The New And Improved Information Age

The Synthetic Chemicals Guide wants you to become an Organic Cycle-aware consumer. One of the primary requirements of doing so is getting in the habit of reading labels. At this point in time, many manufacturers believe it is within their rights to use ingredients in their products that may contain harmful chemicals. The kind of corporate mentality that allows them to think that "whatever increases our profit margin" is permissible.

As I have discussed elsewhere on this website, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is severely backlogged in their synthetic chemical reviews and testing. The FDA's primary goal--that of protecting the public from corporate abuse--went the way of the dinosaurs. It is now and completely upon you to protect yourself and your family.

Growing List Of Concerns

My intention is to collect a list of synthetic chemicals and their label ingredients here that are common to many of the products you use in your home, workplace, or places of play. Some will be in products you eat or drink, others will be in those products that have an external impact on you, such as soaps, cleaners. The list of potentially harmful chemicals is nearly endless.

But all is not hopeless. At least not where your becoming an informed consumer is concerned. And definitely not where the Synthetic Chemicals Guide is concerned, either. I will continue adding to the list as time goes on. Here are just a few to get you started on the road to educating yourself and protecting yourself and your family.

The following chemicals are commonly found in cleaning and maintenance products. See if any are listed on the labels of the products you are using. (Source: Texas Department of Health)

In Your Food

• Potentially harmful chemicals found in your food: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), Organophosphate Pesticides (OPs), Organochlorine Pesticides (OCs), Metals, Organic salts, Mercury compounds, Arsenic compounds, Chlorinated dioxins & furans, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), Brominated Fire Retardants, Bisphenol A & BADGE, Perchlorate, Inorganic salts, Miscellaneous pesticides, Inorganic ions, Fluoride compounds, Volatile and semivolatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs), Substituted benzenes.

In Your Water

• Bottled Water
• None of the top 10 U.S. domestic bottled water brands label specific water sources and treatment methods for all their products.
• Only 2 bottled waters disclose water sources and treatment methods on their labels and offer a recent water quality test report on their websites. These best performers are:
      * Ozarka Drinking Water
      * Penta Ultra-Purified Water
• Just 18% of bottled waters disclose quality reports with contaminant testing results. Among them, all 8 Nestlé domestic brands surveyed:
      * Poland Spring
      * Nestlé Pure Life
      * Arrowhead
      * Calistoga
      * Deer Park
      * Ice Mountain
      * Ozarka
      * Zephyrhills

• Tap Water

• There are possibly over 300 pollutants in your tap water.
• "Since 2004, testing by water utilities has found 315 pollutants in the tap water Americans drink, according to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) drinking water quality analysis of almost 20 million records obtained from state water officials."
• Check out your municipality's tapwater rating HERE (EWG's National Drinking Water Database).

In Your Cosmetics

• Fragrance (also known as Parfum): is a known human immune system toxicant. It lowers your resistance to illnesses. (Source: SCCNFP - The Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products Intended for Consumers, 1999).
  


Note: This chemical's name is highly deceptive. While it does add a fragrance to a product, it is not the "fragrance" you commonly refer to as perfume, eau d' toilet, or cologne. It is a harmful chemical and rates an 8 out of 10 on EWG's "hazardous concern" scale. (See the Cosmetics Database link below...)


Products (number of) that use the hazardous chemical, "Fragrance:"

Hair color and bleaching (2,244); moisturizer (1,891); conditioner (1,677); shampoo (1,672); facial moisturizer / treatment (1,422); body wash / cleanser (1,352); styling gel / lotion (1,098); facial cleanser (1,060); fragrance for women (973); antiperspirant/deodorant (795).

In Your Fertilizers

• Nitrate compounds: nitrogen-oxygen compounds released into the environment from the widespread use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, human sewage and animal manure.

High nitrate levels in well water can cause the sometimes-fatal “blue baby” syndrome in infants, impairing the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen. Over years, adults consuming excess nitrates can suffer kidney and spleen damage.

In Your Soaps, Detergents, Cleaning Solutions

• Among the many synthetic chemicals that are used in cleaning products, detergents and soaps (bar, liquid, etc.), one extremely hazardous chemical stands out:
• Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): Are known to have organ system toxicity (non-reproductive). Meaning, they cause cancer and other organ diseases. These chemicals are persistent and bioaccumulative (Editor's note: i.e., they stay permanently) in the brain and nervous system.

Source: EWG.org - Chemical Index

Resources

BioGreen Majic - Home of the Go-Majic Pro series of 100% carcinogen-free and !00% biodegradable cleaning solutions, laundry soap, plant-wash solutions and fertilizers. While not 100% organic, these products are by far the most effective and safe to use solutions.

Read more by clicking on the links in the navigation bar to the left.