12.0107

2

&

hemistry

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 

of our

 

10.811 2

 

 

 

 

  
 

Are we eating, wearing, and using chemicals?
By Himanshu Verma, Contributor

ost people understand that chemicals can

be harmful, and try to avoid them in excess,
but that does not mean that their life is free from
chemicals.

According to theworldcounts.com, there are
about 79,788 synthetic chemicals presently on
the market, and this number continues to grow.
Most of the consumer items we use, from toiletries
like toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, to cosmetics
like deodorant, perfume, lipstick, blush, and fake
tanner, to the processed food we eat, contain a lot
of chemicals. Our lives are infested by chemicals
scattered around us. However, how much they
affect our lives depends on the chemicals being
used in a particular product, as they range from
safe to unsafe to harmful depending on the
chemical’s use, exposure, and handling.

Pesticides, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride),
parabens, BPA (Bisphenol A), and ammonia—
these are some of the commonly used chemicals
that have become a part of our lives, and they
are seriously affecting our health and safety.
Limited exposure to pesticides, used in sprays
and sanitizers, can cause effects such as nausea,
change of mood, insomnia, and irritation, while
frequent exposure to pesticides can damage
kidneys, nervous, and reproductive systems,
and even cause cancer. PVC—commonly used in
plastic products, including plastic food containers
and water bottles because of its easy availability
and low cost—releases a highly toxic substance
when burned called dioxin. Further, leakage of
phthalates from plastic containers and water
bottles into food and water can damage the
endocrine system and cause harm to children

and pregnant

women.

 

Equally harmful are parabens, used as
preservatives in cosmetics, pharmaceutical
products, and some food additives, because they
can also cause endocrine problems, as well as
decreased male fertility. In the same vein, BPA,
found in hard plastic, is known to affect the
quality of women’s eggs. Ammonia from cleaning
products causes irritation to eyes and lungs, and,
on coming in contact with skin, causes rashes
and burns. When mixed with bleach or a chlorine
product, it releases deadly chloramine gas.

A study by natural deodorant company
Bionsen has revealed that women, on average,
put 515 chemicals on their bodies every day: hair
spray contains an average of 11 chemicals; a normal
shampoo contains approximately 15; eye shadow
uses 26; blush, 16; lipstick, 33; foundation, 24;
nail polish, 31; deodorant, 15; body lotion, 32; and
fake tanner, 22. Lastly, perfume is a cocktail of
nearly 250 chemicals. Bionsen’s research revealed
that ethyl parabens, methyl parabens, propyl
parabens—the major constituents in blush, body
lotion, fake tanner, and other beauty products—
are most damaging; they cause rashes, irritation,
and hormonal disruption in the body. Phthalates
present in nail polish, eye shadow, and hair spray
affect fertility tissues, cause hormonal imbalance,
and damage other body organs. Benzaldehyde, an
ingredient in perfumes, causes kidney damage and
nausea as well as irritation to the mouth, throat,
and eyes. With the advent of more sophisticated
cosmetics and beauty treatments that claim to
cause wonders in a short time, there is every
reason to believe that more and more chemicals
are being used in these products.

According to another study by Environmental
Working Group (EWG), women on average use
12 beauty products and host a minimum of 168
chemicals on their bodies each day, whereas men,
who use about six products on average, carry about
85 chemicals on their bodies. Teens on average use
17 personal care products that may carry hormone
changing chemicals. Most cosmetics companies
have defended their use, claiming that these
chemicals can’t be absorbed by the body, and
according to the American Cancer Society, “Most
scientists and regulatory agencies believe that it