Review: Stink!

I guess it had to happen. I'm already anxious about the food industry in America, our health care, harmful prescriptions and implants of every description, and the fact that the pharmaceutical industry is in the driver's seat at the FDA.

Then I watched Stink, a 2015 American documentary directed by Jon J. Whelan whose wife died young from cancer.

Netflix added this documentary to their lineup on November 1, 2018.  If you don't subscribe to Netflix, you can also watch it on Amazon.

Stink explores why there are toxins and carcinogens legally hidden in American consumer products. Products we use every day. Products we use on our babies from birth.

Beware, Beware

If you see the word fragrance (or perfume/parfum) on a product's ingredient list, beware! That one word can mean literally 100's of chemicals that the manufacturer can legally hide under that innocuous word may be in your shampoo, hand lotion, soap, cleaning products, etc.

Did you know that children's clothes labeled "flame retardant" can be treated with chemicals that cause cancer? Unfortunately, the chemicals used to make something flame retardant do not have to be listed under ingredients.

Is Greed Killing Us?

This is so wrong! Anything used in a consumer product should be listed on the ingredient label, and if that ingredient is carcinogenic, the item should be labeled, "This product may cause cancer."

I'm on a rant, but this documentary made me angry at the politicians, the FDA, and the lobbyists who seem to run the big industries in this country.

Last example, and then I'll get on with my day. In the U.S., 10 chemicals are banned from women's lipstick. In Europe, over 1200 chemicals are banned. Even China where many of these toxic products are created has stronger product safety guidelines than we have in the U.S. We have become a dumping ground for toxic products.

Knowledge Is Everything

Educate yourself. Be aware of what you're putting on your skin, in your laundry, and with what you're cleaning your house. There are "green" alternatives like using white vinegar in a spray bottle to clean countertops and just about anything you'd clean with a spray disinfecting cleaner.

There are a lot of blogs about "going green" and books about it too like DIY Natural Household Cleaners which is available in Kindle and Paperback.

I remember my mom often used baking soda and white vinegar instead of the cleansers from the supermarket. Like many things, I think she might have been on the right track.

This morning, I took an empty spray bottle, washed it, and filled it with white vinegar. I've always used cloth napkins, tossing them in the washer after every meal rather than paper napkins. I'm going to assess everything from this point on. I hope you'll do the same.

Question of the Day: Read your shampoo label. Does it contain "fragrance" or "perfume?"

Answer the question in Comments to be entered in the December Giveaway. See Giveaway Details at the top of the left sidebar.

Takeaway Truth
 
Tell your elected senators and representatives that the burden of proof for product safety should be on the manufacturer. Nothing should go to market containing any kind of toxic ingredients.