essentially the story is about two ingredients (phthalates and parabens) found in make-up that are known to cause serious health effects (either some forms of cancer, birth defects, or other toxicological effects) to the exposed population. the outcomes (or effects) are dependent on various factors. dose (essentially what goes into the body), length of exposure, dose required to cause effects (essentially how much of the chemical is required to see an effect), individual variability (people do not respond in the same way to the same conditions), compound specific composition and properties (some compounds just pass faster through the skin, other don’t). these are not all the factors as there are many more, but they are common. furthermore, they tend to work in a combined way, so it is hard to usually state one particular factor as the main ‘culprit’.
at this point, i’ll need to look into a few sources to get some information as to how potentially dangerous these two types of compounds are and how likely they are to get through the skin and into the body, but once i do i will post it here…in case anyone is interested to read it.
some things that one can do to reduce the risk…well for one there are things that each individual will have control over. the period of time make-up is worn is important. the longer you wear it, the longer the exposure time, the longer chemicals have to pass through the skin. thus, if not needed, make-up can be removed. the amount of make-up used (and this may go into one of the ‘rules’ of make-up … wear it as if you’re not wearing any…). it’s quite intuitive that if you put more make-up on, the more there will be there for you to be potentially exposed to. yes, the skin is a barrier against compounds entering our bodies…but different compounds have different affinity…they behave in a different ways and can enter the body through the skin (pores, cuts, etc.). how readily do phthalates and parabens enter through the skin? as soon as i’ll find out…you’ll read about it.
a few years ago health canada did pass on a regulation which forces manufacturers to list the ingredients in their products. this is to inform the consumer to potentially reduce risk; thus, the consumer may decide if they want or do not want to use the particular product. thus, take a look on your product box or container…it’s bound to have an ingredient list. for quite a bit of information, it’s strongly recommended you visit the health canada website. they will have information about particular compounds and things one can do to reduce the exposure. they also have news releases, and lists of compounds they consider toxic, compounds that are under review…and compounds that are banned from existing in consumer products in canada.
information is key to understand how these compounds can cause effects, so using search engines like google is a start. there are websites created by various action groups, some of which may be worth a look (however, best advice is take everything with a grain of salt). these websites may offer information, however they may also be subjective. furthermore, some of their conclusions may be over-reactions or based on perceived potential hazard, so…read, but don’t be afraid to question. some website that may be worth a look are: Prevent Cancer Now and Dying to look Good. while information is key to understand the potential hazard, try to understand the logic behind various arguments or ‘facts’. activist website may be informative in one way, but if they are to subjective they may overlook some information, which will make their case seem stronger than it actually is.
if anyone has questions or comments…don’t hesitate. also, once i have a bit more time to look through some scientific literature on the matter…i’ll share what i find. till then…wear with care
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