TOXINS and/ or CARCINOGENIC COMPOUNDS FOUND IN EVERYDAY PRODUCTS – Part 1

ToxinsToxins & carcinogenic compounds can trigger an immune response.

Toxins  have also been known to trigger an autoimmune disease. They also cause a “flare up” (as those with autoimmune diseases know well). At the very least, they act as endocrine disruptors. This is why it’s important to keep yourself and your environment toxin free.

But, how do you do this when marketing is such a sexy strong pull compared to ingredient investigation? Even I have fallen for the moisturizer sure to confuse folks about my age & the cleaning product that makes my home smell like a meadow.

The problem is that many toxins are not only poisonous but they cause hormonal imbalances. Anything that acts as an endocrine disruptor is bad. Endocrine disruptors are compounds that act like estrogen – attaching to estrogen receptors and fooling the body into thinking it’s real estrogen. The biggest sources of these endocrine disruptors are the chemicals all around us. They’re in our food supply, our soaps, cosmetics, plastics, paint, carpeting, they’re everywhere.

Parabens:

Parabens are used as a preservative in deodorants, hair and skin products.

According to the MSDS (material safety data sheet) it’s an eye and skin irritant. Does this (at first blush) confuse you the way it did me?

Well reading on, the fact sheet didn’t alarm me too much until I read the “face protection requirements”. The document read that eye contact should be prevented using chemical safety glasses with side shields or splash proof goggles. And that an emergency eyewash must be readily accessible. It further indicated that skin contact should be minimized using gloves and suitable long sleeve clothing. It went on to read that consideration must be given both to durability as well as permeation resistance of the clothes worn by the handlers.

If it requires such care when handled at the plant and should not be handled… why is it ok to use in our personal care products?  Poison is still poison. And, it’s still poisonous if you use it in small quantities especially when used daily!!?

The odd ball thing is it didn’t read as scary as some of the other chemicals and compounds I’ve looked up. It rated a number two which is a moderate health hazard.

The bigger problem with parabens is the way they disrupt estrogen. This means they have a negative effect on the body. Estrogen disruptors have been associated with infertility, abnormal development of the testes, asthma, allergies, and unfortunately breast cancer.

 

Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) and Lauryl sulfate (SLES): 

This is an inexpensive foaming agent and emulsifier that you’ll find in detergents; personal care products; shampoos and soaps, etc.

The Journal of the American College of Toxicology has communicated that this has a degenerative effect on cell membranes. This happens because of its protein denaturing (destructive) properties.

Therefore, this is a skin irritant. It can manifest itself on your body as dermatitis or dandruff because it is denaturing your skin. Wow! And why is it in my personal care products??.. because I like “foam”.  I’ll deal with no foam. Take it out!

And guess what… the makers of SLS petitioned to have it listed as an approved pesticide for organic farming. Thankfully it was denied because of its polluting properties that would have been used to kill plants and insects.

When it’s heated, it releases toxic fumes. How many of you wash your hair while taking a warm shower? Toxic sodium oxide and sulfur oxides are released when SLS is heated. Wow, you’re taking a bath of warm chemicals. I feel so much better now. NOT.

It’s an irritant. It’s been proven to cause cataracts in adults. Imagine what it’s doing to the eyes of small children!

Guess what it does to mother earth. If it’s toxic to us you know it’s toxic to fish and other aquatic life. What makes matters worse is that it accumulates in the bodies of fish. And I don’t know of any water filtration system’s that advertise the filtering of this chemical.

The safety data sheet specifically says that this product should not be directly discharged into lakes, streams, ponds, oceans, public water supplies or other waters. “Do not contaminate surface of groundwater by cleaning equipment or disposal of waste including equipment and wash water”. So, my question to you is how many of you do this while using this product in your house?

While SLS has not been recognized as a carcinogen itself I’m not sure I want to continue using it. As chemicals penetrate our body and cross the membranes of our body cells are cells become compromised.

So what do you find sodium laurel sulfate or SLES in? Soaps, shampoos, body liquids, dish soap, laundry detergent, carpet cleaner, body wash, shaving cream, moisturizers, and even some sunscreens.

 

Propylene glycol and butylene glycol

So let’s start with the safety data sheet which has a big warning label on it. It communicates that it’s an irritant to the skin, the eyes & mucous membranes, upper respiratory system and that it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. How fun is that?

It’s so toxic that the EPA requires gloves, protective clothing, goggles and proper disposal for handling it. It even states that it could contribute to brain, kidney and liver abnormalities if precautions are not taken.

OK, so this started off a little scary. Can I amp it up a bit? Propylene glycol is produced on a large scale and is predominantly used in the production of polymers, but it also gets used in food processing.

It’s used for the manufacturing of polyester resins. It’s also one of the major ingredients used in electronic cigarettes. And, much to my dismay, it’s used in various edible items like coffee-based drinks, liquid sweetener’s, and ice cream. It’s also used as one of the delivery mechanisms in personal care products.

I found out that it’s also approved for use as an additive for dog food, but it’s prohibited for cat food. This gives me a room for paws. Get it? Paws.

Anyway, another frustrating thing is ethylene glycol is used in automotive antifreeze products. Antifreeze is known to be a problem for dogs who have accidentally confused it with a water puddle, drank it and died. So why is it OK for dog food?

And guess what the allergic reaction is…. if you can’t tolerate propylene glycol you’re going to experience dry skin or small red dots on the body or some version of allergic contact dermatitis. It’s been shown to be especially problematic for those patients that already have eczema or other skin allergies.

So, the crappy part is …. it’s used in everything from brake fluid to snack foods.

Propylene glycol is a sort of mineral oil. It’s an alcohol produced by the fermentation of yeast and carbohydrates.

Interestingly enough it has been banned for use in food products in Europe. It’s only allowed for nonfood uses. Again, food for thought, right?!

In general, propylene glycol is rated as a moderate hazard with a score of 4. But, here’s the thing if we keep exposing ourselves daily to moderate toxins from every direction, at what point or should I say what age, does the body stop compensating?

Bottom Line:

This post is part 1 of a 2 part series on chemicals you don’t want in your everyday products.  I’ll share some insight into other products found in our sunscreens & other everyday products but look into the ones you know about now. Hopefully, this blog post (& the next one) will make you want to check all the labels on your (& your childrens) moisturizers, cleaning products, sunscreens and other products.

All of these compounds are found to be carcinogenic with repeated or high doses. By themselves they might only pose a “moderate threat”. But how many of us use multiples of these products – some several times a day?  We shower, wash our hair, shave, do laundry, brush our teeth, use deodorant and moisturisers etc. It’s layer on layer of bad.

I’m not suggesting you go around stinky and boycott tooth paste…but I am suggesting you go natural as much as you can. There are a lot of products available that don’t contain harsh, damaging chemicals.

Just think, as we age our bodies have been exposed to hundreds of these toxic compounds for years.  At what point does the body lose the ability to compensate, heal from and recover from these daily barrages? Some have been proven to permeate cells… it might be a mater of time for others. Have you asked yourself why at age XX you suddenly developed an allergy to XYZ. Sure, you may have a leaky gut, or your body just started to break down…. but did you ever wonder why?

I think it’s time we all start looking at the ingredients of everything we put in and on our bodies.

Let’s give ourselves a fighting chance.

Stay tuned for more insights and please “follow me” so you dont miss a chance to live your healthiest life possible.

 

May 2, 2020