Thank you Mark Schapiro

There's toxins in them thar hills…

Cosmetics…

Women, are you aware that there is lead in the lipstick you put on everyday? Yup, that is the same lead that was banned from house paint because it caused brain damage in children. Did you know that other cosmetics contain dangerous substances too, but that cosmetics is exempted from oversight by the FDA? It was in the 1930s when the FDA was created and the cosmetics lobby has successfully kept the cosmetics industry free of any government regulation. People have the mythology that the government is out there protecting their health and safety from dangerous chemical substances, but it is totally false.

Many people also believe that the skin is just a container for all the biological stuff in the body… sort of like a huge flexible plastic bottle. It isn't. In fact, the skin is a huge organ in the body and what is put on the skin passes directly into the rest of the body. If you have any doubts about that take a little DMSO and rub it on your skin. Almost instantly you will get a taste like garlic in your mouth. So, you're not only what you eat, but also what you put on your skin. The fact is that the American chemical industry blocked regulation of chemicals called CMRs that may be linked to cancer, infertility, neurological and hormonal disorders. Those chemical appear in cosmetics and many other products that we use every single day.

Toys…

For example, do you or your children handle soft plastic items? What about pacifiers? What about rubber ducks? How about the dashboard in your car? The list is endless. The chemical compounds that make the plastic soft are called phthalates. Research studies have shown that these compounds reduce testosterone levels in boys. This should be a serious concern. While Congress has taken some steps to reduce phthalates in US manufactured toys. The rush of toys made in China that comes to the USA has not been impacted.

Electronics…

Electronic devices typically contain lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and synthetic flame retardants. Children are playing with more and more electronic toys… and we haven't even begun to talk about the EMF hazards from computer screens and other type of screen found on toys.

Food…

Just like the FDA has been largely absent concerning all of these products, they have been pretty much out to lunch when it comes to the safety of our foods (pun intended). A wide variety of additives are being added to our food supply under the guise of "natural flavors". You can't really even trust the labeling.

What about the FDA…

The bottom line here is that the government has really concerned about the bottom line of corporations instead of the health and safety of its citizens. Try as you might you won't find "a government of the people and by the people" anywhere today in Washington. The lobbyists have their hands deep in the pockets of Senators and Congressmen, and certainly in the pockets of the FDA. It is amazing how many FDA people end up working for the people they were supposed to regulate. The funny thing is that somewhere business created the idea that regulation would be the death of business. Nobody ever really tested that assumption. Would regulation actually destroy the economy? The answer seems to be the opposite. Deregulation seems to have caused the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Makes you wonder what other baloney is being fed to Americans by  insatiable  corporate greed.

A light at the end of the tunnel?

Fortunately, there is some hope… but it's coming from Europe not the United States. The European Union is taking serious interest in the safety of consumer products and companies who expect to sell their products in Europe will need to comply with their standards. That may result in safety spillover into the United States. On the other hand, China is still well aware of the markets in Africa, South America, and the United States that will still allow their people to be regularly poisoned.

For more information on this topic read Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products And What's At Stake For American Power by Mark Schapiro.