Naughty Ingredients : Nanoparticles

I'm doing the Spent Program. In week 6, the final week of the program, Dr. Lipman addresses something that is very close to my heart: the naughty ingredients that are put in many products, especially the most popular ones, which can wreak total havoc on your body. The FDA doesn't regulate them, and does not require companies to test their products for safety. I'm going to make one post each day with a passage directly from the book regarding one group of the ingredient bad guys until we complete the list.

Todays Naughty Ingredient : Nanoparticles
"Nanoparticles are tiny chemicals that are increasingly being used by cosmetic manufacturers as penetration enhancers because nanoparticles easily pass through the body's membranes and can reach all parts of the body. Unfortunately this also means that they may accumulate or override our normal control systems that manage our complex biochemistry, with unidentified health effects. Increasing numbers of scientific papers are demonstration the general risks associated with nanotoxicity, yet there has been little effort on the part of regulators to slow the expansion of the nanocosmetics sector. In an extensive report sated May 2006, Friends of the Earth strongly recommends a moratorium on further release of sunscreens, cosmetics, and personal care products containing engineered nanomaterials and the withdrawal of such products currently on the market until adequate safety studies have been completed and adequate regulations have been put in place to protect the general public."

Ick, right? So, todays assignment is to go through your all products - hair, skin and body care... even check your toothpaste! - and note which ones contain the above ingredient. Remove them from the shelf, maybe put them in the corner or something. We're going to do this every day until we run out of naughty ingredients. By the time we're done, it'll really help you see how common these ingredients are, and how you can avoid dangerous chemicals in your personal care products in the future.