Nanoparticles in Cosmetics
Could be Damaging
Your Health
Nanoparticles are tiny particles approximately the size of atoms and molecules. While there are some natural nanoparticles in nature that aren’t harmful, in the past decade, many nanosubstances have been engineered by companies to perform specific functions. They were originally designed for use in semiconductors and not for human use. The
cosmetics
industry, however, quickly realized that these substances could give creams and powders qualities that consumers like. For instance, zinc oxide sunscreens are extremely effective, but they leave a hallmark white nose because of their inability to absorb into the skin. Nanoparticles of zinc oxide provide the same sunscreen protection while absorbing right into the
Skin
. That’s great, no more white noses. What is NOT common knowledge are the problems that may occur with these itsy-bitsy little substances that are 1000 times smaller than a grain of pollen and 100 times smaller than bacteria. They are not just smaller versions of the substances they are pattered after. They are ENGINEERED pieces that are actually smaller than even one molecule of the original substance. This doesn’t sound alarming until you consider what scientists are well aware of. When substances get this small - a nanometer is half the size of a DNA strand - they take on entirely different properties than those of larger molecules. Red particles may become green, clear substances may become opaque, inert substances may become chemically reactive, electrical insulators may conduct electricity.... “One thing we’ve concluded is whatever these things [nanomaterials] are going to do, they’re not inert.What will they do when they get in the environment, and what will they do when they get into people?”
—Dr.Vicki Colvin, professor and co-director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology, RiceUniversity, Texas
Some unique properties that these entirely new substances may have are:• Can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream • Can be taken into cell mitochondria • Can cross cell membranes • Can cross the blood-brain barrier! • Are much more chemically reactive • Have incredibly high surface area to mass ratio. One gram of particles can have a surface area equal to the floor plan of a small house! • Have high temperature tolerance • Have great strength • Require minute amounts to give products the specific qualities manufacturers desire. These are exactly the qualities that make them great for use in semiconductors or medical applications. But these particles have entirely different properties from their larger counterparts. These unpredictable qualities are not studied extensively before they are put on the market, making putting them into the body a crap shoot at best, deadly at the worst. Yet companies are creating these new substances and putting them into products from
cosmetics
to food containers without having any idea what they could do in the long term. Manufacturers don’t even have to tell us that they contain nanomaterials at all, just as long as they label what they were produced FROM. Some findings that should cause concern with consumers: • They have been found to accumulate in the liver of animals • Immunologists have found that when nanoparticles of carbon are introduced to a cell,
the immune system
fails to mount an immune response, essentially treating the invader as part of the body and not destroying or getting rid of it. • Nanoparticles accumulate in cell mitochondria So what could be the end result of these substances accumulating in our bodies? Absolutely no one knows. And because these particles are derived from natural sources such as rock minerals, many of these teeny-tiny particles find their way into products labeled ‘all natural’ or 'organic'. So while the cosmetics industry claims that these particles are perfectly safe and there is no need to worry, it seems prudent to avoid these potentially dangerous
environmental toxins
as much as possible until a sufficient proof has accumulated to prove they are safe.
What can you do to avoid Nanoparticles?
• Wash less frequently so that you come into contact with fewer overall environmental toxins (see
Handwashing
page) • Read labels and avoid any products with ingredients that include: anything that starts with ‘Nano’; anything that is ‘micronized’; or anything that contains fullerenes, Bucky Balls, liposomes or quantum dots • Remember that cosmetics are not required to label their products as containing Nanoparticles, so for all other products go to the
Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database
and check to see whether it contains nanoparticles or other toxic chemicals that may cause health problems Slowly eliminating environmental chemicals can really help to decrease the toxic load of the body and improve or prevent the symptoms of chronic illnesses. Avoiding these chemicals in the first place is the easiest way to stay healthy.
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Environmental Toxins
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