Perfumes can be dangerous

 

A prominent environmental group says perfume makers stink when it comes to divulging the potentially dangerous chemicals in their products

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100511/perfume-chemicals-100511/20100511/?hub=EdmontonHome

Environmental Defence, along with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, commissioned a study of perfumes sold in Canada. The group says the study shows that perfumes often contain a dozen of what it calls “secret chemicals” not listed on labels — chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions or disrupt hormones.

A group tested 17 name-brand perfumes colognes and “body sprays” for men and women:

• Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio 
• Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow
• Calvin Klein Eternity (for women)
• Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom
• Britney Spears Curious
• Calvin Klein Eternity (for men)
• Quiksilver (for men)
• Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Heavenly
• Coco Mademoiselle Chanel
• Clinique Happy
• Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce
• American Eagle Seventy Seven
• Hannah Montana Secret Celebrity
• Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue
• Old Spice After Hours Body Spray
• AXE Bodyspray For Men – Shock  
• Halle by Halle Berry

All of them contained secret chemicals not listed on the label. On average, they contained 14 chemicals, some are which have been linked to estrogen disruption, sperm production disruption and even cancer, the group says.

According to the study, Calvin Klein Eternity perfume for women, for example, contained 14 unlisted chemicals. Giorgio Armani Aqua Di Gio for men had 17 chemicals, while American Eagle 77 spray contained 24 unlisted chemicals.

The study found the perfumes also contained an average of 10 “sensitizing” chemicals, which are chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions, such as nausea, headaches, wheezing, and vomiting.

The questionable chemicals include:

• Octinoxate
• Oxybenzone
• Benzophenone
• Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
• Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
• Galaxoide
• Tonalide
• Musk ketone
• Benzyl salicylate
• Benzyl benzoate
• Butylphenyl methylpropional

The report says that galaxolide and tonalide — two synthetic musks linked to toxicity to the endocrine system – were found in 16 of the 17 perfumes. A recent cord-blood study by the Environmental Working Group found those two chemicals inside the bodies of most babies tested.

Twelve of the 17 products in this study were listed as containing DEP, a chemical found in 97 per cent of Americans that is linked to abnormal development of reproductive organs in baby boys and sperm damage in adult men.

Jane Houlihan, senior vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group, says these chemicals easily find their way into our bodies.

“Fragrance chemicals are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and many of them end up inside people’s bodies, including pregnant women and newborn babies,” she said.

Watch what you eat and drink

 

 

BAD FOOD, ALCOHOL, DRUGS KILL

Heart disease can catch up to you if you don’t watch what you eat

Southwestern Ontario –  By Leslie Beck, RD (NC)-Cardiovascular disease accounts for more deaths than any other disease in Canada.( BUT DON’T FORGET THE NUMBER OF DEATHS CAUSED BY VEHICLE ACCIDENTS DUE TO DRUNK DIVERS TOO)  According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, someone dies every seven minutes from heart disease or stroke in this country.

Heart smarts London Free Press

The Heart Truth Highlights Women’s Heart Health at LG Fashion Week MSNBC

Chillicothe Gazette  – Chipley Florida Online Newspaper – Foster Folly News  – Telegraph-Journal  – Irish Independent

all 16 news articles »

 

Heart attack is directly responsible for about 11% of all deaths in Canada every year. This represents half of all deaths due to coronary artery disease.
In 2003, heart attack was the leading cause of death from circulatory diseases, at 48 deaths per 100,000 Canadians. Lung cancer was the leading cause of death from cancer, at 47 deaths per 100,000. Mortality for heart attack, stroke, and prostate cancer decreased between 2000 and 2003. Heart attack mortality decreased from 56 deaths per 100,000 Canadians in 2000 to 48 in 2003. Stroke mortality fell from 35 to 32 deaths per 100,000 Canadians. Prostate cancer mortality decreased from 27 to 24 deaths per 100,000 men.

DRIVING AT AN UNSAFE SPEED ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT 14.5 PERCENT OF  VEHICLE ACCIDENT’S DEATHS AS OPPOSED TO IMPAIRED DRIVING AT 45 PERCENT!

IN ONE YEAR 60% of fatally injured drivers in Canada had a positive reading for blood alcohol and 160,000 people were convicted of impaired   driving .  IMPAIRED DRIVING CONVICTIONS ARE MAINLY ENFORCED 2 MONTHS OF THE YEAR FIRSTLY, AND ARE NOT DONE THE WHOLE YEAR.  gENERALLY alcohol-related driving offences account for approximately 25% of all Criminal Code prosecutions. ” If you drink and drive, it’s everybody’s business”
A  survey of Ontario policing  found that, on average, a police officer laid 2.5 drinking driving charges per year. The study suggests several reasons for low enforcement rates:
not enough personnel (small towns only have one patrol unit that has to be available for emergencies and cannot be sidetracked by an impaired driving situation)
– time-consuming arrest proceedings (including the availability of a technician for BAC  testing)
-attitudes of officers and administrators (not a serious crime, too time-consuming)
– the court system (many forms to process the charge, mistakes lead to acquittals)
-amount of paperwork required (2 hour average to do paperwork) (Vingilis, 1991, 202)

Research ALSO found a significant divergence in the punishments given to impaired drivers BY THE POLICE AND THE COURTS.

In an average year in Canada, impaired driving killed 1,212 persons, injured 71,532, and caused damage to 236,375 vehicles, translating into 1,010 fatal crashes, 48,890 injury-only crashes and 155,510 property-damage only (PDO) crashes, totaling an average of 205,410 crashes in all. In turn, on average, this cost Canadians between $1.90 billion (Real Dollar Estimate model) and $11.28 billion (Willingness to Pay model) dollars, depending on the costing model and assumptions used. To put this another way, that represents a cost of between about $59.00 and $341.00 per Canadian. EXCLUDING THE EXTRA COSTS FOR INSURANCE NOW TOO..

Jurisdiction   Estimated Fatalities,   2006 IMPAIRED DRIVING
British Columbia 458
Alberta 477 
Saskatchewan 157 
Manitoba 144 
Ontario 885 
Quebec 692 
New Brunswick 
Nova Scotia 93 
Prince Edward Island 28 
Newfoundland & Labrador 48 
Yukon, NW Territory & Nunavut 27 
Canada 3,122

Jurisdiction  Estimated % Alcohol-Involved – Fatalities,  2006
British Columbia 36.70% 
Alberta 43.40% 
Saskatchewan 47.90% 
Manitoba 44.60% 
Ontario 34.30% 

In 2006, it was estimated that about 368,396 individuals were injured in motor vehicle crashes. MADD Canada estimates that approximately 75,374 of these individuals were injured in impaired driving crashes (207 per day). Note that this figure does not include impaired crash injuries occurring on the water.

Canadians say fresh, healthy food too expensive: Poll

TORONTO — Almost half of Canadians say they are going without fresh, healthy food because it is too expensive, according to a national poll released Monday by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Health/Canadians+fresh+healthy+food+expensive+Poll/1269731/story.html

The poll showed 47 per cent of Canadians don’t buy fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and whole grain products, lean meat or fish because of the cost.

The foundation’s annual report on Canadians’ Health also revealed what it called “startling discrepancies” in the cost and availability of basic healthy food from province to province.

“Depending on where you live, some Canadians are often paying more than double to almost six times the price for the same basic healthy food,” the report said.

The foundation said governments need to “create a level playing field” for consumers.

“Many provincial governments regulate the price of alcohol across provinces, but healthy food is subject to significant price variations from one community to the next,” said foundation spokesman Stephen Samis.

“You have to wonder why we control the price of alcohol but allow such price inconsistencies for healthy food — and not just in remote regions of the country — but even between larger metropolitan areas.”

For example, the poll found the cost of six apples ranged from $1.71 in Edmonton to $5.02 in Calgary. In Ontario, where apples are grown regionally, the cost varied from 90 cents in Peterborough to $5.49 in Dryden. A 2.7 kg bag of potatoes ranged from $1.50 in Toronto to $2.15 in Whitehorse, to $6.95 in Yellowknife, N.W.T.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation said the wide variation in the cost of healthy food is even more disturbing when compared to the relatively stable price of pop, chips and cookies.

“Healthy eating is a key factor in preventing heart disease,” cardiologist Dr. Beth Abramson, said Monday. “This report should serve as a wake-up call that healthy eating is in danger of being out of reach for many Canadians, a problem which may only get worse given the current downturn in the economy.”

Last October, the Heart and Stroke Foundation had volunteer shoppers in 66 communities across Canada purchase a list of healthy foods for a family of four for one week.

It found some of the most “disturbing” data was reflected in the price variations of grain products. For example, a package of whole-wheat pasta that cost $2 in Barrie, Ont., was $7.90 in Regina, Sask., and $11.37 in Dawson City, Yukon. A bag of brown rice ranged from $2.19 in Toronto to $7.76 in Winnipeg, to $11.99 in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

In the case of both milk and cheese, the survey found prices could be more than double depending on where you live.

A pound of lean ground beef could range from $13.21 in Ottawa to $4.99 in Peterborough, Ont. and the Yukon.

The foundation said these price variations may explain why almost half of adults and 70 per cent children in Canada don’t consume the minimum recommended servings of vegetables and fruit established by Canada’s Food Guide.

“This can only encourage unhealthy eating behaviour that will ultimately lead to obesity and risk factors for heart disease,” Abramson said.

 The situation was found to be even worse for First Nations people and Inuit, many of whom live in isolated communities.

In northern Ontario, four litres of milk was $15.70 in Bearskin Lake, compared to $3.49 in Vancouver. A package of whole-wheat pasta was $8.68, compared to $2.00 in Barrie, Ont. Other high cost items included: $10.99 for six oranges; $7.45 for six apples; and $10.88 for a 2.7 kg. bag of carrots. Survey shoppers also found that many healthy foods including chicken legs, frozen fish, fresh tomatoes, fresh broccoli, canned corn, canned peas, frozen mixed vegetables, potatoes and brown rice weren’t available at all in Bearskin Lake.

The study also found that healthy foods such as dried beans and frozen spinach were unavailable in almost one in three grocery stores where the foundation shopped.

The only items that showed little price variation and accessibility from one community to the next were pop, chips and cookies, which Canada’s Food Guide recommends be consumed less frequently.

  Canwest News Service

Now on top of all that add to that how food manufacturers, drug stores do also make big  profits on health related items

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