The American consumer is mostly unaware of the chemicals in personal care products. We have a strong belief that our government is not allowing personal care products into the market that are unsafe for use or consumption. In the Ken Cook Environmental Working Group video, he reveals the results of 10 Americans blood sample tests. These 10 Americans are newborns and it is the umbilical blood that was tested. The most astonishing finding was that the newborns had been exposed to 212 industrial chemicals that had been banned 30 years ago, what is more, most of these exposures were through the use of personal care products. This is new information to me and it makes me think of the legacy we leave behind our DNA. I am careless at times about the products I use without consideration of the future impact on the environment. Additionally, women are most at risks because they use more personal care products than men, and statistically, women of color buy more personal care products. In the Advocacy Organizations on Toxics in Personal Care Products video the presenter gave examples of toxic chemicals in cosmetics, nail polishes, antibacterial soap, relaxers, and dark hair dyes and the lack of government regulation on these products that are proven to be carcinogenic. What stood out for me because I am sensitive to scents were the invisible chemicals in fragrances. Perfumes, colognes, body sprays, and other scents have hidden ingredients that we are unaware of and these fragrances can cause hormone disrupters, increase the risk of cancer, asthma, allergens, and eczema. The health risks personal care products have on women and young women in puberty are high. There must be increased support in changing policy, the evidence is clear and more must join efforts for companies to disclose chemical ingredients and health risks on their products.
Living in California, I have many opportunities to access healthy seasonal food. There is a wide variety of vegetables and fruits available in the Fall. With so much variety and relatively short food miles in California, seasonal hospital menus can be a beneficial solution to support local farms, provide healthy options, and continue patient education on the importance of healthy nutrition with local seasonal fruits and vegetables. In the future, I would like to live in Washington state. Washington state also produces a lot of food and I decided to look up their Harvest calendar. This would be a shift if I decided to move there and eat local seasonal food. I would have to learn new and be okay in not eating as much citrus fruit. The article Obesogens, An Environmental Link to Obesity introduced a new explanation that chemicals can also impact our metabolism. There is overwhelming evidence that the cause of obesity is poor nutrition and limited physical activity that it is astonis...
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