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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Marketplace

On Sunday night my mum and I sat down to watch Marketplace on CBC. It was a repeat episode that talked about carcinogens, and how they are present in products we use day to day. (Carcinogen, according to the dictionary, is "a substance that produces cancer".) I wasn't aware of this, but companies don't have to list all the ingredients in products, so most don't list the "bad ones". For example, those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers have formaldehyde in them. Sunlight Laundry Detergent has a different carcinogen - this one is listed on the box, though not many people KNOW that it's a cancer causing agent.

SO, with the help of Linda and a little sleuthing of my own, here is the link to a list of cosmetics that have known carcinogens in them. Here's an other link to a list of some carcinogens. The weird thing is that some of the same products are available in Europe but WITHOUT the carcinogens, because they have been banned. So why wouldn't the company just make all of their products without carcinogens instead of making half with and half without?

I'm no scientist, and I really don't know much about all these kinds of things, but to me, if we're consuming things that have KNOWN cancer causing agents in them, this is a problem.

Today, one in two people will get cancer. 50%. That's HUGE. And yes, lots has to do with drinking, smoking, not exercising and all the rest, but not all of it. Some really healthy people get cancer, and they can't understand why. Perhaps it's because they use a certain brand of blush, or toothpaste, or laundry detergent. It's not good that none of us KNOW these things are in our products. Things need to change, in my opinion. So there are my two cents about the issue.

10 comments:

Linda said...

It is absolutely unacceptable that this happens in Canada. I am so glad you brought this up. Thanks Heather!

kris said...

Good links Heather. Lynn & I recently got rid of our teflon pots & pans b/c I saw two stories on the news that said they can be carcinogenic. Some people say they're only bad if they get scratched (which ours did b/c the first thing Lynn did when we got them was mash potatoes with a metal masher) but the news stories said they produce fumes at high temps (>400*C), which is how hot it gets frying bacon, for example.

Heather said...

Not my precious bacon!!! I don't think I could not eat bacon! Though I'm sure it does more than it's fair share of cancer causing...

Faye said...

I wonder if we avoided all of those products, or products containing any of those chemicals etc, if we would be able to consume or use anything? The list seems terribly long, and I don't want to be so worried about those that I don't enjoy life.

Joy said...

It is good to have at least an awareness on the issue. Thank you for the interesting links.

Joy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Heather said...

I think I agree with FW, you can't really live your life in fear of all these products, but if it's a matter of not buying a certain laundry detergent, I think it's an easy change that makes your life slightly healthier.

lu said...

it was good to know what cosmetics have such nasty ingredients in them, considering it is only women who use these things (ok, mostly women) which makes me a bit concerned that stuff we feel we need to smear across our faces and bodies is actually doing more harm than we realise.

thanks for the links.

and a bit strange that things like yellow #7 can be so bad for us!

Dee said...

Hmmmm....that list is VERY interesting. I sometimes worry that I am subscribing to the culture of fear that is slowly growing in our society, but most of those products seem easy enough to avoid. And maybe this will help my conscience a little next time I dish out the extra money for my Biotherm cosmetics....

FAIIRPLAY said...

Heather,

Carcinogens and Cancer.

Please take this advice and tell your friends, especially those with young children. The vast majority of Cancers are caused by eating burnt or over-cooked food. And its how we cook our food that "the fuel for the 1 in 3 cancer deaths seen in the Western World". Listen please [I can hear you saying to yourself] "What a silly idea, I, and know one I know ever eats burnt food, never -ever - why the ideas preposterous".

Your wrong, and heres why, carry out this simple test, at home and in friends houses check the food for burns or burnt areas, in a restaurant check the meat for burnt edges, burnt outer bits, if you eat fried sausages check the sausage skin, if you buy cakes, bread scones, pizzas or sliced bread check the top and bottom for scorch or burn marks from the electric oven conveyor bars. If your in a supermarket go to the cooked chicken counter and 'out of curiosity' examine the cooked meat and chicken for severe cooking burns. You see we cook our food by burning it?, and the low amounts of burnt food produced gets inside your stomach, it then gets broken down and absorbed into the [1] gut and [2] blood-stream, and lodges in your fat tissues. Breast, neck and stomach cancers can result, if you disbelieve me then just think about the making of cigarettes and the smoking of cigarettes, ask yourself 'what is a cigarette;, It's burnt plant leaves wrapped in burnt paper. Take your family with you to the supermarket and small food stalls, especially those who sell grilled meat/s, watch out and count the burn lines on it were it sat on the hot plate or hot burning bars, everyone of those black burn lines are cancer causing agents. I know we have to eat, but first we need to trim all the burnt meat, burnt trimmings of your plate. Some good advice avoid barbecue food like the plague, keep well away from all forms of smoke, keep away from outdoor fires, keep away from burning plastics, or someone burning household waste. And if you have children keep them well away from grilled food, or over-cooked food, cooked in oil that is burnt[out]itself. In the UK we have hamburger salesmen whose cooking devices are coated in, carbon, burn soot, burn cooking residue and burnt cooking fats and cooking oil thats big C poisonous. Spread the word, your meat food and how meat is cooked is the number 1 cause of all cancers. Bob. Leeds, England.