Harmful Ingredients in Our Daily Products-Part 1

Posted on 2013-09-04 06:12:32

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We use all manner of products on a day-to-day basis - from beauty products, food products fertilizers, cleaning solutions, soaps, pesticides, and paints. The list is endless. The question that then pops up is, how safe are these products in our day-to-day use in our homes, offices and other environments around us? Cancer has in itself become a cancer in society and one of the most feared medical conditions. Cancer has affected many in our society. Often, the exact cause is unknown. According to recent research, it is now suspected that some of these chemicals in products and in our homes are partially responsible for some cancer cases. Other diseases that are possibly brought about by harmful ingredients in products include hormonal dysfunctions, blood cancer-leukemia, respiratory diseases and allergies. Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is the national regulatory institution in Kenya tasked with evaluating standards relating to products, measurements, materials and processes. It was established by an act of parliament and it ensures consumer protection as well circulation of information related to standards. KEBS recently banned cosmetic products in Kenya that had been considered unsafe due to constituent chemicals and compounds. Various departments at KEBS are responsible for developing standards covering food technologies, food safety, soaps and detergents, paints, pesticides, and all products based on chemical formulations. The challenge of modern life is that some of the same things developed to make our lives convenient are the same ones harming us when used in the wrong way, which often means inadvertent high levels of exposure to specific chemicals occur. Children are especially vulnerable due to their small size relative to skin surface are. Many chemicals enter children’s bodies at a higher rate than adults. Many of these chemicals will cause developmental problems. Some chemicals are suspected to trigger or cause early puberty, attention deficit disorder, obesity, autism and other serious health issues. It is important to keep our children safe. Some of the symptoms that are caused by harmful ingredients in products include:

• Skin rashes
• Hormonal disruptions
• Infertility
• Irritation of skin, eyes, mouth and lungs
• Kidney damage
• Dizziness

Women use tons of beauty products everyday, ranging from make up, foundation, eyeliner, eye shadow, hairspray, lip stick, deodorants, nail varnish, perfume, body lotion and the list can go on. In unregulated markets, some of these products could be full of dangerous chemicals. When it comes to beauty products, some of the most commonly used ingredients considered harmful in the products include:

• Parabens
• Synthetic colors especially coal tar dyes used extensively in hair dyes and in fabrics
• Butylated hydroxyabisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) used as preservative for lip sticks
• Petrolatum or mineral oil used for application to dry skin and other cosmetic products e.g. lip gloss
• Phthalates mainly used in fragrances and in nail paints

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