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Chemicals That are Harmful to the Environment

There are many chemicals that do not bio-degrade and cause harm to the environment. Often, these chemicals are washed into our sewer systems and enter the environment directly or indirectly. They accumulate and build up, often they do not go away easily and can stick around for many, many years.

Coral Reefs and Chemicals

The Coral Reefs are very much in danger from toxic chemical build-ups. Many resorts are now asking visitors to use bio-degradable sunscreens and some resorts won't let you use certain brands like Coppertone or L'Oreal because of the toxic ingredients they contain.

Recently, it was reported that about 50,000 tonnes of sunscreen are washed off of people's bodies and deposited into our oceans each year. Thinking of tropical destinations and summer activities and it's easy to see just how much junk is introduced into the waters each year.

Chemicals like Octocrylene, Butylparaben, Octymethoxycinnamate and Benzophenone-3 are often found in chemical-sunscreens and accumulate in the ocean. They are harmful to marine life and kill the coral reefs.

How Sunscreens Harm and Kill Coral Reefs

The chemicals that wash off your body and rest in the coral reefs awaken a dormant virus that kills off the green algae. The result is a bleached reef (white) that has no green algae. No green algae means the corals can not convert sunlight into chemical energy and results in an imbalance of the food chain.

You can help by using safe and biodegradable sunscreens that won't harm the coral reefs. Choose natural sunscreens that use Zinc and Titanium Dioxide as their main ingredients - as these are biodegradable and won't hurt marine life.

Other Chemicals That Harm the Environment

There are many chemical ingredients in your products that find their way into the environment. Take soaps or shampoos for example. You wash your body or hair and then rinse off. The residue washes down the drain and into our sewer systems. Not all chemicals are removed in water treatment plants and if the sewers have any leaks then this toxic sludge is being reintroduced into the environment.

If you wash directly in lakes or streams you are putting even more toxic chemicals into the environment. Chemicals like Dioxins are very harmful to organisms. Wildlife and aquatic life have shown to suffer a variety of health effects when exposed to certain chemicals. Mutations, developmental delays and increased cancer formations are only some of the health risks that occur.

Natural Products and The Environment

Choosing natural products isn't just about how they work for us, it's about the impact they leave on the environment and wildlife. Chemical products that are made largely with man-made, synthetic ingredients is not good for you and not good for the environment - plain and simple!

By choosing natural products that are free of synthetic chemical ingredients, you are helping your body be healthier. Many health conditions are caused by exposure to certain chemicals and they only get worse with long-term use. Your body eliminates toxins daily from your body but if you are using chemical products it is working so much harder to keep the body clean. Children have a harder time purifying their bodies as their bodies are not fully mature yet.

Keep toxic chemicals off your body and out of the environment. It is better for your health and for the environment. As you start to feel the difference you can begin to see the difference it can make in the environment as well.

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