Pat Thomas, writing for the Ecologist magazine, sums it up nicely: "On average we each use 9 different products, with over 120 unique ingredients, daily; 90 per cent of these have never been fully evaluated for safety. Your skin can't protect you from these. Individually and in combination most can quickly and easily penetrate the skin and be absorbed into your body where they are linked to a range of problems including cancer, birth defects and central nervous system damage."
Damage to the Environment
Most consumers are aware of the damage caused by fertilisers and pesticides, but are unaware of the pollution caused by household products flushed down the drain.
Toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant and even perfume and toothpaste, which are all washed down the drain after baths and showers, can contain harmful chemicals that hang around in the water environment for a long time. These chemicals can also build up in the bodies of wildlife and some cause reproductive problems.
