The Olympian

Toiletries offer chance to study many toxins

By Venice Buhain | The Olympian • Published March 18, 2008

Thurston County environmental educator Jennifer Johnson presented about 20 Komachin Middle School students with bottles of lotion, shampoo, nail polish and soap Monday.

"How many of you found parabens in your products?" asked Johnson, referring to a common chemical preservative. The students all reached out and grabbed the products in front of them.

The Komachin students studied the ingredients lists as part of a discussion about the hundreds of multisyllabic chemicals that are present in personal care products. The products can pollute water and could have an effect on health.

The county's Public Health and Social Services department has been delivering the talk to local high schools and middle schools to educate students about how everyday products affect the local environment and possibly health. The talk also includes the creation of flavored lip balm from basic food-grade ingredients, including beeswax and cocoa butter.

While ingredients in common personal care products generally have been regarded as safe, Johnson told students, there is no requirement for testing. The county has been seeing effects in local streams and Puget Sound that could be caused by chemicals in personal care products.

"From an environmental health perspective, we are seeing lots of changes in our local water," Johnson said.

Brand loyalty is developed in high school and middle school, and the program sets out to start students on the habit of reading product labels before buying, she said.

She told the students that one example of how pollutants affect the local environment is the observation that local fish are having a harder time breeding because of chemicals in the water that mimic hormones.

"There are boy fish being born without all the right boy parts, and there are more girl fish being born," she told the students. "If you're a fish trying to reproduce, that's not a good thing.

"Please keep taking showers and maintaining your personal hygiene," Johnson told the students. "I'm not saying that you should stop using these, but if you know what's in your personal care products, you can minimize your risk."

Eighth-graders Megan Cook, 13, and Austin Blankenship, 14, said that though Komachin students study the environment and water quality, they didn't know everyday products could contribute to pollution.

"I was surprised that there was so much stuff in what I use every day," Austin said. "I always thought that pollution was from broken sewer lines and people who pour stuff down drains."

Megan said she did learn some new tips for minimizing the exposure to chemicals from personal care products.

"You should keep down what you use, and try to find cosmetics that are healthy," Megan said. "You could walk out of your house with over 200 chemicals on your skin."