What's in Your Makeup Bag?

By mold recovery 11/21/2011 , , 3 comments
How much do you know about the ingredients in your personal care products? According to a newly released study featured on Oregon Live, most people know very little about the products they use every day. From shampoos to deodorants to toothpaste to perfumes, most consumers remain in the dark. The study, commissioned through Portland State University and titled "What's in My Makeup Bag?," concludes that most people think there are health risks associated with using personal care products, yet generally trust the products they use. According to the study:

. . . nearly half of the respondents do not believe that the government adequately regulates personal care products (45.4%) and over half do not feel that they know all they need to know about the ingredients in the personal care products they use (62.5%).

momsAWARE has created an opportunity to test your knowledge and learn more about the hidden ingredients in your personal care and other household products. This 15-question Chemical Awareness Quiz covers subjects ranging from antibacterial soaps to pesticides to mouthwash. Below are a few samples of the kinds of questions included on the quiz.

  1. How many personal care products does the average woman use each day?

    a. 7
    b. 9
    c. 12
    d. 17
  2. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers' 2008 annual report, this was the top cause of poisoning in children under age 5:

    a. Household cleaners
    b. Pain medications
    c. Cosmetics/personal care products
    d. Foreign bodies/toys
  3. The manufacturer of this consumer product warns against using it near birds because it can "damage a bird's lungs with alarming speed."

    a. Non-stick cookware
    b. Ant spray
    c. Weed killer
    d. Furniture polish
  4. Triclosan, one of the primary ingredients in antibacterial soaps, is classified by the U.S. government as a:

    a. Drug
    b. Dioxide
    c. Waste product
    d. Pesticide
  5. Dr. Harvey Wiley, the "Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act," advised against using aluminum in food products, saying it is "universally acknowledged as a poison in all countries." Aluminum is commonly found in all of these products EXCEPT:

    a. Toothpaste
    b. Antacids
    c. Food additives
    d. Buffered aspirin
How did you do? To find out, see the comments section of this post. To further test your knowledge and learn more about the chemicals around us, take the momsAWARE Chemical Awareness Quiz.

3 comments :

  1. mold recoveryNovember 21, 2011 at 7:36 AM

    Quiz Answers

    Question 1: b. 9

    A personal care product use survey of more than 2,300 people, conducted by EWG and a coalition of public interest and environmental health organizations, shows that the average adult uses 9 personal care products each day, with 126 unique chemical ingredients. More than a quarter of all women and 1 of every 100 men use at least 15 products daily. The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 unique ingredients every day. Men, on the other hand, use 6 products daily with 85 unique ingredients, on average (EWG 2004).

    (From the statement of Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research, Environmental Working Group, before a House subcommittee, May 14, 2008.)

    One additional note: According to this report from the EWG, the average teenage girl uses 17 personal care products each day.


    Question 2: c. Cosmetics/personal care products

    The 26th annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers lists the following categories as most frequently involved in pediatric exposures (children under 5):

    1. Cosmetics/personal care products
    2. Analgesics
    3. Cleaning substances
    4. Foreign bodies/Toys/Misc.


    Question 3: a. Non-stick cookware

    Dupont, maker of Teflon non-stick cookware, issues the following warning on their Important Cooking Safety Tips fact sheet:

    Keep your pet bird out of the kitchen while cooking. Cooking fumes from unattended or overheated cookware can damage a bird's lungs with alarming speed.


    Question 4: d. Pesticide

    According to the EPA's fact sheet on triclosan:

    Its functional groups include both phenols and ethers. It is used as a synthetic broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. Triclosan was first registered as a pesticide in 1969.


    Question 5: a. Toothpaste

    According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries, aluminum is a hazardous substance. The ATSDR toxicological profile for aluminum says:

    Aluminum is found in consumer products including:

    - antacids
    - astringents
    - buffered aspirin
    - food additives
    - antiperspirants
    - cosmetics

    For an explanation of the toxicity of aluminum, see this webpage.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karen Bundy BarlowNovember 21, 2011 at 12:43 PM

    WOW! I have been so busy taking care of getting all the fungus out of my body through diet...haven't even thought about all the "other" harmful things out there! Thanks for the info!
    www.goodbyefungus.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    Thank you - you write so engagingly. Honestly I think you are the Rachel Carson of these issues, someone who, like she did, makes your subject interesting and understandable, yet with impeccable scientific references. God bless you. My exposures to both pesticides and mold have been devastating; you add a great help. Karen

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