M2.4 Personal Care Products Ken Cook

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Ken Cook, the president of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), has done a lot in terms of uncovering the hazards that we are exposed to from the time that we are fetuses in the womb to children, adults and so forth. It was previously thought that fetuses were protected from harmful chemicals and various hazards in the environment while in the womb of their mother. However, the EWG has found the opposite.  They discovered 287 chemicals in 10 individuals, and the first time they were exposed to those chemicals, those individuals were in their mother's womb. It is our duty to minimize the exposure to these chemicals for the sake of the future generations. Ken Cook's talk was enlightening and showed that we are in the midst of a "silent pandemic" due to all of these chemicals. The chemical companies disregard the risks because they claim the parts per billion is so low that there is no danger, but they are wrong. Ken Cook explains that for the drug Cialis, the recommended dose has been shown to cause hearing loss and blindness (not to mention an erection lasting more than 4 hours) and the individual experiencing this should seek medical attention right away. Thus, contradicting the chemical company's claim that there is a low risk of danger when exposing your self to this product and others. That even at the recommended dose, there can be an increased health risk for these products.

Comments

  1. Daisy AlbarranSeptember 5, 2018 at 10:38 PM

    Hello Kera,
    It is disheartening to hear and read that there are many harmful chemical exposures while in the womb. I find it surprising that chemical companies also do not take all the precautions necessary to make sure that their products works correctly without harming the welfare of an individual. It's also unbelievable that companies claim there is no danger when in fact there is. Therefore, we need to take initiative to make changes to our lifestyle and prove these companies wrong. Thanks for your post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2018 at 12:12 PM

    Hi Kera,
    I also thought Ken's presentation on environmental hazards was very insightful. I particularly liked how he primarily centered his discussion on the health hazards during human development. People are generally sentimental towards infants and children, so discussing how it affects them was a good tactic to grab his audience's attention. I was amazed at the statistics he presented! As future public health professionals, we need to bring this to the attention of the general public and government officials so that we can eliminate chemical hazards. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    Carmen

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 7, 2018 at 9:11 AM

    Hi Kera,

    I was so saddened to learn that babies are exposed to chemicals from the umbilical cord while they are growing and developing. It is mind boggling to think of all the many chemicals we are exposed to and the fact that each chemical can cause multiple health effects is a scary thought. I agree that we need to minimize the amount of chemicals we are exposed to in order to protect future generations. It is ridiculous that companies disregard what is in their products and say that because the amount is so low that there is no danger in using it. I really enjoyed Ken Cook’s discussion and the facts that he shared as well as what has been done and chemicals that have been banned and what we need to do to take action. I especially liked his belief that all chemicals should be considered dangerous until proven otherwise. We should not have to wait for the harm to already be done and be more proactive in limiting our exposure to chemicals as well as making companies re formulate their products. Very insightful post, thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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