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.