The
real difficulty with learning about the amount of waste Americans generate is
the flood of other information that comes with that research. According to the
Environmental Working Group (EWG), women are exposed to 168 chemicals in the cosmetics they use while men are exposed to roughly half, 85.
I come from an area of the country
where people are adamantly against big government and even more against
governmental regulations. On the other hand, they will tell you how great it is
to live in a country where the food and water are so safe and clean. Never once
will they put two and two together realizing that regulatory agencies ensure
their food is safe to eat. Why am I telling you this? Because I am a fan of
regulating food and other products to protect us from companies trying to make
a buck.
I should not have to learn chemistry
to shop for soap. However, in the US it is nearly to that point. The FDA bans only 11 chemicals from cosmetics (Cosmetics is a broad category ranging from make up to tooth paste) while the EU has banned or severely limited the use of more than a thousand and Canada bans hundreds of the same chemicals the FDA considers safe. In the US the government takes the view that something is safe until determined
dangerous while in Europe and Canada chemicals must be proven safe before
allowed on the market.
Below are just a few of the reasons
I would argue for greater regulation of food and cosmetics in the US:
1.
There
is little to no regulation for chemical mixtures labeled as “fragrance” in the US. The FDA allows companies to claim “fragrance” blends as proprietary
information. This allows companies to keep those chemical mixtures off
ingredients labels.
2.
Ripe
oranges are not actually orange. The FDA allows companies to spray or inject the orange skins with dye to make
them more appealing to the consumer. The FDA reasons that this is acceptable
because no one consumes the rind of an orange.
3.
Talcum-based
body powders that were marketed for use on infants and female genitalia have
been shown to meet market regulation while containing asbestos fibers.
4.
Microplastics have been found in water bottles in startling numbers. More recently microplastics have been found in the air we breathe. There is no information at this point what the health impacts of consuming
small plastic particles on a regular basis will do to humans.
5.
Natural
flavoring simply means that the flavor originated from a natural organism. The end product can have dozens of added ingredients to aid in maintaining or
enhancing the flavor.
The lack of regulation in cosmetics
and food makes it seem like this is one giant science experiment and we are
test subjects. Groups like EWG work to determine the long term health effects
of the chemicals we encounter every day. My hope is that some day the government will catch up to groups like this and
take a hard look at what they are allowing companies to sell us all in the name
of capitalism.