UNIT 1

"To: Honourable Leona Aglukkaq - Minister of Health

Subject:Protect Canadians and our environment from harmful chemicals in personal care products

I am concerned about toxic ingredients in personal care products. Chemicals that may harm human health or the environment do not belong in products we use on our body and rinse down the drain on a daily basis.

I urge you to strengthen Canada's approach to regulating chemicals in cosmetics. As a place to start, Health Canada should follow the European Union's lead and phase out the use of chemicals that are known or probable human carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or mutagens in personal care products.

At a minimum, warning labels should be required on cosmetics containing any ingredients linked to chronic health hazards or harmful to the environment.

I'm trying to do my part as a consumer to choose safer products, but what we really need are smarter laws that protect human health and the environment from toxic chemicals in consumer product"

David Suzuki Foundation (January 16, 2011). http://action.davidsuzuki.org/cosmetics

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This letter, addressed to the minister of health, outlines the toxic effects that some cosmetics now use in their recipe to create these attracting aromas. It relates to the unit, "Matter, Chemical Trends and Chemical Bonding". The main idea from the unit that was applied here was "it is important to use chemicals properly to minimize the risks to human health and the environment." This letter shows that humans are starting to realize the effects that cosmetics have on their bodies internally and the environment.

Without the use of shampoos on our head, the oil that builds up would be dripping out the ends of our hair. The toothpaste we spit out more than once a day it necessary to strengthen the enamel and neutralize more acids in our teeth. However, the daily use of these items have the ability to damage our bodies internally. Many cosmetics have the chemicals to potentially cause serious diseases such as: cancer, asthma reproductive disorders and allergy attacks. Inhaling these smells is dangerous. you're just as probable to have the same, if not worse, effect than the person using the product. Thousands of people have rallied and protested to companies about using safer products and thus, this letter was emitted.

The effects that cosmetics have on our bodies is not nearly as bad as the effect is has on the environment. Powders used to cover up and imperfections growing on our faces, hairspray's used to make our hair more noticeable and attractive and spray deodorants used to make our bodies smell nice and attract the noses of other people are all good examples of an environmentally harmful products. All these products going into the atmosphere are having a very harmful effect on the ozone layer. Trees and seaweed can only clean oxygen so many times before dying. Many efforts are being done on conservation lands including school trips to plant trees.

In this unit we learned abouts the harmful ingredients put into our everyday lives. This, in turn, brought up a traditional project created by Mr.K. We were to look into one ingredient from three everyday cosmetics and this raised some questions. "Why is this ingredient within my product," "If this chemical is dangerous, why do i use this product so often?" This showed us the harmful effects that are put inside our "chemically-enhanced" products.

Chemistry is an infinite universe in its own right. There is known safe chemical formulas that create the same effect that these dangerous formulas do. Companies that create these dangerous products are in the business for money and not for the well-being of the earth we live in. What good is money without a world to live in?