Personal Care Products

-

The products I chose to look up were: 
      • Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen, SPF 45
      • Crest Complete Whitening Plus Scope Toothpaste, Minty Fresh
The suncreen received a score of 5, and the toothpaste received a score of 3. Both were rated as moderate hazards. 

Were you surprised to find out the toxicity rating of your personal care products?
  • I was surprised and disappointed to find that the sunscreen had a moderate score; I expected it to be lower. I was also (pleasantly) surprised that the toothpaste had a score of 3. Although it was a moderate risk score, I actually expected it to be higher.
Did you decide to change any of your consumer behaviors based on your findings?
  • Being from LA, I would use the sunscreen quite frequently as I was exposed to the sun so much. Discovering it was scored as a moderate hazard made me want to find a different sunscreen. Fortunately, I did a search and the Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen was scored as a 1. It even has an SPF 50, so I will probably be purchasing this sunscreen instead. In regards to the toothpaste, I realized that I should also find a safer toothpaste as this is a product I use at least twice a day. According to EWG's database it is a moderate risk for organ system toxicity, so it would be wise to find another product.
Should everyone know about this risks and why don’t they?
  • Everyone has a right to know about these risks. People use these products everyday and they have a right to know what is in them and what goes on their body. Not everyone is aware of the chemicals used simply because they are just uneducated, but also because none of the risks are blatantly stated. Marketing for these products aims to make them look like something to improve health and/or body image, rather than a health hazard. 

Comments

  1. Ashley SubramaniJanuary 31, 2018 at 11:07 AM

    Hey Loren,

    Most would think you were helping yourself out by protecting your skin from the sun by using sunscreen but then come to find out it could be actually doing more harm towards your health. That's great that you were able to find a different sunscreen that is better for you and that you're actually going to make the switch over. The products, like sunscreen, that we would never second guess as being hazardous can actually be the most which is a scary idea. Glad this assignment helped you find better products for yourself

    -Ashley Subramani

    ReplyDelete
  2. RaeMay 9, 2018 at 12:34 AM

    I am from SoCal as well and sunscreen is important to me, especially since I hike as often as I can. I thought that baby products are more regulated than adult products and so I use baby sunscreen from Honest. Although after reading this I will have to check into it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

M5.4 Blog about your CCR & water quality

-
Answer the following questions: What is the source of your drinking water?  According to SF Water, San Francisco gets 85% of our water from the Hetch Hetchy watershed. The rest of our water comes from the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. In April 2017, SF also started using groundwater from the Westside Groundwater Basin aquifer. Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)  The Hetch Hetchy watershed. What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?  Most of the chemicals listed were well under the maximum contaminant level goal or the maximum contaminant level. However, I was surprised to know that byproducts of disinfection were still found in the water, like haloacetic acids. I also saw that even though the range for Giardia lamblia was <0-0.11, I thought it was a bit scary because it was still detected. What chemicals did you NOT expect to ...
Read more

Environmental Health News, Week 13: Diesel Ban in Europe

-
There is a small environmental organization, called Deutsche Umwelt Hilfe (DUH) or Environmental Action Germany, that is advocating for reducing air pollution in the European Union. In February, the German Federal Administrative Court banned older diesel fueled cars in certain cities and areas in Germany. This is a big step for the EU as diesel powered cars are used more than gasoline cars. According to the article, diesel cars are a major contributor to air pollution: 60% of nitrogen dioxide in Germany comes from motor vehicles, with three-quarters of that from diesel. Nitrogen dioxide levels and particulate matter levels are almost double the EU limits in cities like Munich. This pollution creates carcinogens and is associated with premature deaths, cardio-pulmonary diseases. Some say that this is the beginning of the end of diesel in the EU. "Paris, Copenhagen, London, and Madrid had already announced they are considering bans on some diesel cars beginning in 2020. " Whi...
Read more

M6.4: Industrial Farming

-
The Vanishing of the Bees and Dirt!: The Movie Before watching "The Vanishing of the Bees", I had only heard about this issue. I never thought to look deeper into it, but after watching this film, I see that it is an extreme issue that is directly related to our actions. "Dirt!: The Movie" further reveals that as a species, we are causing extensive harm to the planet and the environment. One thing that stood out to me was the use of pesticides. Pesticides harm our bees, and other pollinators, but they also harm the earth. As we continue to use these harmful chemicals, we kill our pollinators, destroy our soil, and ruin our environment. Big agriculture seeks to create monoculture and sustain human demand, but in reality, none of this is sustainable at all. From the dirt, to the bees, to the water, to us, we need to think of ways to preserve the environment and work with it to improve for the future. Factory Farms  According to the map, there are no factory farm...
Read more