And just how many chemicals are we exposed to on regular basis? According to Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), more than you might imagine.
He reports that an ongoing EWG monitoring project which regularly tests blood, cord blood, urine, and breast milk from 72 adults has so far identified the presence of 455 chemicals that should not be in the body.
"If you had one or two you would say not a big deal. But you can't say that the whole 455 aren't doing something harmful to the body. That just doesn't seem plausible," says Wiles.
Moreover, he reports that a recent EWG survey of some 2,300 Americans found that the average adult is exposed to 126 chemicals every day -- just in their personal care product use alone.
"One in every 13 women is exposed to a known or a probable human carcinogen every day, with one in every 24 women -- or 4.3 million total -- exposed to personal care ingredients that are known or probable reproductive and developmental toxins," says Wiles.
Additionally, the Environmental Working Group offers an online database of some 14,000 personal care products rated by their level of chemical contaminants. http://www.ewg.org/issues/