That's a Killer Look!

Toxic chemicals and the U.S. chemical safety system are both guilty of failing to protect health. That’s according to a group of young women calling themselves WATCH (Women Against Toxic Cosmetics Harm). The young women, who are students at Colby College, Unity College, and Waterville High School, recently became concerned about the health effects of the products they use every day on their hair and skin. So in February they shipped off 12 of their favorite personal care products to be analyzed for safety.

Holding a mock trial  on Wednesday, the women presented the results of the analysis, declared their verdict, and called on lawmakers to take immediate action. Sarah Hart, a student at Colby College,  stated, “No one should have to worry about dangerous chemicals in their shampoo and skin care products. Toxic chemicals cause serious and expensive health problems, especially for women. Yet it’s impossible to know or trust what’s really in our personal care products. What we’ve learned here today is nothing short of appalling.”

The mock trial featured a judge, prosecutor, expert witnesses, affected parties, cosmetics and the panel of 12 products under scrutiny.  About the product testing, Mike Belliveau of the environmental health strategy center stated, “Our safety analysis of these 12 products confirms that our nation’s chemical safety system is broken. Many of these products contain a variety of dangerous chemicals – some even have labels that make false or misleading claims. Fortunately, some products claim to be safer and they actually are – proving that we don’t have to choose between good health and good business.”

The full product analysis is outlined in the new report, “That’s a Killer Look: A Study of Chemicals in Personal Care Products” from the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. Blair Braverman, a student at Colby College told the mock court, “Speaking for young women, I will say that we are outraged that an industry can operate for so long, with so little oversight, and at such a high cost to our health. When it comes to getting good information about toxic chemicals, we’re tired of being left in the dark. We’re looking for leadership from Maine policymakers and Congress to help protect us and our families from toxic chemicals in everyday products.”

The students called for immediate action by Maine policymakers. This is not a problem we can shop our way out of, nor can we solve it chemical by chemical. We need Congress to overhaul our nation’s chemical safety system. And we need Maine policymakers to include the dangerous chemicals found in our personal care products, such as phthalates, on Maine’s Priority Chemicals List so we can get them replaced with safer alternatives. We need real reform, not just cosmetic changes.