Product Parade by Tina Marie Bibergall

Picture the following scenario – I walk into the local discount beauty products store with my four kids; I have three teenage boys and a little diva daughter. Their eyes immediately light up at all the “product options”; it is a familiar feeling because my heart also beats just a little faster when I walk into the Disney of beauty products.

My two oldest boys go to the right – directly to the “good” deodorant and body spray that will make the young ladies swoon. It says so in the commercial, after all. My third son heads to the left – he needs the extra-pasty hair stuff that will make his hair REALLY spiky. He wants to look just like the cool kid in the magazine ad he saw yesterday while we waited in the dentist’s office.

My little girl, oh my darling little girl…she doesn’t know which way to head first! Does she need body spray, glitter gloss, glow-in-the-dark nail polish, or just some strawberry- scented hairspray?

As American consumers, we have been convinced by hair stylists, makeup artists, estheticians, Hollywood icons, and even some doctors that the more “product” you purchase and use, the better you will look. We are even sold on the fact that the more of these items we use, the better we will FEEL; we will be healthier, our hair will not gray as quickly, our teeth will be whiter, and our nails longer.

Some of these claims may be true, but at what risk to the environment? In addition, some of these claims may be completely false if you are not carefully checking the ingredients in your products.

If your house is anything like mine, you have several more “products” than you use and just aren’t quite ready yet to dispose of them “just in case” you want to use them in the future. These products are the ones to be especially cautious of because chances are they were manufactured prior to the introduction of a new standard for personal care items.

Fortunately for green-conscious consumers, Green Seal has established a new standard for these personal care products and through its non-profit environmental certification process will make an impact on environmental effects as well as an impact on possible consequences to your health.

The new standard is referred to as GS-50 and affects products that are intended to stay on the body, as opposed to the GS-44 standard for soaps and shampoos that are meant to be rinsed off the body. The reason for the new standard is because the GS-50 products have different ingredients and therefore affect the environment differently.

The strict standard polices everything from product performance, ingredients, and labeling to packaging and social responsibility. Items such as lotions, hair sprays, sunscreens, insect repellants, makeup and antiperspirants have even more specific requirements to be followed.

In addition to the above guidelines, products must be free of animal-testing, carcinogens, and reproductive toxins or other compounds harmful to humans. Surprised that a product you might be using could contain toxic compounds? Think again. Ingredients that are banned under GS-50, but are not banned worldwide are bisphenol (BPA), phthalates, and triclosan.

These products are not only dangerous to the environment, but can be very dangerous to humans and animals as well. Adult men with high levels of phthalates in their systems may experience reduced sperm count and motility and increased damage to sperm DNA. Baby boys that are exposed to high levels of phthalates in utero or while nursing are more likely to have reproductive system abnormalities as adults.

BPA in the blood is a primary cause of polycystic ovarian disorder and recurrent miscarriages in women, and a recent animal study suggests that triclosan can have adverse effects on the thyroid system. When triclosan leaks into tap water and into lakes and streams, it is known to form chemicals that are linked to cancer and a variety of other health problems as well.

These three harmful chemicals can be directly introduced into the human body by using products containing the toxins or from consumption of fish and water that are contaminated from chemical runoff.

These chemicals are in more common products than the average consumer might be aware. Phthalates can commonly be found in any “fragrance” containing product, nail polish, food wrap, toys, detergents, and even pill coatings. BPA is used in hard plastic water bottles, food container liners and beverage cans, dental sealants and baby bottles. Shocked yet? Well, there’s more! Triclosan is found in antibacterial soaps, antibacterial cleaning agents, and even toothpaste!

Imagine trying to protect your family from bacteria and instead introducing a thyroid-damaging product into their bloodstreams. Very scary indeed, and thus the reason that GS-50 is so vital to the protection of unknowing consumers.

In order to meet some of the other requirements of GS-50, companies must have recyclable packaging, a take-back program, or packaging made with 50 percent post-consumer material. All ingredients must be disclosed, as well as documentation for energy and water consumption, air emissions, and trash and waste water generated from the manufacturing process.

The company must demonstrate social responsibility by providing employees the right to join labor unions. In addition, child labor is strictly prohibited and wages and working hours must meet minimum legal requirements or fall within the industry standards.

Green Seal has initiated standards to cover everything from building products to restaurants and continues to strive to make the world a more environmentally-friendly place to live.