Health and Well-being
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
Your cosmetics are volatile. And some of them, like moisturizers, are often opened close enough that you inhale a higher dose then you otherwise would in the ambient air. In one study, selected products were found emit more than 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – this includes products marketed with key greenwash words like “green”, “natural”, and “organic”.
NOAA found that perfumes make up a significant proportion of the emissions traced directly to households. And as the transportation sector has tightened controls on VOC emissions, a study of ambient air pollution in Los Angeles showed that household emissions were roughly at the same level as that of the emissions from fuels (from storage and spills, not combustion).
And in a very intriguing pre-pandemic study, commuters in Boulder Colorado emitted a compound referred to as D5 siloxane copiously during their morning commute. Not from their tailpipes, but from the personal care products they applied before getting into their cars to start their commute. Remarked the researchers: “In this changing landscape, emissions from personal care products are becoming important. We all have a personal plume, from our cars and our personal care products”.
What do formulators put VOCs like D5 siloxane also referred to as cyclomethicone (the chemist can’t resist: technically decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) into their formulations? Apparently adding cyclomethicone ensures that your hair has a silky-smooth texture and changes the surface tension in wet hair allowing you to run a comb through your wet hair without snagging or tangling.
When you walk out the door with wet hair on your way to the office, the D5 slowly evaporates into the atmosphere and because it is a long-lived chemical it lasts long to react with other pollution to help form the ground level particulate and ozone pollution we covered in an earlier post.
And watch out for the microbeads contained in many popular personal care product. Often added as a mild skin abrasive or exfoliant, these compounds are a key constituent of persistent microplastic pollution. Beat The MicroBead has a search engine (and app) to identify their use in your favorite brands.
With the largely unregulated glut of personal care products, it will be difficult to settle on brands that align with your personal values. As with other consumer product selections, start by researching your current brands and examine their claims with your greenwashing filter set on it’s highest setting. The industry is built on nebulous technical claims marketed with enthusiasm backed by big budgets. There is probably an enthusiasm for companies to address the market for environmentally conscious consumers and make cynical and suspect claims.
While the loud voices of the unscrupulous suppliers may be deafening and confusing, brands that prioritize sustainable and ethical practice are trying to find you. The ones that make their products with environmentally friendly formulations and packaging, and embrace sustainable manufacturing and business practices. With a little research, you can find them.
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 79: Change Your Fitness Patterns
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