Problem:  There are chemicals everywhere - in our food, in our cosmetics, in our environment and in us!

Why We Should Care:  The wholesale addition of chemicals to virtually every segment of modern life is unnatural and causes many problems.  From environmental pollution concerns to the climbing rates of cancer and other chronic diseases, the proliferation of chemicals in the modern world is causing many worrisome trends.

What We Can Do:  Buy fresh, local, simple.  Read ingredient lists on food and cosmetic items.  Try to reduce your personal chemical stockpile - the less-processed the item, the less chemical content it is likely to have.

In Depth:  Chemicals are everywhere.  The common definition of "chemical" as a noun is a substance that is produced or used in a process (reaction) involving changes to atoms or molecules.  Obviously, with a definition this broad, not only are chemicals everywhere, they are a natural part of our world.  However, it is only since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution that we have been adding synthetic chemicals to our world at a furious rate, or using natural chemicals in concentrations or for purposes that are harmful.  Rates of chronic disease are on the rise around the world, and those rates parallel all too closely the industrialization of our planet.  Obesity, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise - all now-typical western lifestyle hallmarks - are contributors to the rise in chronic disease; however, these factors all rest upon the backdrop of chemical ubiquity in our world today.  Any of us can eat better, exercise more, and keep our weight down if we choose to do so.  Avoiding chemicals in today's world is much more difficult.

Just check out the label on virtually any bottle of shampoo.  Suave's "Naturals" Juicy Green Apple shampoo, for example, contains:  Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Cocamide MEA, Fragrance, PEG-5 Cocamide, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Pyrus Malus Fruit, Methylisothiazolinone, Glycerin, Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Wow.  Ten points to anyone who can actually pronounce everything in this list.  And they brand this "Naturals"?!  For comparison's sake, a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Hemp Almond Pure-Castile Soap (shampoo) contains:  Water, Saponified Organic Coconut and Olive Oils (w/ retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Natural Bitter Almond Fragrance, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

No points given out for this one - normal people can pronounce everything on this list, and probably can at least imagine where each ingredient comes from.  But do the un-pronounceable ingredients in the Suave shampoo have harmful effects?  Research on the ingredients in the Suave list provided no conclusive results of known severely harmful effects on humans, although most of the ingredients have known low-level effects.  However, research did turn up the following facts:

- 98% of all cosmetic products contain at least one ingredient never publicly assessed for safety [1].

- More than 750 personal care products sold in the U.S. violate industry safety standards or cosmetic safety standards in other industrialized countries [1].

- At least 383 products contain ingredients that are prohibited for use in cosmetics in Canada, Japan, or the E.U. [1].

In other words, just because an ingredient is commonly used in the USA and research provides no results suggesting severely harmful effects, it certainly doesn't mean the ingredient is safe.  It may simply mean that no one in the USA has taken the time to study it.  Given the stature of some of the previously banned chemicals - carcinogens, neurotoxins, etc. - one would do well to avoid as many chemicals as possible.  Even brands with natural-sounding names generally contain many typical chemicals and a healthy dose of marketing - for example, many products from the Herbal Essences (another misnomer) brand contain chemicals linked to cancer [2], yet they are still on the market, and often perceived as "natural".

The chemical problem doesn't stop at cosmetics.  Our industrial food supply uses chemicals liberally to process our food, to keep it from spoiling, to make bland industrial food taste better, or simply to make the process cheaper.  Remember the Suave ingredient Propylene Glycol?  That ingredient is also the base of many stick deodorants, is used in antifreeze, and is used as bug bait and killer.  It is also used as an ingredient in Albertson's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Whatever happened to cookies being made of butter, flour, and sugar?  According to the FDA's website, "Food additives play a vital role in today's bountiful and nutritious food supply. They allow our growing urban population to enjoy a variety of safe, wholesome and tasty foods year-round. And, they make possible an array of convenience foods without the inconvenience of daily shopping."  Whether today's food supply can be considered "nutritious" or "safe, wholesome and tasty" is, at the very least, up for debate.  Certainly most of the "array of convenience foods" fall squarely into the junk food category.  Are we willing to trade truly nutritious, wholesome, and sustaining food for the "convenience" of frozen TV dinners and pre-baked goods?  Thus far, at least, the answer has been yes.  Artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, alternative sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners - the list of unnecessary chemicals in food today goes on and on.

The giant food companies - most of which own several smaller brands that are used to market the same old foods to more selective buyers - tell us that all those extra ingredients are perfectly safe, are saving us time, making our food supply less risky, and making it easier for us to have what we want when we want it.  The governmental agencies which oversee these sorts of things - the FDA and the USDA, namely - generally echo this party line.  (The question, of course, is whether a food supply that allows us anything we want at any time, from precious few controlling companies, is actually desirable in the first place; click here for more information on our food system.)  But given, once again, the stature of some previously banned chemicals, we should question the accuracy of what we're being told.  A few examples:

- Green 1, artificial color, banned 1965, caused cancer [3].

- Cyclamate, artificial sweetener, banned 1970, caused cancer [3].

- Monochloroacetic acid, preservative, banned 1941, highly toxic [3].

There are many currently used food additives which have known harmful effects on humans.  A few examples:

- Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate; used as preservatives, for coloring, or flavoring; common in cured meats (bacon, hot dogs, sandwich meats, etc.); linked to cancer [3].

- Saccharin and Aspartame, often known by their trademarked names (Sweet 'n Low, NutraSweet, Equal); used as artificial sweeteners; linked to cancer and other side effects [3].

- Potassium Bromate; used in many flours; banned virtually worldwide except in Japan and USA; bromate causes cancer [3].

So our cosmetics and our foods are full of chemicals which have an almost-certain detrimental effect on our health.  Unfortunately, that's not where it stops.  Household cleaners, polishers, detergents, and such?  Full of chemicals.  Our houses and cars?  Also full of chemicals.  In fact, that "new car smell" is nothing more than the plastics and glues in the dashboard, upholstery, carpet, and door moldings outgassing VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).  Same with a new house - the carpet, paint, wood stain, etc., are all outgassing VOCs, which are toxic and not particularly good to be breathing in.

With all these chemicals in our industrialized world, it is no wonder that rates of chronic disease are on the rise.  Our chemical exposure is low-level enough that in most cases the rate spike cannot be conclusively linked to chemicals; however, there is a growing body of evidence that our low-level yet constant exposure to our modern toxic cocktail plays a major part in the rise of chronic disease.  It is also little wonder, with chemicals being so ubiquitous, that they are making their way into the natural world.  In fact, recent research by the US Geological Survey found that 80% of streams and 93% of the groundwater sampled had one or more chemicals that would not naturally be present [4].  We must not forget that regardless of how disconnected from the natural world we may be on the surface, we absolutely depend upon the natural world for our survival.  And by polluting the very water we drink - one of our most basic and necessary resources - we are initiating a toxic vicious cycle.  We've polluted our immediate environments, which make us sick, and now we're beginning to pollute the environment as a whole on a scale and to a depth that will make us sick for years to come, even if we quit using so many chemicals.

So, what to do?  As with any problem that is so pervasive and multi-faceted, there is no one solution.  To solve the problem of chemical ubiquity, we're going to have to break our dependence on chemicals, plain and simple.  Read the labels of cosmetics, foods, household cleaners, and other products.  Choose products that are truly natural.  Local, organic food is your best bet to avoid chemicals in food.  Or buy the least-processed ingredients you can and make food yourself.  Natural and safe cosmetics and household cleaners can be found through companies such as Dr. Bronner's, Tom's of Maine, Seventh Generation, Melaleuca, and others.  Alternative paints, wood stains, and building materials are readily available today.  Check out our Solutions section for more in-depth information; and go to our Links page for links to green companies, organizations, and more!

[1] http://www.ewg.org/node/22610
[2] http://action.safecosmetics.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=14380
[3] http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
[4] http://www.groundwater.org/gi/docs_pack/fa13.pdf