In a bottle, mix 1 part aluminum-free baking soda (we use Bob's Red Mill) to 3 parts Water. Shake well to mix. Squeeze or pour the baking soda solution onto your dry hair, then massage your scalp for several seconds. Leave in for 1-3 minutes then rinse well. In another bottle, mix 1 part organic white vinegar to 4 parts Water. If you prefer a scented mixture, add essential oils, herbs or a stick of cinnamon and 1/2 t vanilla. This masks the vinegar smell, and leaves your hair smelling spicy and lovely. Note that insects may be drawn to your hair if they find the scent enticing! Leave the vinegar solution on your hair for several seconds, then rinse.
used to, this formulation will leave you hair squeaky clean and shiny! |
| www.t-a-d-a.com |
| COSMETICS AND BODY CARE PRODUCTS |
| If it isn't safe to eat, then think twice before placing it on your body. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Anything you place on your skin is readily absorbed by the body. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate these products since they are not foods. This allows manufacturers free reign to add toxic chemicals and misleading labels on the safety of products. At greatest risk are products labeled for infants and children. When you ingest toxic substances, they are processed through the liver and have a chance of being eliminated from the body. However, when absorbed through the skin, the same toxic substances generally do not reach the liver and often are stored in the tissues of the body where, through time, they accumulate and are the cause of cancer and many other debilitating diseases. Take time to educate yourself before using cosmetics, sunscreen, shampoo, soap, body lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, powder or any other substances on your body. |
That's because the chemicals you swallow can be somewhat detoxified by enzymes in the liver. We expose ourselves to the daily, year after year. And the daily exposure is also frequently prolonged when we let the products sit on our skin rather than immediately wash them off. This provides increased opportunity for absorption. To make matters worse, most of the products on the market today contain penetration enhancers - designed to deliver a more complete or lasting effect. But in doing so, they make our skin even more permeable, helping other ingredients to penetrate the skin more easily and deeply (very dangerous if those ingredients are toxic). The latest penetration enhancer: nanoparticles, added to make skin cream products absorb deep into the skin, into the bloodstream and through the produce cumulative effects. And we aren't speaking only of grown-ups. Think of all the powders and lotions marketed for babies. A baby's skin is dramatically more sensitive to carcinogens than adults and their fast metabolism means absorption of any kind of lotion or powder product is exacerbated. According to a 2008 survey in the journal, babies who journal, babies who were recently shampooed, rubbed with lotion or were powdered were found to have elevated levels of phthalates, a disease-causing chemical, in their urine. In 1994 and again in 1996, the Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC) and the New York Center for Constitutional Rights (NYCCR) petitioned the FDA to demand talc genital dusting powder be labeled with a cancer warning. The FDA denied this petition. In 1997, Sen. Edward Kennedy publicly urged the FDA to place a cancer warning label on talc products (as well as other products containing known carcinogens) and to this date, the agency has still not responded. Hormone disrupters (preservatives, detergents, solvents, sunscreens, etc.) are chemicals that are harmful to the body's endocrine system (the adrenal, thyroid and pituitary glands, ovaries, pancreas and testicles). When our body mistakes these synthetic chemicals for its own natural hormones, our body's natural process is disrupted. While it is difficult to control our exposure to the carcinogens in our air and water, what we put on our skin is something that is truly up to us... should we choose to educate ourselves. The sad fact that we have been losing the war against cancer is made more so because so much of this is avoidable. According to Dr. Epstein, a 1990 survey taken in many major industrialized countries showed that cancers not related to smoking are responsible for about 75 percent of the overall increased occurrences of cancer since 1950. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the prescription drugs we take, and the cosmetics and personal care products we use have become pervasively contaminated with toxic carcinogens and we are continuously (and unknowingly) exposed to a huge amount of 'avoidable' carcinogens that can have long- lasting neurological, reproductive, and immunological effects. Toxic Beauty is an excellent eye-opening read that encourages us to learn about the harmful effects of the products we use almost every day. And because we cannot depend on the industry to take any action that does not serve its best interest, this book helps us in the absence of warning labels to identify those products that are killing us. How bad can these products be? Dr. Epstein illustrates with an example from 1933. That year, dozens of women went blind as a result of using a product called LASH LURE, a synthetic aniline dye marketed as an eyelash and eyebrow colorant. Aniline comes from coal tar and is also used in hair colorings. But even after so many went blind and at least one woman died, this product remained on the market for almost five years because the FDA did not warn the consumers and there was no regulatory authority in place to remove products with dangerous ingredients from the store shelves. CAUTION: Kisses may be poison Attention Ladies: Does your lipstick or lip gloss contain lead? Attention Gentlemen: Have you kissed those lead- laced lips? In an analysis done of 33 different popular brands of lipstick by an independent lab, it was found that 61% contained lead. Lead is readily absorbed by the body and accumulates in our bones. It is highly toxic to the nervous system and can also cause serious gastrointestinal symptoms of lead poisoning including diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting. The book highlights one of the biggest scandals for a cosmetics manufacturer that happened in the early 1800's. There was a woman named Signora Toffana and she created a face powder full of lead and arsenic. The wealthy wives of noblemen couldn't buy it fast enough! The more beautiful these women became, the more affectionate their husbands were with their kisses and the faster they died from the toxic facial powder Toffana was executed as an accomplice in the death of an estimated 600 husbands. Today there is such a preoccupation with appearing youthful that the cosmetic industry has been inspired to produce a line of products known as cosmeceuticals which are now the fastest growing sector of the cosmetic industry and yet one of the least scrutinized. The most disturbing truth about these cosmeceuticals is that the great majority of them have highly questionable (if any) benefits and that many of their ingredients make them very toxic. Cosmetics are a huge and immensely profitable billion dollar business. Dr. Epstein quotes Sen. Kennedy's warning to us more than 10 years ago "The cosmetic industry has borrowed a page from the playbook of the tobacco industry by putting profits ahead of public health." According to Toxic Beauty, although manufacturers are not required by law to provide evidence of their product's safety, the FDA certainly does have full authority (if it so chooses) to protect us from dangerous products by requiring clear warning labels on every product that contains dangerous ingredients. It also has authority to require product labels identify any ingredients that have not been tested for safety by including these words: WARNING. THE SAFETY OF THIS PRODUCT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. However, with very few exceptions, the FDA rarely chooses to exercise this authority. And if manufacturers do decide to test the safety of its ingredients, the results are kept confidential because, at this time, safety testing is voluntary. Not even the FDA has access to this information nor is the agency informed that the test was done. The industry is also not required to disclose the identification of a product's ingredients because they argue doing so will expose the company's trade secrets. But if companies do identify those ingredients, the labels are so chock full of complex chemical terms that very few of us could even understand what they were. Toxic Beauty is intended to provide guidance on how to read and decipher these baffling and often misleading product labels. The cosmetics and personal care products industry continues to market its products by boasting that if the products were harmful, the FDA would certainly alert the public. We, as consumers, have a fundamental right to know and understand what toxins are in our cosmetics and personal care products. And buyers should know that while most of us would think the label "natural" would mean something taken directly from nature, synthetic chemicals may legally be tagged "natural" without repercussion. And don't be fooled when you see a product labeled "fragrance free." Manufacturers may add unidentified fragrance ingredients to mask foul odors generated by other chemicals and still call it a "fragrance free" product because fragrances are treated as valuable trade secrets - and you know what that means: They do not have to list the chemicals on the labels. Watch out for products that are for "professional use only" because they don't have any ingredient labeling requirements. And you probably were not aware that the FDA does not require manufacturers to skin test those products marked "hypoallergenic, allergy tested or safe for sensitive skin." And because hidden carcinogens are not intentionally added to the cosmetics and personal care products, labeling them is not a requirement. We must realize that we are foolish to believe and trust that the FDA would alert us to products that contain threats to our physical health and emotional well-being. The authors tell us many European governments do what ours will not, enforcing a policy that declares 'harm to consumer health should not need to be established before corrective action is taken and that manufacturers would need to prove their product ingredients were safe before putting the products on the market.' However, the American public is beginning to wake up and a quiet revolution in our academic approach towards exposure to these toxic materials is now happening. Consumers are speaking up and banding together in efforts to punish irresponsible chemically- reckless companies by simply not buying their products. Everyday new companies with safe alternatives are emerging, and consumers need to make the intelligent choices. Products that contain toxic ingredients need to be labeled with red flag warnings similar to those cancer warnings on cigarettes. These product warnings should not substitute a ban or a total phase-out of toxic ingredients in the products we use. Human health and safety must take priority. There needs to be restrictions on claims of confidentiality by corporations trying to withhold ingredient 'recipes' for the purpose of protecting their trade secrets. As consumers, we cannot believe that it is safe to use products that have the sometimes misleading labels "natural" or "organic" because we cannot assume the product contains only safe ingredients. Remember, arsenic is natural, but it is hardly safe to use in personal care products. This book is an excellent eye-opening read encouraging us to educate ourselves about the harmful effects of the products we use almost every day and it shows us how to identify those products that are killing us when warning labels don't. We cannot depend on the industry to take any action unless it is in its own best interest. The book provides an excellent resource with many charts of harmful ingredients, their effects, and a list of safe alternatives. It also refers consumers to useful websites (such as www.DRUGSTORE.COM) that feature cosmetics and personal care products along with a complete list of ingredients and relevant warning labels. Toxic Beauty is intended to provide guidance on how to read and decipher the baffling and often misleading product labels. |
According to Dr. Epstein, the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act does not require cosmetics, personal care products or their ingredients be approved as safe before they are sold. The FDA's oversight begins only after you, the consumer, have used the product. People take for granted that cosmetics and personal care products are safe to use because they have been tested. We would like to believe the soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, perfume and lipsticks that we use everyday are harmless and that we can enjoy them without concern for our health. But there are more than 10,000 cosmetic and personal care products on the market today in the United States and very few have ever been assessed for their safety. Did you ever hear the saying, "Don't put it on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your mouth.?" Our skin is only 1/10 of an inch thick and highly permeable. Skin is the body's largest organ (approximately 10 sq. ft. if laid out like a rug) and this porous membrane is highly sensitive to toxic chemicals. What we put on our skin affects our health more than what we put in our mouth. Dr. Epstein discusses how the carcinogens in these beauty products create greater cancer risks than eating contaminated food. |
The largest organ of the human body is the skin. Anything you place on your skin including lotions, sunscreen, insect repellent, soap and perfume is readily absorbed by the body. Read labels carefully before applying anything to your skin. If it is not favorable to human consumption, it should not be placed on the skin. Have you considered the possibility that the rise of skin cancer may be attributed to toxic sunscreens and lotions? This is one of the basic recipes Ditoh uses to make his soothing skin lotions, which are for sale locally in northern Arizona. 2 ounces olive oil 2 ounces almond oil 2 ounces grapeseed oil In a pan, warm the three oils to 150 - 160 Fahrenheit. (We strongly suggest not using a microwave for any product that will be ingested by humans, animals or plants. Check out research on the effects of microwaved food and water!) At the same time, in a separate pan, heat the following ingredients: 2 ounces Chaparral tea, previously prepared (make a strong batch) 1 ounce seawater or diluted liquid minerals 1 teaspoon magnesium chloride oil When the oils are hot, slowly stir in: 1 tablespoon organic beeswax granules A pinch of borax 2-4 drops rosemary oil Using a whisk, slowly stir the tea liquid into the oil mixture. Once the ingredients are well mixed, place the hot pan into a sink filled with cool water. Keep stirring as the lotion cools. When cool, using a funnel, pour lotion into bottles and seal. Shake well before using. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to create your favorite scents. |
Smile - Treat Your Lips to
information!) Make these natural treatments part of your everyday beauty regime. Lip-care products were among the first cosmetics, dating as far back as 3500 b.c., when Mesopotamians made lip paints. Even in Puritan New England—where cosmetic use was frowned upon—women made soothing lip balm from crushed rose petals. Lipstick, as we know it, was introduced in Paris in 1910. Bees wax was a key ingredient then and still is today, as manufacturers haven’t been able to develop a suitable substitute for it. You don’t have to spend $15 at a cosmetic-counter for a bright, beautiful smile, however. Natural lip glosses and balms are easy to create at home. Here are a few recipes to get you started. Bee Balm for Lips Makes 1 ½ ounces Bees provide a valuable lip balm ingredient—beeswax! This rich balm will soften and protect your lips. You can use it alone or as a base for colored lipstick. 2 tablespoons grated beeswax 1 teaspoon sunflower oil 1 teaspoon apricot kernel oil 1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil On a stove, gently heat bees wax and oils until melted; be careful to not over heat. Stir well to combine. Pour into a small, clean container, then cool completely. Fresh Spearmint Lip Gloss Makes 1/2 ounce Spearmint makes this gloss feel refreshing and soothing on your lips. Also try using other mints, such as orange, pineapple, cinnamon or chocolate mint. If you don’t have fresh mint on hand, substitute dried mint until fresh leaves are available. 1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves OR ½ teaspoon dried leaves 2 teaspoons almond oil 1 teaspoon grated beeswax Place mint in a container; gently bruise leaves to release essential oils. Pour oil over leaves and let sit for a few days. Strain oil, then add it to beeswax. On a stove, gently heat mixture until wax melts. Stir well and pour into a small, clean container. Red Clover Lip Gel Makes 1 /2 ounce Here’s an old folk remedy for dry, chapped lips. You can find red clover blossoms at your natural food store, or possibly in your own garden. Its flowers yield a sweet, honey-like substance that has anti-inflammatory and skin- soothing properties. ½ tablespoon dried red clover flowers OR 1 tablespoon fresh flowers ¼ cup water ¼ teaspoon clover honey ⅛ teaspoon vitamin E oil ⅛ teaspoon cornstarch In a small pan, bring clover, water and honey to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, then strain liquid. Return liquid to pan and stir in oil and cornstarch, mixing well. Heat mixture until it forms a clear gel (about 1 to 2 minutes). Cool gel completely, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a clean container. Protective lip glosses and balms are easy and fun to make with herbs and other natural ingredients. |
Toxic ingredients in Shampoo and Hair Conditioners In this article and 3 minute video, Dr. Mercola talks about the 5 main ingredients found in nearly all shampoos and conditioners and their toxic effects on the body. His team has also developed an organicshampoo and conditioner which they sell. These products have nearly the same sudsing effect that most of us enjoy without the hidden dangers of toxic substances. http://products.mercola.com/shampoo-condi tioner/?source=nl For an economical solution, try the baking soda and vinegar shampoo recipes below. While on drmercola.com do a word search on these articles: Carcinogens Found in "Organic" Personal Care Products and "Is Your Shampoo Polluting the Water Supply?" for information on ingredients to avoid. This site is packed with informative articles on natural health. |
TOOTHPASTE There is a growing movement to uncover the real reason why drinking water is purposely contaminated with fluoride, a substance known to be dangerous to humans. It has been added under the guise of preventing tooth decay, but scientific studies have proven that this is not true. Supposedly, prior to 1945, fluoride was labeled as an environmental pollutant in the U.S. Yet, in 1950, the U.S. Public Health Service began their unrelentless push to add it to municipal drinking water. Could it be that large corporations like the aluminum and phosphate industries were looking for a place to get rid of their toxic waste by-product? There is an increasing amount of air and environmental pollution just from fluoride alone. Whether you spit into the sink, pee or poop in your toilet or throw your fluoridated product containers into landfills, you are being part of the problem if you are using these products or drinking fluoridated water. You would be wise to research this hot topic and decide if you wish to be part of the problem or part of the solution. Some home filters will remove fluoride from your tap water. Reverse osmosis also will filter out the fluoride. If you want to know more about the tap water you are drinking, call your municipal water company and request a fact sheet. This is public information and should be provided to you, upon request. If indeed your tap water is fluoridated, you might want to talk to others, get a petition going and get the city to remove it. Go into any major grocery store chain and read the labels on each brand of toothpaste. Even many of the "healthy" companies have added fluoride to their products. Ask your grocer to stock non-fluoridated toothpastes. After all, they are in business because of you, the consumer. In the meantime, you should be able to find some non-fluoridated toothpastes at your local health food store or find a place where you can order online. Ditoh and I avoid using fluoridated products. Below we share our favorite oral hygiene methods with you. Ditoh enjoys experimenting with various types of home made toothpastes and powders. The following is his current favorite tooth powder: Mix together equal parts of: myrrh powder goldenseal powder cayenne powder Dampen your toothbrush then add one drop of peppermint oil and sprinkle on the powder mixture. ******************************************** Theresa rarely uses toothpaste because of its abrasive action on tooth enamel. She brushes simply with just water. Twice a week, she brushes with baking soda. Flossing once a day helps keep the dentist away. Graperfruit Seed Extract (GSE), Aloe and Zinc in Toothpaste May Protect Against Viral and Bacterial Infections of the Oral Cavity, according to a report from New York City’s Pace University, 1998. |
Non-Toxic Mosquito Repellent by Theresa Crabtree Are you a bulls-eye target for mosquitoes? Tired of being part of the mosquito life cycle? Have you eaten garlic and onion to no avail and find yourself dateless on Saturday night with only mosquitoes to keep you company? Well, here’s some insurance for a more enjoyable summer... tried and tested by a veteran mosquito target living in mosquito paradise in Florida, where the mosquito is the state bird! DEET Alert! Most commercially effective mosquito repellents on the market contain DEET as the main active ingredient. Currently, there are well over 200 products using DEET (including OFF, Cutter and most Repel), sometimes with concentrations as high as 100 percent. Read on for some precautions to take if you decide to use this powerful toxic substance. No matter what scientific proof occurs in the lab with rats, monkeys or other critters. Each and every person’s body acts and reacts differently to all stressors, and that changes from time to time since there are so many variables involved. Your best defense is common sense. If it’s manufactured, processed or chemically created, it’s likely your body will have a hard time figuring out what to do with the substance. Your body was designed to eat raw fruits, veggies and herbs. Even meat was designed to be eaten raw. Cooking and processing foods are human inventions. As a result, you can expect a chemical formulation like DEET to not be in the best interest for human health. Consider each of the pores on your skin as little mouths, sucking in whatever you put on it. Then there’s the inhalation into the lungs that occurs with aerosols. When the chemicals like DEET get heated (which often happens when left in the sun or exposed to high summer temps), oftentimes it changes the chemical properties (even in many natural products), making it dangerous for human consumption. Enough said on that, there is plenty of evidence if you wish to delve deeper on the subject. What I want to do here is to list some precautions in case you choose to use insect repellents, insecticides or herbicides. Keep in mind most of these products are designed to kill insects, so I wouldn’t classify any of them as “safe and harmless.” Some of the symptoms associated with prolonged use of DEET are: Headaches Inability to concentrate Lack of muscle coordination Memory Loss Muscle and Joint Pain Poor Cognition Possible damage to brain cells Shortness of Breath Tremors Weakness The more one is exposed to DEET, the higher the risk of problems associated with its use. Many symptoms are never related to DEET because they may not become evident for months or years after exposure. DEET toxicity is exacerbated when used with other chemicals, such as permethrin, which is a common ingredient in many pesticides. Thus, if you have sprayed yourself with DEET to avoid the skeeters, then play in the grass or are outside spraying the lawn with other chemicals, you could be creating more havoc on your body. Instead of reaching for that can of RAID, grab a shoe or flyswatter instead... deadly for the insect but safe for humans and pests. Like all medications, there is danger of incompatibility with other chemicals, DEET and even natural herbs are no exception. If you are using insecticides or pesticides on your skin or spraying them in your environment, be sure to bathe and wait awhile before taking any medications, even over-the-counter substances to lessen your chances of contra-indications. Infants and young children are highly susceptible to brain damage and effects from chemicals such as DEET since their brains and nervous system are immature. I wouldn’t even spray DEET anywhere near a baby. Keep in mind that if you or your friends have used insect repellents and have sprayed their clothes... if they pick up your baby, pay attention to where the baby’s face is... and where have your friends’ hands been... because you know where your babies hands are destined to be... in the mouth. If you insist on using toxic insecticides and pesticides, do your best to keep it off your skin. Especially avoid getting it on cuts, scratches and irritated skin. For added protection, wash the chemicals off your skin and change your clothes as soon as you come inside. Wear lightweight clothing that covers the skin as much as possible, spraying the clothing instead of your skin. Watch out for those fumes! If you can smell it, you are inhaling it. If you cough while spraying or wearing it, your body is reacting and trying to say, “Get that stuff outta here!” I’d like to share a story of an incident that happened to my neighbor a few years ago. We lived in a rural area outside of Sedona, Arizona. He was in his 80’s and from a long line of organic farmers. His sister came to stay to help long-term and could not stand the crickets in that kept getting into the house. She forced him to have the inside of the house sprayed and the foundation on the outside of the house. Now, this is a man with a keen sense of observation. Within a few months, not only were there no more live crickets in the house. There weren’t any other insects inside or out for quite a ways from the house. Soon, there were no insect predators, like lizards and a few years later, even the birds would still not come near the house. Since then, his garden was plagued with insects that had never been a problem before. He believes it was due to the imbalance created by the one time spraying of the insecticide. Just something for you to think about. There are three other insect repellents that I would like to mention, Picardin, Repel and Skin So Soft. Picaridin, also known as Bayrepel or KBR 3023 One is Picaridin (Bayrepel, KBR 3023) which is relatively new on the U.S. market (2005). It is longer lasting than DEET, odorless and less likely to cause skin irritation, that’s the good news. The bad news it is still a chemical formulation and should be used with caution and as directed. Repel offers several formulations. The heavy duty ones use higher concentrations of DEET. They have two mosquito repellents that don't use DEET. Repel Natural uses 5% geraniol, which is made from geraniums and is safe to use. However, it still has those nasty skin irritants, sodium lauryl sulphate and glycerin. This product repels up to 4 hours. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus is also DEET free. I didn't find their ingredient list, but likely it has the same as mentioned above. Skin So Soft by Avon was accidentally discovered to have mosquito repellent properties, which zoomed its sales overnight. One drawback was that it had a short effective time, only 30 minutes in some cases. Not wanting a big moneymaker go to the wayside, Avon now has added chemicals to the original formulation, selling it as an insect repellent. Sounds good, but the bottom line is the main ingredient, mineral oil, is not digested by the human body. Mineral oil is a by-product of petroleum, you know, like gasoline, engine oil... your skin is like thousands of mouths ingesting this substance. Yucky, yuck! Maybe the mosquitos are smarter than us by steering clear it. Please read more about mineral oil in the section dedicated to it on this page. Non-Toxic Insect Repellents There are a few mosquito repellents on the market that don't use DEET. One is Cutter's Natural formulation. This is a spray then wipe on product, making it kind of messy. It has a pleasant fragrance and needs to be re- applied about every half hour if you are sweating or swimming. I tried making my own repellents using catnip and other essential oils, but found them to be ineffective, needing to be reapplied often. Check out the link below for information on Dr. Mercola's Bug Spray. He has great information on sunscreens and offers a deal when you buy both products. http://products.mercola.com/summer-survival-kit ***************************************************** RELIEF FROM MOSQUITO BITES To take the itch and swelling out of a mosquito bite, apply one of the options below, as soon after the bite as possible. Adoph’s Meat Tenderizer This is the cure-all for most insect bites or stings. Adolph’s is simply a digestive enzyme called papain that is designed to break down meat to make it tender. The enzymes also counteract the saliva and toxins left by the mosquito and many other insects and critters... even man-of-war stings... reducing swelling and enabling healing to occur more rapidly. Place a small amount of tenderizer in the palm of your hand. Make a paste with water or saliva and apply to the affected area. Onion If you’re going on an outdoor adventure, pack some cut up onion pieces and store in a ziplock plastic pouch. Rub it liberally on the bite to take the itch out and reduce swelling. One of the nice things about onions, is you can have your little ones keep a bag with them while on outings. Fits nicely in the pocket and not a financial loss when (notice I didn’t say “if”) they lose it. Now, let’s get off this computer and spend some fun time outdoors! |
Recognize this hungry gal?
Crude Awakening: Mineral Oil Contaminates Everyone's Bodies Sayer Ji, Contributing Writer Activist Post The scientific literature indicates that there are at least two dozen adverse health effects linked to exposure to mineral oil, a crude oil derivative. New research indicates these fat-soluble hydrocarbons are accumulating to disturbing levels in our bodies, and affecting newborns by contaminating breast milk. How did they get there? Mineral oil is legally allowed to be added to our foods, drugs and cosmetics, where they accumulate in our bodies over time, with the highest concentrations found in our fat deposits. One autopsy study performed in 1985, revealed that 48% of the livers and 46% of the spleens of the 465 autopsies analyzed showed signs of mineral-oil induced lipogranuloma (a nodule of necrotic, fatty tissue associated with granulomatous inflammation or a foreign-body reaction around a deposit of an oily substance), indicating just how widespread pathological tissue changes associated with exposure really are. In the United States, the FDA has approved mineral for use in cosmetic products, as well as a food additive up to 10 mg/kg a day. For a 150 lb adult (68.03 kilograms) this is the equivalent of 680 milligrams a day, or 248 grams (over half a pound!) a year. According to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, mineral oil may be used for the following uses in ingestible products: Source: www.accessdata.fda.gov Considering the fact that our food supply is now saturated with "food-grade" petroleum, it is no wonder that a study published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology in 2008, found that "mineral paraffins might be the largest contaminant of our body, widely amounting to 1g per person and reaching 10 g in extreme cases." In the study they took tissue samples from women undergoing Caesarean section and found "concentrations varied between 15 and 360 mg/kg fat, with an average of 60.7 mg/kg and a median of 52.5 mg/kg." More disturbingly, milk samples taken from these same women 4 days after delivery showed "the same mixture of mineral paraffins as the tissue fat at concentrations between 10 and 355 mg/kg (average, 44.6 mg/kg; median, 30 mg/kg)." Infants, of course, are at much higher risk for adverse effects associated with mineral oil exposures due to their far higher body burden (lower body weight vs. chemical exposure) and less developed blood-brain-barrier and detoxification systems in comparison to adults. Also, children have been found to have a far higher body burden than adults, either to higher consumption of de-dusted grains and/or glazing agents on confectionery, or their inability to detoxify it as efficiently as adults. It should be noted that the health risks associated with mineral oil are not strictly theoretical. The World Health Organization classifies mineral oils (in untreated or lightly treated industrial-grade form) as Group 1 carcinogens to humans. [1] The OSHA fact sheet on mineral oil also references research from 1991 indicating that it is carcinogenic to humans. [2] Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2009 found that commonly used moisturizing creams containing mineral oil are tumorigenic when applied topically to UVB-pretreated high-risk mice. The brands studied were Dermabase, Dermovan, Eucerin, or Vanicream, which millions of Americans apply daily to their skin. ________________________________________ [1] International Agency for Research on Cancer (17 June 2011). "Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1 - 102" (PDF). Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. pp. 3, 19. Retrieved 11 November 2011. [2] Hathaway GJ, Proctor NH, Hughes JP, and Fischman ML [1991]. Proctor and Hughes' chemical hazards of the workplace. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold. This article first appeared at GreenMedInfo. Please visit to access their vast database of articles and the latest information in natural health. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |