Tiina Elvisto - What's In Your Toothpaste?
Do you know what you put in your mouth while brushing teeth, apply to your skin when using lotions and soap, or rub in your hair while washing your head? Do you know which elements you breathe in at your office or even home? Tiina Elvisto, an associate professor of didactics of sciences and technology and plant ecology at Tallinn University explains how our health is influenced by the household chemistry surrounding us.
Do you know what you put in your mouth while brushing teeth, apply to your skin when using lotions and soap, or rub in your hair while washing your head? Do you know which elements you breathe in at your office or even home? Tiina Elvisto, an associate professor of didactics of sciences and technology and plant ecology at Tallinn University explains how our health is influenced by the household chemistry surrounding us.
Several chemical compounds are used to make products more pleasant for the consumer, to enhance their colours and scents, alter their consistency and their surface textures. Both the producer and the vendors benefit from hygienic and cosmetic products having a long storage life. But the elements and compounds added to the products may not always be safe.
For example, 90% of toothpastes, liquid soaps, shampoos, floor and dish cleaning solvents in our shops have a cheap agent in them that helps create foam – sodium lauryl sulphate or its analogues.
Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and its analogues sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES), ammonium lauryl sulphate and ammonium lauryl ether sulphate irritate the eyes, throat and the digestive system.
They can cause allergic reactions, headaches, nausea, skin and hair dryness and hair loss. These compounds hurt the brain, heart, liver, lungs and our immune systems.
All the detergents and other solvents we use make their way through the sinks and toilets into the environment. The SLS and its analogues in our tooth paste are poison to plants, worms and fish. They wash off the defensive layers of bugs and dissolve their cell membranes, thus killing the bugs.
SLS and its analogues wash off the water resistant layer on birds’ feathers. In our cold climate, this will cause hypothermia. SLS and its analogues will also dissolve contaminants, helping them reach living organisms more easily.
Our choices determine what the producer will create. A family will use relatively small amounts of these toxins. Then again, more than 80 million people live on the Baltic Sea catchment basin. Together, we consume immense amounts of chemicals. Therefore, we must think about what and how much we buy.
Many products with a long shelf life are comfortable to use on travels and expeditions. We could ask ourselves if we really need to use the products meant to last in extreme conditions.
Of course, one could say their health is good and a small amount of chemicals will not ruin it. But many chemicals decompose very slowly, they will accumulate in our bodies and other living creatures. We could also ask ourselves if we really need to accumulate these compounds in our bodies. At the same time, why should we harm other living beings? Just out of comfort?
So grab a magnifying glass and read the labels! See what elements your toothpaste, lotion, shampoo and hair gel contain! What are the paints and lacquers you used in that recent renovation made of? What do the carpets and curtains in your room, the furniture fabric and the door mat at the hallway, or the shower curtain in the bathroom have in them? Find out what these names really mean and only then make your purchase decision.
The website collects data on household products and the compounds within them. This site is a part of the European Union Life+ project, in which Tallinn University is an active partner.