useful site to help figure out what the safest options are for you. They rank each item from 1-10 (1 being the least hazardous).

The link for “Skin Deep”:

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

"How Smart are You about Cosmetics?"

Cosmetics are a daily part of millions of American's lives.  We use them routinely to brighten our lives and to make us feel better without much thought or worry.  Like other products, we presume they are safe and we presume they are approved by the appropriate government regulators.  Neither is always the case.

Do you know that, unlike most products, cosmetic manufacturers may use almost any ingredient they wish?  What else might you not know?

Find out how much you really know about cosmetics by taking the online FDA survey titled "How Smart are You about Cosmetics?"  It is a quick 6 question True / False interactive survey which will provide you new insight into something we use every day.  Be informed!

The link for "How Smart are You about Cosmetics?" is:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/videos/CFSAN/costf/costf.cfm

What Goes on Your Skin - A Personal Inventory

We take for granted soaps, shampoos, colognes, toothpaste, makeup and many more products that we put on our skin on a daily basis. For many of us it's such a habit we don't even think about it, but as an experiment, take a moment to catalog the different kinds of chemicals that touch your skin every day. For myself, I came up with this list for a typical day:

Bar Soap

Shampoo

Conditioner

Hair gel

Deodorant

Cologne

Lip balm

Toothpaste

Mouthwash

Aftershave

On certain days this might be supplemented with:

Sunscreen lotion

Antiseptic cream

Dry skin lotion/foot cream

That's quite a list, and I haven't even stepped out of the house yet! 

One survey lists 168 ingredients in the products the average woman uses on a daily basis and 85 ingredients for the average man.

Because they are not food or drug related, the FDA does not regulate these products as strictly as those in other categories. No premarket approval is given or required for these products before they go on sale. Given that, and the number of chemicals involved, it might be time for all of us to check out some alternatives with more natural ingredients. You may find you look just as good, and you might feel even better about reducing your own personal chemical footprint.

The FDA will tell you all about how cosmetics are regulated (or not):

http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm074162.htm

If you like statistics, some interesting ones related to personal care products can be found here:

http://www.reneeloux.com/natural_beauty/by_the_numbers_personal_care__/

Bycatch - another Overfishing Problem

Bycatch is the fish and other wildlife caught during commercial fishing practices that are not the target species.  When fish are caught that are not the targeted species, are too small, or do not live up to the quality standards we are use to, they are thrown back into the ocean, more often than not, already dead.

"One-quarter (25%) of all the fish pulled from the sea never make it to market." - Green Peace


Green peace estimates that 11 MILLION TONS of fish are discarded annually because they are accidentally caught during shrimp harvesting.  It is not uncommon for a shrimp harvest to be 90% fish and only 10% shrimp.

Bycatch laws are beginning to be put in place, but stricter regulations are still needed.

Living creatures are being wasted and killed unnecessarily on a daily basis.  Next time you take a bite of your favorite dish, think about how many other finned fish had to die for that serving of shrimp.

http://archive.greenpeace.org/comms/fish/part6.html

No Fish in 40 years!?

That's right!  In the last 50 years the total catch of fish from the ocean has spiked nearly 400% to 73.5 million metric tons in one year!!  Since then 90% of the oceans population of large fish has been completely fished out!  That's almost 90 different species that have been depleted off of U.S. shores alone.

Click here to see how we killed the fish (pics)

http://www.businessinsider.com/overfishing-decline-of-oceans-2012-6

Teaching Children About Overfishing

There's no doubt that adults should learn about overfishing and should try to help out in the cause if possible, but there's no harm in trying to teach children about it. If children are taught the meaning of overfishing, its affects and causes, they, too, can help the world in this crisis, and will have the knowledge for any future issues.

But how can someone go about teaching children such a challenging topic? There are many different ways, but here are a few I found...

 For one, there's Fish & Kids, a child-friendly website (for kids, parents and teachers) detailing the issue of overfishing, along with games and trivia, and guided by Murdock, the "ginger cat with attitude".
Here's another interesting way I found: make it a game. You can find information on this "overfishing game for kids" at 365kidgames.com.

Overfishing Games For Kids 1 - Gone Fishing

You just need a few supplies, some goodies to give away, and a little bit of time. For an extra treat let the birthday boy or girl stand behind the curtain and dish out the gifts in this fun fishing game for kids. The parents will even want to jump in and play! Have fun playing these overfishing games for kids!

Materials Needed:

• A sheet
• String
• Old Fishing Pole (or you can make one with string and a stick or broom handle)
• Clothespin
• Various toys and goodies

Instructions:

• Tie a string across the room and lay a sheet over it so no one can see what is on the other side.

• Use an old fishing pole, or tie a string around a stick or broom handle. Tie a clothespin on the end of the fishing pole's string.

• Let each child take a turn "casting" their line over the sheet.

• Have your helper stand on the other side and attach small gifts, favors, or treats to the clothespin. When they're done, the helper gives a slight tug on the line.

• When the kids "reel" in their lines, they'll be delighted to see what they've caught!

• You can also use this game in conjunction with other party games. The winner of each game gets a chance to "go fishing" for their prize. The more games they win, the more chances they have to get a prize.

• Another variation of overfishing games for kids is to have the helper hold a bag full of paper fishes in various sizes and lengths. They can randomly pick a fish from the bag and attach it to each child's fishing line. At the end of the game, you see who has the longest fish!

• A third variation could be a guessing game- each child receives a clue to a mystery item at the end of their fishing pole. The group must then get together and figure out what the mystery item is.

• So if your looking for overfishing games for kids, then this ones for you.

Note: To explain the overfishing concept - let the children catch the same favor over and over again until there are no more. Explain the real threat that overfishing can cause in the food chain and the impact that it can have on the environment.

 Source: http://www.365kidsgames.com/documents/overfishing-games-for-kids.html

How Aquaculture Contributes to Overfishing

Fish farms are suppose to reduce overfishing by supplementing the worlds seafood diet, but some farmed fish species are carnivores that require wild fish to support their diets. Salmon is one of the most popular farmed fish carnivores on the market. They must consume three pounds of wild fish in order to put on one pound of weight.  Tuna is another carnivore that requires fifteen pounds of fish for its diet before it will gain a pound. Some farmed fish do not depend solely on wild fish such as Catfish and Tilapia. Another good option for farmed seafood is shellfish, because they are filter feeders that do not contribute to overfishing.

 

"The Use of Wild Fish in Aquaculture Ocean Issues from the Seafood Watch Program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium." The Use of Wild Fish in Aquaculture Ocean Issues from the Seafood Watch Program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2012. <http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/issues/aquaculture_wildfish.aspx>.