Chemicals | Green Living

Phthalates: Are They Dangerous?

phthalates 300x252 Phthalates: Are They Dangerous? If you happened to watch 60 Minutes a couple of months ago, you likely saw a story about the dangers of phthalates, a subject that’s been a pet peeve of mine for quite sometime. The program talked about the possible dangers of phthlates in regular consumer products and that pregnant women should beware, as phthlates could cause abnormalities in male babies. The data, however, is inconclusive, so naturally the plastics industry stepped in quick as lightening to say that all these phthalate-containing consumer products are perfectly safe.

As a green girl, I take the precautionary principle: I won’t use anything until it’s proven to be safe, so in the case of phthalates, I’ll avoid them wherever possible until otherwise assured of their 100% safety. It’s also come to the attention of a few highly respected doctors and scientists that phthalates found in perfumes, cosmetics, shampoos, nail polishes, etc., really can cause injury to the developing brain and cause neuro-developmental disorders. This is why it’s really important that women, particularly of childbearing age, take steps to try to minimize their exposure.

The problem is that you won’t find the word “phthalate” on a label.

Phthalates are typically found in highly perfumed products, as the compound that causes the scent to linger. These synthetic compounds have also been linked to a lower IQ and childhood obesity (ugh – can you believe it!). It’s quite horrendous that our children are basically “test subjects.” Only 200 of 82,000 chemicals have been tested for safety and the “safe” levels often don’t take a child’s size into account — I wish I’d known as much as I do now when I was pregnant.

The inconvenient truth is that we’ve probably all got some degree of phthalates in our blood, but the good news is that after minimizing their exposure, test subjects had a dramatic reduction of levels in their blood.

Ok, so here’s how to minimize your exposure to phthalates – pass it on..

1. Avoid perfumes unless the company openly states that they do not use phthalates of any kind. I love Ajne Perfume — they are strong, lasting, and made only from natural oils.

2. Avoid scented candles, unless you know that they have been mixed with organic essential oils.

3. Avoid all home and car air-fresheners.

4. Make sure that all your skin care products are either unscented or scented with organic essential oils.

5. Buy non-toxic nail polishes.

6. Avoid as many soft plastics in your home as possible: vinyl shower curtain, kid’s rain coats, soft/pliable plastic toys, etc.

About the Author

Sophie Uliano is a passionate environmentalist who has developed an earth-friendly lifestyle that appeals to women who don’t want to compromise their glamour and style. She is the New York Times Best Selling author of “Gorgeously Green”, “The Gorgeously Green Diet,” and the newly released “Do It Gorgeously.”

Read more amazing tips from Sophie at GorgeouslyGreen.com

How Safe Is Your Perfume?

perfumes 300x175 How Safe Is Your Perfume? A new report by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group finds that many perfume labels aren’t completely telling you everything that’s in the scent you love — and sometimes, the “secret” ingredients can be harmful.

Jane Houlihan, co-author of the report entitled “Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance”, said that perfume “mixtures can [contain] dozens, even hundreds, of individual chemicals.” On average, the researchers found 14 unlisted chemicals present in a random test of 17 perfume products — and some of them have been linked to at the minimum allergic reactions and even hormone disruption.

Of the fragrances tested — across multiple price points — American Eagle Seventy Seven had the highest number of unlisted ingredients at 24 and Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue had the least at seven. The unlisted chemicals — including benzyl benzoate, diethyl phthalate and tonalide have been known to cause adverse reactions and are known hormone disruptors. Given that some of the tested fragrances are popular with young girls, these ingredients are of even greater concern.

Currently, the FDA’s Fair Packaging and Labeling Act allows fragrances in cosmetic products to be simply labeled as “fragrances.” Houlihan and her group are calling for the chemicals that make up “fragrances” to be listed in their entirety.

“People should be able to know what they are being exposed to,” she said.

Is Plastic Making Us Fat?

girldrinkingplasticbottle 300x211 Is Plastic Making Us Fat? Researchers think they may have found a link between chemicals used in plastic, toys and makeup and the rise in obesity in the U.S. In addition to diet and exercise, exposure to chemicals called obesogens – specifically during critical stages of development — may predispose us to being heavier and can make it harder to lose weight as adults.

Obesogens — like bisphenol-A (aka BPA) and phthalates — may also explain why we all know people who eat whatever they want and remain thin while others gain weight even if they watch their diets carefully.

Obesogens may also affect metabolism and how quickly hunger is satisfied. Jerrold Heindel of National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS) says timing of exposure is an important factor. Research indicates that development stages –in utero and through puberty) is the most sensitive period.