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Dangers in Toothpaste – Why Use Natural Toothpaste
Why Use Natural Products – Toothpaste
Most of us would never think to look at toothpaste labels. Please do and read the “warning label”? It is a common mistake that we think that large multi-national companies are more interested in our health, rather than making money. We tend to toothpaste companies. Is that a wise course of action? If you read the warning on fluoride toothpastes you will see a warning that says something like, “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.” Can you imagine that something that we use to clean our teeth is ridden with poisons and harmful chemicals. Something cann’t be right with traditional toothpaste if you need to contact a poison control center if ingested!
The Dangers With Fluoride
It was once considered a beneficial additive, but now more research is showing that fluoride is a potentially scary chemical. It’s advertised on toothpaste packets – “This contains fluoride”. So it’s seen as a good thing. We are led to believe that fluoride fights cavities, keeps teeth strong and fights tooth decay—but it turns out that fluoride could possibly damage the tooth-forming cells which lead to defects in tooth enamel! Really?!? Worst of all, ingesting fluoride can detrimentally affect the pineal gland, thyroid, brain, kidneys and bones! It is actually a poison that accumulates in our bones. It has been associated with cancer in young males; osteoporosis; reduced I.Q.; and hip fractures in the elderly, to name a few. The information on fluoride is not pretty. To read more about the dangers of fluoride, please check out the Fluoride Action Network.
Other Dangerous Chemicals Found In Toothpaste
Should toothpastes have a warning label on them? I don’t think so. That, however, is not the only thing that’s wrong with traditional toothpastes! They are also loaded with:
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): This chemical is a foaming agent and skin and eye irritant.
• Triclosan is an antibacterial property that can possibly disrupt the endocrine system and liver.
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine: It provides a lathering property. It’s a known skin, eye and lung irritant.
• Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate: Listed on the CDC’s “Guide to Chemical Hazards,” this chemical is an eye, skin and respiratory irritant.
• FD&C Blue #1: This food dye is synthesized from petroleum. It can cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea and nervousness.
For more information on other dangers chemicals that are in makeup and cosmetics, please read my article Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid.
Alternatives
100% natural and organic toothpaste
It’s not all doom and gloom. There are many good natural toothpastes out there. Some of them may take a few days to get use to, but that is certainly much better than risking your health. Even if you or your kids do swallow it by mistake, you won’t have to go rushing to the hospital or poison center.
Heavy Metal Makeup
No, I’m not talking about the likes of the group Kiss and Alice Cooper, but the amount of toxins that sometimes are found in makeup products, especially those that aren’t natural makeup.
When you read the label of your makeup products you of course will not find heavy metals like lead and arsenic. However, Environmental Defence, a Canadian environmental group tested dozens of common cosmetics products and found that virtually all of them were contaminated with heavy metals.
So what does this mean for you? Have a look at this video and it will really get you thinking:
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Researchers purchased cosmetics, like foundations, concealers, bronzers, mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and sent them to an accredited laboratory to have them tested. The tests were for the presence of heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, beryllium, selenium, thallium and nickel.
According to the Montreal Gazette:
“None of the products tested contained mercury, but lead was detected in 96 percent of the products, arsenic in 20 percent and cadmium in 51 percent. Nickel was found in all the products tested, beryllium in 90 percent, thallium in 61 percent and selenium in 14 percent.”
Environmental Defence tested 49 different face makeup items, including five foundations, four concealers, four powders, five blushes or bronzers, seven mascaras, two eye liners, 14 eye shadows, and eight lipsticks or glosses. Their testing revealed serious heavy metal contamination in virtually all of the products:
- 96 percent contained lead
- 90 percent contained beryllium
- 61 percent contained thallium
- 51 percent contained cadmium
- 20 percent contained arsenic
Further, each product contained an average of two of the four metals of highest concern (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury), which are designated as toxic in Canada because of proven health concerns. Most of the products also contained an average of four of the eight metals tested (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, beryllium, thallium, selenium).
Despite the widespread contamination, and the fact that all the metals but nickel are banned as intentional ingredients in Canadian cosmetics, not one of the products listed the heavy metals on the label.
What the researchers said was that,
“There are scientific debates as to what constitutes “safe” levels of heavy metal exposure. Overall, the health effects of heavy metals from cosmetics absorbed through skin requires further investigation. Notably though, the highest levels of arsenic (70 ppm), cadmium (3 ppm), and lead (110 ppm) were all found in lip glosses which could be ingested. Some metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead, can accumulate in a person’s body over time. There is limited understanding of the effects of cumulative exposure to these metals.
… Some may wonder why heavy metals in our makeup measured in the parts per million are really a cause for concern; for some of these metals, science has not established a “safe” level of exposure.
Cumulative exposure over time is especially difficult to study, as different combinations of exposures can have different effects, and the possible combinations are seemingly endless, given the number of cosmetics products out there.
Additionally, cosmetics are not the only source of exposure to many of these metals. Arsenic, for example, can be found in some drinking water, lead can be found in old paint, etc., and low-dose exposures can add up.
Eliminating elements like lead, cadmium, and chromium from the body takes over 40 years, with accumulation leading to problems such as nervous system disruption and kidney damage.”
So you will want to definitely find save makeup so that you can care for your health and your families health. By clicking on the banners on this page you will be directed to some great sites that I personally use. You can buy great natural and, more importantly, toxin free makeup.
What else can you do? Here is a list of my practical tips:
- Only buy makeup products that have a certificate on them. (Here are some to look for)
- What order are the ingredients listed? The first one will be the largest quantity, and last on the least. So if your cream containing natural aloe vera has aloe vera last, then there isn’t very much of it.
- If possible, buy products in glass, rather than plastic.
What’s in the Foam?
Most people will think that foam means cleansing? For example, when you shampoo your hair – do you like to see rich lather? In the bath, do you like relaxing in a mound of bubbles? Men, when you shave – do you like a goo lather?
If you answered yes to these answers, check your labels. It is probably that the foam, lather and bubbles are caused by toxic ingredients.
Of course we naturally all want to look after our skin, our health and general well-being. Unfortunately the large cosmetic companies don’t. They are interested mainly in profits. In order to get more profits they use cheaper ingredients.
If you are not already using natural cosmetice products the first ingredient is probably Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which has relatives called Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (SLES), Sodium Myreth Sulfate,etc. These substances are commonly used in detergents because they produce foam and lather rather inexpensively for the manufacturer.
BUT SLS and its cousins are so strong that they can scrub garage floors. Even worse they have been proven to cause cancer. Tests show that SLS forms carcinogenic nitrates that can enter the bloodstream in large numbers. It can and will cause eye irritations (hence the warnings about flushing eyes in the case of contact). It can also cause skin rashes, hair loss and allergic reactions.The American College of Toxicology has stated that SLS actually stays in the body for up to five days causing havoc especially to your skin.
According to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, SLS can cause cracking and severe inflammation of the dermal-epidermal tissue.
Rather than looking after your health by soaking in a ‘relaxing’ bubble bath, you are probably causing your skin more stress than it needs. Men, if you are using a shaving foam product with SLS then your shave in the morning to get you looking good is probably causing rashes and spots.
Natural Bath Therapy
Well it’s time to ask yourself if all of this foam is worth the consequences to your health and beauty.
Read labels! Look at the ingredients. Now you know what to look for.
For exmple there is the ‘bodhi’ range of great bath and shower therapy products. If you click on the link here you can look at a full range of bath and shower products that don’t contain harmful and toxic ingredients.
You can choose healthy alternatives. Look for products that contain pure botanical ingredients and no SLS! If you want to know more on other toxic ingredients that can be found in cosmetics and makeup then please read my publsihed article on the Top 10 Ingredients fo Avoid in cosmetics and makeup.