The Three Nasties

BPA. Pthalates. Parabens. You may have noticed a lot of products advertising that they are "free" of these products. Why? Because these are the three big bad wolves we should try to avoid.

Here is a brief guide to these chemicals, what they do, where they are and why to limit your exposure to them.

BPA: Short for Bisphenol A. Chemical used to make clear, hard plastics (#7 recycling code) and protective linings in food and beverage cans. It is a hormone disrupter, meaning it mimics our body's natural hormones (estrogen) affecting fertility, neural (brain) development and behaviour, causing early development, and causing changes in the mammory and prostate glands. For further information, please see the CBC website and The Canadian Cancer Society's page on BPA. (Note: Last week a bill was introduced in the United States that would create a federal ban on BPA in all food and beverage containers. Click here for the link, and stay tuned.)

Pthalates: Pronounced THAY-lates. Chemicals used to make plastics soft. They are also hormone disrupters, and have, in animal studies, been shown to cause tumours, decreased fertility and defects in the reproductive systems. They are believed to be a human carcinogen (carcinogen = cancer). For futher information, please see the Canadian Cancer Society's page on Pthalates. (Note: California, always ahead of the game in these sorts of things, has banned pthalates in the use of toys and baby products as of this year.)

Parabens: Chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products (lotions, shampoo, toothpaste etc). They are also hormone disrupters, mainly eliciting concern in their role in breast cancer. Best Health magazine featured an excellent article on parabens last year--click here to read it.

We are all exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis.
A frequent argument I hear against organics/chemical free/natural products is "Oh so what--we all grew up using this stuff and we are fine!" But we are not fine. When someone we know gets cancer, or is ill, or has fertility problems, we don't think it was because of chemicals like this. We don't connect the dots.

These chemicals are approved because we are exposed at "low levels." But what happens when your low-level shampoo combines with your low-level lotion, conditioner, deodorant, moisturizer, make up, bubble bath etc? And also with the low-level leaching of other chemicals into your food and drink?

If someone gave you a small amount of poision and said, "Don't worry. This much won't kill you," would you still take it?

There are products available that do not contain these chemicals, and we are proud to offer a selection of them. (Examples--use a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic, use natural body products instead of commercial preperations, use teething toys made of wood or rubber for your baby, etc.) So the next time you are shopping and you have a choice between a product with these chemicals and one without, simply ask yourself, "What would nature do?"