Skin Deep

BLOG #3

Environmental Health News

     In keeping with this weeks blog and discovering unhealthy cosmetics and solutions that are helping to change it. Spehora one of the biggest beauty relators on the heels of Hawaii passing legislation banning certain carol harming ingredients in sunscreen.  Sephora has created both an in-store and online section for clean products; according to Sephora it will be a destination for non-toxic beauty products. Sephora has labeled clean products as products free from: SLS, SLES sulfates, parabens, formaldehydes and formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinlpalmitate, coal tar and hydroquinone to name a few.

     Sephora is making it easier for everyone to find products that suit their lifestyles and needs. The article notes that like most beauty trends, it will be interesting to watch if this fad is fleeting or will be a movement to last!

1.    Were you surprised to find out the toxicity rating of your personal care product(s)?

• I was surprised to see the rating of the two products I chose, I also went on to look up other items that I used to use or still have in use, just not as frequent.
• Product 1: Gold Bond Shea Butter Foot Lotion. As a nurse I know the importance of taking good care of my body in order to properly care for others. One way I take care of myself is to ensure that I have good foot care. Being on my feet all day for 8-12hrs at a time sometimes 4 days a week, really takes its toll. I was shocked to find that my product contains three hazardous ingredients thirteen moderately hazardous ingredients.
• Ingredient 1: Retinyl Acetate (Vitamin A Acetate) according to ewg.org the concern is Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, and Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive).
• Score of 9
• Retinyl Acetate (Vitamin A Acetate) is a synthetic vitamin A ingredient used for skin conditioning and can lead to Vitamin A overdose which can lead to birth defects, coma and death.
• Ingredient 2: Fragrance allergies/immunotoxicity, miscellaneous, irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Ecotoxicology.
• Score of 8
• This represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as a fragrance dispersants.
• Ingredient 3: Propylparaben Use restrictions, allergies/immunotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Ecotoxicology
• Score of 7
• Propylparaben is in the paraben family of preservatives; it mimics estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors.
• Product 2: Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum. I recently change my skin care regimen, as I started to notice that my skin was very dry and unhealthy looking. I was encouraged with my age to try Drunk Elephant and I am loving the results, so of course it was the perfect product to look up. I was not able to find most of the line that I use, but this skin-serum is in my daily skin care regimen. It received an overall score of two with six being Moderate hazard and 41 being low hazard
• Ingredient 1: Sodium Hydroxide use restrictions, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), irritation (skin, eyes or lungs).
• Score of 4
• Sodium Hydroxide is a highly caustic and reactive inorganic base, used as a pH adjuster and buffer.
• Ingredient 2: Phenoxyethanol irritation (skin, eyes or lungs), occupational hazards, use restrictions, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) and allergies/immunotoxicity.
• Score of 4
• Phenoxyethanol is a preservative used in cosmetics and personal care products. Used as a fragrance preservative.
• Ingredient 3: Polysorbate-60 Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Contamination concerns (ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE)
• Score of 3
• Polysorbate-60 is a sorbitol-based emulsifier and surfactant.

·       Did you decide to change any of your consumer behaviors based on your findings?

• Since utilizing this tool, I have to be honest and have looked up everything I can think of and truly am shocked at the everyday hazards I willing expose myself too. Since completing this research this week, I have made changes and have disposed of products that I can no longer justify using. Finding alternative is harder then it appears, and would be great to have such an informative website with healthier/safer alternatives.

·       Should everyone know about these risks and why don’t they?

• EVERYONE should know about this!! I’m truly shocked at the rating and ingredients in my products and can only imagine what else is lurking in the products that have no rating at this time. There is much to be said about adopting a healthier lifestyle, Blue Zones, and European Countries living longer and happier lives. It’s in the news almost nightly and with the United States adopting the metric system, why not follow suit with other life changing systems? The United States was founded in the platform of freedom of choice, independence and self-control. And although other countries have the same foundation, it was not always that way. I feel that we do not have the same life style as our neighbors across the pond because the country would be in a uproar if the right to choose which face lotion you used was taken away. Even if it meant having a better and safer life.

·       How might you integrate this new knowledge into your clinical practice?

• I currently am a Hematology/Oncology Nurse on an inpatient unit. At this time at my current position it is neither appropriate nor do I have the knowledge to properly speak to patients or families about changing lifestyle habits in regards to product use.

·       What would be the elements of a policy that would better protect us from toxic chemical exposures from our everyday products?

• I found an article that does a beautiful job of outlining the United States and Europe in regards to the FDA, banned ingredients and the U.S Toxic Substances Control Act. To quote the European Commission the aim is to ensure “a higher level of environmental protection through preventative decision making.” “When there is substantial, credible evidence of danger to human or environmental health, protective action should be taken despite continuing scientific uncertainty.” (Grossman, 2014).  In other words, get ahead of a potential danger instead of waiting and fleeing from danger. Proactive vs Reactive! Which do you choose?
• https://ensia.com/features/banned-in-europe-safe-in-the-u-s/

2.    Given that there are potential health effects associated with the fragrances in our personal care products, how might you develop and implement a fragrance-free policy in a hospital or other institutional setting? Consider how you would deal with the fragrances that are in employees' personal care products.

• My current hospital has a fragrance-free policy and has strict guidelines to follow and disciplinary action for violating them. On my current unit, we take this policy very seriously, our patient population are known to have a sensitive sense of smell and with overpowering scents can send allergies raging. There have been times that an employee is asked to wash the scent away and has even been provided new scrubs for the day.
• In regards to dealing personal care products such as deodorants or face lotions; I feel very well empowered to explain that one has a strong unnatural scent arising from them and to please wash and ask for new scrubs if appropriate; of course, in a private manner. I think by having conversations instead of confrontations, the employees are able to calmly listen and understand. The nature of nurses is to help, be unselfish and always be there for the patient. Hygiene and scents are no exception.