Sunday, November 30, 2008

Perfume: Effect the Environment..??

Did you know?? Fragrances in everything from perfume to cleaners may be damaging our health and the environment. Our lives are filled with artificial scents, from the perfumes, deodorants and shampoos we use on our bodies to the air fresheners, detergents and cleaners in our homes.


But evidence is piling up that, as pleasant as they may seem, many could actually be harmful, both to us and the environment. “Fragrances, because they evaporate and we inhale them, need more rigorous evaluation,” says President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and pollution policy advisor for Environmental Defence. “We don’t know what the effects might be because cosmetic ingredients don’t need to be tested for safety before marketing.”


As well, chemicals in synthetic fragrances; dozens to hundreds of them in each scent, including preservatives and solvents; are derived mostly from petrochemicals. Around 95 percent of the 5,000-odd chemicals, such as benzene derivatives and aldehydes, come from fossil fuels, the extracting and transporting of which can be hazardous to the environment. They are cheap and plentiful, but they’re often toxic and disruptive to the body’s nervous and hormonal systems.


They are also capable of creating carcinogenic by-products. The chemical terpene, found in some pine- and citrus-scented air fresheners, for example, can react with ozone in the air to spawn formaldehyde, and the probable carcinogen 1,4-dioxane is a common contaminant that is produced by the manufacturing process. Reactions are surprisingly common. Many people suffer dermatological and allergy-like symptoms if exposed to synthetic fragrances, and sometimes even neurological symptoms like headaches, dizziness and loss of concentration.


So start thinking from now!!

6 comments:

marinata said...

owh.really?should we stop using perfume? i dont think so. i guarantee all of us using perfume right? so the best solution is? any idea? =D
(*sharing is loving) share with us if anyone got idea in solving this prob. =p

Anonymous said...

use wisely.ahakss~

Anonymous said...

The best advice is to just wait for the environmentalists to tell us all that we can't wear perfume or cologne, or use shampoos or get our hair dyed. Fascinating that we are told that we can't use all kinds of products any more, but you never hear about perfumes and other such materials or chemicals. We're all gonna stink once all the laws are passed....especially women.

Slonek Air Conditioning said...

Yes we have to say no to the synthetic chemicals and start using natural and organic products.The less use of chemicals will make earth a better and healthier place.

Julie said...

We are so attached to our products that we find it hard to think we need to switch things up. With the help of www.cosmeticsdatabase.org you can find out how toxic your products are and where you can find better ones. That work just as well AND you still smell fine! I choose to continue using my perfume but have completely switched out everything else in my skincare routine to Ava Anderson Products. No harmful chemicals and they make your skin feel great! www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/juliecaldwell

Anonymous said...

Perfume isn't the only thing that is harming out environment!!!! There Are thousands even millions of junk thats harming our environment