Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle and wondered if all those chemicals are really safe to use? You’d think they would be, but surprisingly many of them come with health warnings that you’d never know of or hear about unless you were a scientist or the product manufacturer. Commonly used chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Diethanolamine (or DEA for short) and Propylene Glycol are not only hard to pronounce, but are considered by many as potentially harmful ingredients. And these are only three of hundreds that should be avoided. But how does one find out about these ingredients? Where can someone go to learn more about the potential health hazards we face with these and many other ingredients listed on our everyday household products? After some considerable research on many different websites, I was able to get many of these answers from the National Institute of Health’s website. This website has a household products database that allows you to search for thousands of different chemicals and gives you specific information on each one of them. It also will give you a list of similar names that the chemical is also known as. You can then cross reference these chemicals with products that have that specific ingredient in them. It will actually show you a list of common household brand name products that use that specific ingredient in them. Then, you can further research that specific ingredient by reading the Material Safety Data Sheet (commonly known as MSDS) or the Health Studies which will show you the Human Health effects from the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). Follow these 3 simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to educating yourself about what ingredients you should be avoiding and why: STEP #1
Go to the internet and log onto www.nih.gov/ . This will get you to the National Institute of Health’s home page. STEP #2
In the SEARCH box at the top right of the screen, type in the words HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS DATABASE and click on the SEARCH button. This gets you to all the different listings available to you for review. But the one you want first is the very first one called Household Products Database (Health and Safety Information on …..) Click on this one. STEP #3
You’ll see a picture of a blue bucket with cleaners, scrub brushes and sponges in it. Click on either the INGREDIENTS tab on the top of the page or the INGREDIENTS listing in the column on the left of the page. You’ll then find yourself at the page that says SEARCH INGREDIENTS BY CHEMICAL. Now, you simply enter the chemical name that you wish to know more about. Once you enter the chemical and click the Search button, it will give you a complete list of information you need to help you make a more informed decision about what you want put in and on your body. Sincerely, Anthony Gollner
Carina Corporation
www.carinaorganics.com Click here for printable version
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