They put triclosan in my Crest Toothpaste???!!! That’s too much. I really don’t want triclosan in my toothpaste. I’m trying to phase it out in my soaps and stuff, but TOOTHPASTE! That’s really sneaky. And gross. I like bacteria. I feel that bacteria are pretty good for me – as long as plaque gets brushed off, but GOD I don’t need TRICLOSAN!
From Wikipedia’s triclosan page (not entirely reliable, i know, but any of you that want to look further I’m sure you can find the articles they’re mentioning :
“A 2006 study concluded that low doses of triclosan act as an endocrine disruptor in the North American bullfrog.[17] The hypothesis proposed is that triclosan blocks the metabolism of thyroid hormone, because it chemically mimics thyroid hormone, and binds to the hormone receptor sites, blocking them, so that normal hormones cannot be utilized. Triclosan has also been found in both the bile of fish living downstream from waste water processing plants and in human breast milk.[18] The negative effects of Triclosan on the environment and its questionable benefits in toothpastes[19] has led to the Swedish Naturskyddsföreningen to recommend not using triclosan in toothpaste.[20]“
And I’ve been forever trying to get steve to rinse his mouth after he brushes (he spits, does not rinse)…now I will have another reason to ask him to rinse. eew.
Should I return my new tube of crest complete to wal-mart? Probably yes. If I can find that darned receipt.
OH to and those of you enviro/socially-conscious people who will sneer at my shopping at wal-mart: I walk there, at the very least. It’s my friendly neighbourhood walmart, that is literally less than a block away from my apartment at lougheed. I’ll have to look into their business practices….i know they used to be suspect.
Okay, more about my slow phasing out of other stuff
Organic cotton…
http://www.aboutorganiccotton.org/index.html
Apparently it takes 1/3 pound of pesticides and fertilizers to produce enough cotton for a single t-shirt. Not cool. I bought organic cotton swabs and balls yesterday at London Drugs. They’re a little pricier, but my conscience is a little lighter. And I’m in a place where happily I can afford an extra dollar or two to encourage the stores to keep stocking these products.
Organic Bananas Lemons and Mangoes
Safeway has a pretty pathetic selection of organic produce…mostly because no one buys it. But, I’ve been sort of half-heartedly picking through the selection. My choices so far are Organic Bananas, Mangoes, Lemons. I SWEAR, whoever opens a Whole Foods or Capers or Choices in the LOUGHEED AREA is going to strike it rich. We have NOTHING here. Just a mall and a whole bunch of (almost) suburban staples. Oh, apparently they’re opening a Nester’s Market up at SFU, but it feels stupid to trek up the mountain just to get veggies. But since i’ll be attending SFU again in the fall, I’m going to do it. As soon as they open. There is pretty much no organic meat around here.
I am almost out of shampoo, so I wanted to look for a more natural alternative. You see, I’ve started buying readily biodegradable and phosphate/EDTA/Chlorine/petroleum-free dish detergent and using fewer toxic household cleaning products, because of the environmental and health concerns there, but then I realized…
WHAT’S IN MY SHAMPOO???
a lot of the same products. So I wondered if there are options that are maybe a little more “eco-friendly” (that blanket term we all know and love)? Here’s one I found at Wal Mart:
Down Under Naturals NUDE brand of shampoo and conditioner:
“Naturally Good Without the Bad – Free from Parabens, SLS/Sulphate, Phosphates, DEA, Phthalates. Naturally derived, Vegan formulations, with Certified Organic Botanicals, Recyclable package, never tested on animals, biodegradeable ingredients”
Not that I’m a new-wave hypochondriac in that I’m scared everything will give me cancer, but I figure if I can get a more “(blanketword)” conscious product that does the same thing as a normal product, without poisoning my household and the environment in the process, I’m all for it.
we develop all these nifty things, and then realize it’s all poisonous to us or the environment. frustrating.
SO…
————————
Dear Large Corporations,
My name is Beverly Wu, and I am a consumerist. I like to buy things. I will buy things if they’re gimmicky. It all pretty much works on me. The latest gimmick i’m into is making things less poisonous to my household and the environment. Would you please make me something that I want to buy? Pretty please? I mean I have this shopping addiction (a socially-irresponsible thing in itself…but good for you, right?). I mean this is a serious addiction! I want to buy things that are REALLY REALLY GOOD and have as little environmental footprint as possible! So please, pretty please??
With love and organic veggies,
Beverly Wu
