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A Toxic Chemical Guessing Game: Fun For Mommy

Okay ladies and gents. I’ve got a list of ingredients along with a teeny tiny blurb from reputable sources.

You pick the product. Yes, I want you to look at the chemicals and try to guess what product they come from.

Butyl Acetate: Oxford University recommends the use of safety glasses

Propyl Acetate: OSHA and the CDC recommend breathing support with this chemical

Ethyl Acetate: From OSHA;

* Signs and symptoms of exposure

1. Acute exposure: Ethyl acetate causes irritation, redness, and tearing of the eyes and irritation of the nose and throat. It is a defatting agent and may cause skin dryness after acute exposure. Sensitization of the lining of the nose may occur with symptoms of inflammation (swelling, runny nose, redness of lining).

2. Chronic exposure: Chronic exposure of the skin to ethyl acetate may cause dermatitis; no other systemic effects have been reported from chronic exposure to ethyl acetate.

Nitrocellulose: OSHA gives it a low toxicity rating but with Gun Cotton being it’s synonym it’s no surprise to find it’s rather explosive.

Isopropyl Alcohol: common, perhaps benign

Polyester Resin: Limited information available, but you can laminate your surfboard with it.

Camphor

Steralkonium Hectorite

Benzaphenone 1

Titanium Dioxide

Red #6

Iron Oxide

Ferric Ammonium

Ferrocyanide Red #7

Are you ready to guess? Do you think you know? After the jump is the big reveal.

Nail polish.

In fact, these ingredients are listed on Zoya’s “natural” nailpolishes.

Let’s all stop pretending that red nails are pretty. When you see a little girl with her pretty pink fingers do you wonder how much of that lacquer will be ingested? Do you feel like it’s hard to breathe in a nail salon? I won’t preach here, I’ll just supply the information and whisper something in your ear, Greenwashing.

Common sense folks.

Jessica Gottlieb is a freelance writer in Los Angeles, with a special hat tip to Jessica on Twitter who gave me the list of ingredients.

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Comments

  1. mel says

    November 12, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    i’ve been nail polish free for years, and i thank you for posting this. i hope your entry helps to encourage other women to ditch the polish and all those toxic ingredients.

    Reply
  2. Tara says

    November 12, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    I let my daughter wear pink nailpolish for the first time the other day because she wanted so much to be like her auntie. I’m fully and admitedly lacking in common sense. Back to green meanie.

    Reply
  3. Athena says

    November 12, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    I have this site bookmarked for when/if my daughter asks for nail polish (granted, that is a while away as she’s only 11 mos old):

    http://www.babygadget.net/2008/07/priti_nail_polish.php

    “they are made without toluene, DBP and formaldehyde, all known carcinogens, and are non-toxic. . and include a soy nail polish remover that is 100% biodegradable, free of petroleum ingredients. .”

    I wonder if it includes the ingredients listed above.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chemical fingers says:
    November 12, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    […] be completely different and we both might have a different idea than a manufacturer. After I read this post about some natural nail polish, I resolved to be more vigilant in my label reading. I hope you will […]

    Reply
  2. Chemical fingers | Go Green Park says:
    November 13, 2008 at 5:54 am

    […] be completely different and we both might have a different idea than a manufacturer. After I read this post about some natural nail polish, I resolved to be more vigilant in my label reading. I hope you will […]

    Reply
  3. Finding SAFER Products for Our Children : Eco Child’s Play says:
    November 13, 2008 at 10:50 pm

    […] With the arrival of each new morning, I find myself swamped with new warnings and cautions about children’s products. I have to question everything… “Is this safe for my child?”. It is a frightening and alarming world we live in when we cannot trust the products which are made available to consumers every day. […]

    Reply

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About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

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