I took a look at my old links and decided my favorites had changed. Also, I figured that by now everyone knew about Lolcats. So these are a selection of my favorite links that I think you're less likely to know about. Enjoy!
Environmental Working Group -This nonprofit focuses on disclosing how safe consumer products are. You've probably heard about the "Dirty Dozen," the common fruits and veggies that have the highest number of pesticides. EWG publishes this, as well as sunscreen safety guides (UBA/UVB spectrum and chemicals), cosmetic safety guides, and cell phone radiation studies, among others. They have some Iphone apps too, so you can be informed on the go.
Seafood Watch -This guide is published by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, another nonprofit. It tells you what seafood and sushi choices are sustainable and which are bad, and also give some info. about mercury contamination. They also have an Iphone app and a printable seafood guide, as well as sustainable seafood recipes.
$5 Meal Challenge Slow Food USA - This challenge was based out of the idea that you don't have to spend a lot to eat well. The $5 is based on the average cost of a fast food meal, so people have now submitted thousands of recipes for homemade healthy meals that are under $5/person (many are well under that cost).
Good Guide - This website rates consumer products and brands based on their impact on health, environment and society. Note they are not rated based on consumer satisfaction or value, you will need to use a different website to find that out. They have guides for pet care, kids, toiletries, clothes, and electronics. And they have an Iphone app too:)
Center for a New American Dream - This website is probably encompasses all of my own utopian ideals! Their mission statement says it all:
"The Center seeks to cultivate a new American dream—one that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values, while upholding the spirit of the traditional American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We envision a society that pursues not just “more,” but more of what matters—and less of what doesn’t."
I have been on a slow and steady track to change over the products in the bathroom to more health conscious products. The first thing I realized when I did this was how many products I use! The second thing I realized was how poorly many of them rate. And my third realization was how many products there are to choose from. Getting lower hazard products isn't necessarily more expensive, but it does take research and possibly some internet shopping if you don't have local stores that carry them.
I am going for products that are listed as lower hazards on the Cosmetics Safety Database. Products are rated on a scale of 0-10, and lower scores indicate lower hazards for the ingredients. A lot of the products have high data gaps (that is, there have not been studies on many of the ingredients/chemicals in the product), so ideally you would want a product also with a low data gap so the score is more reliable and indicative of the whole product. Here is a rundown of products I've investigated:
Hair dye-this was the first thing I looked at because I was pretty sure it was horrible. I was right!
-Past product: L'oreal Couleur Expert, a hazard rating of 9/10 and a 79% data gap
-Trying: Light Mountain, rated 1/10 and 62% data gap
-Other info: the only hair dye that you'll probably find at Target that's a moderate hazard is Garnier Dimensional Lightener and Loving Care by Clairol. All the others are high hazard.
Shampoo:
-Past product: Herbal Essences Moisturizing Shampoo: 5/10 hazard and 76% data gap
-Trying: BWC Lavender Highland 3/10 and 87% data gap. I got it because it was on sale for $5 on Amazon.com, but it smells like the shampoo I've washed my cats with. Probably will not buy again.
-Other info: Burt's Bees Outdoor Shampoo Bar and Pantene Pro-V Expressions are also low hazards. Other common shampoos (including other products by Burt's Bees and Pantene) are moderate-high.
Bug Spray:
-Past and present product: Cutter and Off! unscented repellant and wipes, 2-3/10 and 65% gap
-For comparison: Off Skintastic, 7/10 and 75% gap
-Other info.: According to this it seems like DEET isn't that bad (or maybe is in the data gap) but the fragrances and other ingredients are often not so great.
Toothpaste:
-Past product: Colgate Total Advanced Fresh, 6/10 and 73% gap
-Trying: Tom's of Maine Natural Whole Care, 3/10 and 70% gap
-Other info: Jason Natural Cosmeticstoothpaste is low hazard, and the basic Colgate toothpaste has lower scores than the fancy ones.
Mouthwash:
-Current product: Listerine, a 3/10 and 68% data gap, though tartar control is rated 5/10
-Happy enough to keep with it, did not do additional research
Contact Solution:
-Current product: Opti-Free, 3/10 and 77% gap
-Other info: every all-in-one contact solution is listed as a moderate hazard, CVS Saline Solution is low hazard
Deoderant/Antiperspirant:
-Current product: Crystal, 0/10 and 29% data gap (this is a cheap product and I've been happy with it, doesn't stain!)
-Past product: Degree, 4-6/10 and 83% gap
-other info: the low hazard products don't contain fragrance. Crystal and Naturally Fresh also rate better because there are just so few ingredients. Aluminum in many antiperspirants has been implicated in Alzheimer's but is not ranked as high hazard in the database.
Still working on finding alternatives:
Sunscreen: Banana Boat Sports Sunscreen Spray, 7/10, 84% data gap Banana Boat Sports Faces Lotion, 7/10, 86% data gap
Conditioner: Bath and Body Works Moisturizing Conditioner, unlisted
Shower Gel: Bath and Body Works, unlisted
Lotion: Suave, 7/10 and 79% data gap Pacifica Body Butter, 3/10 and 81% data gap
I know that many moisturizers rate poorly because of petroleum/plastics in the ingredients.
I also need to investigate these but I think this is a long enough post!
Makeup
Hand Soap
Hand Sanitizer
For products that are unlisted, it is possible to get a tentative report if you are a registered user. Basically you can create your own report by entering all of the information on the label and the database weights it based on the ingredients listed. Of course, for those products that have 20 ingredients in all chemical sounding names this would be quite the task to enter correctly!
We have all been raised to give those pearly whites a good brushing. But as it turns out, toothpaste often has carcinogens in the ingredients. The chemical triclosan is a chemical commonly found in soaps, makeup, antibacterial gels, and yes, toothpaste. It is a dioxin, a group of chemicals known to bioaccumulate and can increase risk for thyroid problems, diabetes, and certain cancers. Triclosan is among 80,000 chemicals that are commonly found in household products but go relatively unstudied, according to a new report by the President's Cancer Panel. Other common offenders the report highlights include formaldehyde, bisphenol a, and the pesticides that are used to produce nearly all conventionally produced foods (most pesticides are also very long-lived in the environment and in our bodies).
What seems the most messed up about this to me is how little these chemicals are labeled. Since I work in a lab every day, each chemical is labeled with its own hazards and we keep a material safety data sheet for them. How often do you seen a carcinogen label on your products? Instead, there's tiny warning labels at the bottom after everything else you've read. And with a lot of cleaners, even if they say to wear gloves and a mask, who does that? That's why I've switched to cleaning primarily with natural cleaners: namely, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, etc. Works decently, plus they're cheap!
So how do your products rate? See these links for cosmetics, produce, and cleaners. My advice is brush responsibly!
