So I heard this report on National Public Radio the other day in passing on the way home from somewhere and it got me thinking and looking into the known carcinogens that are in every day cosmetics. It’s scary! And the FDA doesn’t regulate this stuff. Nobody does. Apparently there’s an industry committee that looks into some ingredients but there are many, many ingredients that aren’t tested and the effects of them are unknown on humans. Or they’re known carcinogens that the industry has said are not harmful if absorbed through the skin. It has since been found that they can be many times more harmful if absorbed through the skin. The ones that caught my eye in particular are the “parabens” (methylparaben, propylparaben and others…anything with a “paraben” after it!) that act like estrogen in your body, increasing the growth of abnormal cells and, in particular, cancer cells. Parabens have been found in breast cancer tumors and apparently the fatty tissue in breasts hangs on to it pretty good! Parabens are also endocrine disruptors and, since I am hypothyroid, I don’t need any extra endocrine disruption, thank you very much! Parabens are in shampoos, lotions, eye cream, foundation, eye shadow, facial powder. Basically everything that I use! So, I’m tossin’ everything out and finding new products without parabens. And there are lots more chemicals that are harmful in our cosmetics…I just don’t have the energy to list them here! Hey, maybe if I didn’t use products with those harmful chemicals in them, I’d have the energy!  Ha! Here is a link , although it’s a couple of years old, it is pretty thorough and I used it as a starting point to learn about the different chemicals in cosmetics and some “alternative” companies that don’t use them. It’s enough to make me want to go without makeup. But that would be scary for everybody so I won’t subject y’all to that! As it turns out, this is NOT the way to save money. Apparently, it’s cheaper to put carcinogens on you!
It also got me thinking about the chemicals that Princess Tater Tot comes in contact with so I bought some different soap/shampoo and lotion for her but I haven’t decided what to do about wipes and diapers. It’s just so hard to give up the convenience of disposables. But, if the critics are to be believed, it’s pretty important to use reusable diapers and wipes not just for the environmental aspect but also for the health of your child. I don’t want to be alarmist and reactionary but I worry that The Tater Tot is at risk for problems that we won’t see until later in life because of long-term exposure now. So, my plan (at least for today) is to come up with ways to minimize the risk while not increasing the drama/inconvenience factor too much. Things like start using washable cloth wipes for urine only diapers, trying cloth during the day but using one disposable for night time…things like that to decrease her exposure and to see if I can handle it! I just don’t want it to feel like a villain if I can’t go all-natural all-the-time. But at the same time, my main concern is that my daughter is healthy. So, I’ll do the best that I can. What more can a Mommy do?
