Research Log #3

Citation:

Maddan, Heather. "Five Questions for Mark Schapiro." San Francisco Chronical 7 
     Oct. 2007, Final ed.: G1. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. 
     <http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/>.

Summary:

This article answered a couple of questions that I had about toxins in cosmetics. It was an interview of Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco and author of the book, "Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power". There were very important questions answered that helped me better understand what goes on that us consumers do not know. Apparently, the European Union’s seventh amendment was forced and updated the 1976 Cosmetics Directive, as well as bans the use of any chemicals determined to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, otherwise known as CMRs. The difference between Europe and America is that European Union countries enforce the codes on their cosmetic companies, while America does not have a law that requires companies to put their ingredients on the label. Schapiro states that, “without cosmetic regulations, the United States has become a dumping ground for toxic waste in attractive packaging. The very lipsticks, eyeliners and blushers banned from European shelves are widely available in the United States.” Thankfully, the information on these toxic chemicals that the EU knows is made public, so that people around the world can see. With this research, they have found that the phthalates and carcinogenic have been used in American nail polish for years, but is now regulated in Europe. This article was definitely an eye opener. I am looking forward to finding out more information on this corruption.

Response:

I am SO happy I found this article! It answered numerous questions I had and also brought up some new information that really caught my attention. It was nice to know that the author is a male because it shows that he does not have as much of a connection to the problem. He is obviously doing this for research purposes. It surprised me that the European Union has been regulating cosmetics for some time. I think it shows a lot that it is so strictly enforced because no country would spend that much time and money on something that is not important. The United States needs to learn a few things from their neighbors. Notice what is banned in other countries that isn’t banned in the US. It is obvious that there is a reason why these chemicals are not sold on the shelves in the European Union.


Next Steps:
Now it is time to learn from the European Union and start to regulate the chemicals used by this industry. They already have a list of tested ingredients to avoid, now it is time to take this research and ban the chemicals from our products. The questions I have now are:
How hard would it be to change an industry and get rid of the corruption? 
How do you get this process started?
Who is involved in this change? 
How would this change effect prices or sales for this industry? 

Research Log #2

Works Cited:

Sutton, Rebecca. "Teen Girls' Body Burden of Hormone-Altering Cosmetic 
     Chemicals." Cosmetics Database. Environmental Working Group, 2007-2011. 
     Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ewg.org/reports/teens>.

Summary:

This article was very helpful because it targeted a group that I can relate to- teenagers. Laboratory tests were done and the results were extremely surprising. Sutton states that they, “detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families - phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption. These tests feature first-ever exposure data for parabens in teens, and indicate that young women are widely exposed to this common class of cosmetic preservatives, with 2 parabens, methylparaben and propylparaben, detected in every single girl tested.” Every single person tested for this was contaminated! Averages of 13 hormone-altering cosmetic chemicals were detected as well. I learned that most teens use an average of 17 toxic products per day, as opposed to the average adult woman who uses 12. The problem is that these girls are still developing and growing, so these harmful chemicals are risking their transformation from childhood to adulthood. All of this is a result of the Federal Health statutes that don’t require inspection of these products.

Response:

It scares me that my friends, family, and I are exposed to so many chemicals without even realizing it! I used to be one of those girls who constantly bought new products to smell good, feel good, or look good. Now, I am finding out that these products could kill us or ruin our reproductive systems! These test results were very revealing to me because they show that everyone is easily susceptible to toxins. I know so many people who use 20 or more products per day because they have no idea what the repercussions are. Who would be worried about a tiny bottle of lotion? It makes sense that these chemicals have the ability to seep into our skin and mess with our hormones, but why do these businesses allow it? I could not imagine giving the people who support my business a bottle of cancer. This behavior is immoral and inhumane because they are secretly tearing apart our bodies!

Next Steps:

The next steps are to change the regulation of these products to be more strict and to inform everyone about this horrible epidemic so that they can make better choices at the store. Every person should know the real results after using these products because not only will you get soft skin, but you will also get cancer, allergies, and reproductive and organ damage. 

Research Log #1

MLA Citation:

Hill, Amelia. "Make-Up Kit Holds Hidden Danger of Cancer." The Observer. 7 Apr. 
     2002: The Observer. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk>.

Summary:

            This article was about toxins in our cosmetics products that are now found to cause allergic reactions, reproductive damage, cancer, and many other unknown problems. I liked that this article gave different stories about people who had reactions to cosmetics, like the story of Denise Santamarina, who suffered from 10 years of chemically induced lupus because of her cosmetics. She states that, “I started getting sick when I began taking cosmetology classes… Over the next 10 years I suffered from a string of digestive problems, sinus infections and excruciating pain in my back, ribcage and arms. There were days when I would crawl across the floor in pain.” Also, there was very interesting information that I learned from this article, like, “Unlike food or drugs, cosmetics and their raw ingredients are not subject to review or independent pre-market approval”, and “Compared to the toxins found in our air, soil and waterways, cosmetics seem a trivial pursuit to many environmental health and consumer advocacy groups, but many of the same poisons that pollute our environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the jars and bottles that line our bathroom shelves.” Some companies are changing their ways by riding their products of toxic chemicals, but unfortunately, it is hard to know if these companies are being honest.

Response:

            This article was very informative for me because these were the first real cases that I have heard where women have had reactions to these products. I never thought that something as simple as nail polish or shampoo could affect someone’s bone marrow or cause lupus for years! This article makes this problem more of a reality because it shows that these chemicals are nothing to mess around with. If food is tested for these chemicals then why aren’t the products tested? I hate that these companies actually get PAID for this immoral behavior. It makes me sick. I was amazed by this because it seems like so much time and money goes into the regulation of food, but absolutely no attention is given to the products we use multiple times a day, such as lipstick, toothpaste, and make-up. It worries me that people do not know about this problem, because that means there is not going to be any change until people are informed.

Next Steps:

            I found this article because one of the books I am reading for this project used it as a source. I am very happy with this article because it gave me real situations where women have been affected by these toxins. This source raised many questions for me, such as: Why aren’t these chemicals regulated? Why are companies allowed to hide certain chemicals on the ingredients label? Now that I read this article, I will start to go into deeper research and find the loopholes that these businesses made for this corruption to be possible.