Looking into the ingredients in some of my household
products, I found a few things surprising. I started with my toothpaste, about
which I sort of expected to find out some pretty terrible things. My go-to for
toothpaste is the whitening type, so I was almost certain that I would find
something alarming about the ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised that the
Household Products Database only cited eye irritation as a possible adverse
effect. Of course, for skin contact and ingestion, they only acknowledged that
there were no known side effects.
Based on this information, I would mark my toothpaste as a safe for now. The
next product I was curious about was my spray deodorant. I like to use the
spray stuff when I go to the gym, but judging by the occasional coughing that I
experience, I thought I may find some important information about respiratory
effects. I was right. There was actually a first aid section regarding
inhalation of the product that includes removing the person to an area of fresh
air to performing artificial respiration. I found that part a bit disturbing,
and I will likely not be using that product in the future.
I was sort of amazed at a few of the things I learned from the
short toxic chemical quiz. I had no idea that the BPA alternative, BPS, was
harmful and that the best safe alternative is glass or ceramic. This took my
mind to the fact that my glass Tupperware has plastic lids. I would guess that
this is still a better alternative, but it makes me want to do some research to
see if there is a completely plastic-free alternative. The fact that many
couches and mattresses contain flame retardants was a surprise to me as well.
It seems that it is nearly impossible to avoid toxic chemicals in the modern
world!
The two most important things that need to change to reduce
the risk of exposure from our household products are transparency and
knowledge/education. There should be requirements for clear, visible labels
that list all the potentially toxic substances that a product contains. I would
also support an educational campaign to ensure that consumers understand what
these labels mean and how to find safer alternatives. Of course, banning many
of these products would be ideal, but I think that we must start with education
and transparency to achieve buy-in from consumers.
What can nurses do? Nurses can take action to bring this issue to the attention of patients in all settings. Nurses in outpatient settings see patients on a regular basis where product toxicity can be discussed during a wellness visit, or upon discharge from the hospital. Some of the ways to educate patients on the hazardous in personal care products include asking patients what type of job they have and if they work around any type of chemicals. Pregnant women or women/men who are trying to conceive also need information that some products are harmful to the fetus and can alter the genetic structure during formation. Advise patients to read the labels on their products and question the ingredients in personal-care products. Also, directing them to websites that they can use as phone apps are helpful when shopping in the store to buy these products. Some of these websites to evaluate personal care product safety are listed below:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.safecosmetics.org/
http://responsiblepurchasing.org/
http://lesstoxicguide.ca/
http://www.biggreenpurse.com/
http://thenakedtruthproject.com/
http://www.greenlivingnow.com/
www.Safer-Products.org
it is also important to ask our legislators to consider regulating these products to ensure accountability and responsibility of the manufacturers. Finally, in my own workplace, a Cancer Center, it will be helpful to educate our gift shop not to support/sell beauty products with toxic agents.
Cynthia - thanks for the feedback! I'm going to take a look at these websites. It's nice to have this information handy for not only my patients, but for myself as well!
DeleteYou pretty much summed up what it is our household product contained, sometimes without even noticing we buy things without reading the specific ingredients, now that we have done some research, I always too look at everything my house products contain, I was not aware so many product we toxic and that could cause cancer. Working in an oncology unit I have learned that this product are sometimes seen in my patients rooms, now I will be teaching them and enforcing an educational path for nurses to encourage patients to use better product with better and safe ingredients. I was so surprise I feel my house was full of those products is scary especially for my children. Researching and investing in products that can help us and not harm us is the best thing we can do for ourself and our communities
ReplyDeleteI wonder why this information isn't included in all nursing curriculum. This is a really important subject and would be extremely helpful to all nurses during their careers.
ReplyDelete