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.