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22April
2008

smile while your head explodes

maura @ 7:35 pm

I am a crankier-than-usual consumer lately, and (lucky, lucky!) you get to hear me vent, interwebs.

First of all, sunscreen. So sunscreen is non-negotiable for me, since I am so pale as to practically fluoresce. Last year’s sunscreen was kind of icky and it’s nearly gone anyway, and it’s getting too warm for my SPF 45 moisturizer. So I headed over to Skin Deep to research this year’s offerings.

Holy cow, did you know that there’s this chemical called oxybenzone that’s no good for people? So no good, in fact, that the CDC just released a study on how no good it is. Why, pray tell, is it in many suncreens on the market? And lip balms too?

I got all crazed and ran around the house throwing out sunscreens + chapsticks last night, then printed out a list of safe sunscreens from Skin Deep. Jonathan went to the coop this morning but the sunscreens aren’t going to be in until tomorrow, drat.

Secondly, plastics! Namely bisphenol-a. You may have seen recent reports about cancer and endocrine disruption from bisphenol-a leaching into food + drink from hard plastic (often #7) containers. Longtime (snort) readers may remember that I came early to the Nalgene-haters party and chucked all of our plastic water bottles years ago, replacing them with metal.

But now I am annoyed anew, because apparently this BPA stuff is also in the plastic used to coat the inside of cans of food. And also because I’d thought it was only Nalgene, but really it’s ALL hard plastic (e.g. our water filter pitcher). And ALSO because at the bottom of the Times article some scientist says not to microwave anything in plastic because we just don’t know.

I take my lunch to work. I LIKE taking my lunch to work. It’s cheaper, tastier and healthier. But I tried taking lunch in a glass jar last year and the jar cracked + made a mess (thankfully a small crack + a small mess). This year, with the walking to work, I really have to use plastic to cart lunch back + forth.

I am SO TIRED of worrying that everything we use is toxic. Can there please just be some regulation, oh government regulatory agencies? Pretty please???


5 comments on “smile while your head explodes”

Em (22 April 2008 at 9:32 pm)

This is not going to make you feel any better, but I think this toxic stuff goes back farther than plastic. My grandma made the best spaghetti sauce — we can’t duplicate it — my mom thinks it had something to do with the aluminum pan she used. My grandma had a serious case of Alzheimer’s, not to mention Osteoporosis when she died.

Then there was the original Fiesta ware. My great Aunt had a set. The red and orange plates were radioactive! She died of breast cancer.

Just don’t take your lunch in glass. Swallowing a glass shard will kill you a lot quicker than leaching toxins.

Anne (23 April 2008 at 8:41 am)

Metal water bottles? Do you carry a canteen? I am trying to picture this.

I agree about the glass problem. Maybe waxed paper? Very retro, and no obvious dangers!

Sometimes you have to pick your poison. I choose death by Fiestaware! The new stuff probably does not kill you. Visit Tamarack (http://www.tamarackwv.com/) next time you;re trucking through to Indiana, they sell very cute Fiestaware and other handmade objects. J. will **love** the food! It’s a fun stop.

maura (23 April 2008 at 5:20 pm)

I know, I am over the glass. Though I’m saving peanut butter jars to try and convince Jonathan to store leftovers in them. He complains that they’re small — may have to buy some pyrex or something.

Not a canteen, a kanteen! Though my girl scout canteen from my childhood was pretty cool.

Karen (29 April 2008 at 3:17 pm)

I am vaguely traumatized at the thought of taking my lunch to work now. I use GladWare containers for my lunch and storing leftovers in the fridge.

maura (29 April 2008 at 7:26 pm)

Sorry to bring you down! This post is doing that to people. I did bring a bowl into work this week and I transport food in the plastic, microwave in the ceramic. Kind of a pain, but okay, I guess.


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