Articles

We are enamoured of fragrances, and virtually every aspect of our lives is touched by a fragranced product. But is it a touch too much? Pat Thomas reports. A quick account of all the perfumed bodycare products we use is sobering: soaps, creams and body lotions, ointments, talcs and bubble baths, shampoos and sunscreens – […]

Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. Nevertheless, in the hygiene stakes, antibacterial soaps are a ridiculous form of ‘overkill’. Some soaps, which contain powerful antibacterial chemicals like Triclosan, benzalkonium chloride or chlorohexidine, work in the same way as antibiotics and can contribute to the problem of bacterial […]

The dovetailing of industrial, commercial and scientific worlds often turns up interesting interpretations of the old adage ‘waste not want not’. Sometimes these involve novel new uses for compounds so toxic that they have to be given new names in order to sell them to the public. Witness the rise in popular use of the […]

Is it worse than Mc Donalds? The BLT sandwich is an icon, the ultimate symbol of convenience culture. Tesco alone sells 5 million a year. This is what the £1.80 you pay for your BLT buys… BACON 78,000 – The number of pigs killed every week at one Danish slaughterhouse. Danish Crown has developed a […]

Given the known side effects and limited effectiveness of Herceptin, how has it become the latest Breast Cancer miracle cure? Pat Thomas investigates. “The history of medicine is littered with wonderful early results which over a period of time turn out to be not so wonderful – or in fact even adverse. If you look […]

Our Read the Label campaign is putting manufacturers under pressure to justify their use of toxic cosmetic ingredients. Pat Thomas reviews some of their excuses   Our Read the Label campaign asks readers to write to the manufacturers of their favourite bodycare products and ask why they continue to use potentially toxic ingredients when safer […]

Soft towels, fluffy fleeces and synthetic fabrics don’t cling. What’s not to like? Well, try skin irritation, increased flammability and environmental pollution, for starters. It seems the average bottle of fabric softener has a dark side. By Pat Thomas   By all accounts we love our fabric softeners. In the US, consumers spend around $700 […]

The Japanese Whaling Association insists that whale meat is healthier than beef. But the truth is that it’s a cocktail of oceanic contaminants, the toxicity of which far outweighs any nutritional benefits. Pat Thomas reports Whales, being at the top of the oceanic food chain, collect and store a wide range of environmental pollutants, including […]

Stop worrying about major accidents such as Chernobyl, nuclear reactors legally emit radioactive particles that are causing cancer clusters to erupt around the country. By Pat Thomas Radioactive pollution doesn’t just leak from nuclear installations in emergencies and accidents. It is emitted from them, legally, every single day. These licenced emissions and controlled releases are […]

Rather than slather liberal amounts of chemicals on our bodies and faces with sun creams and other cosmetics, Pat Thomas suggests a little sun exposure might do us good. Sunscreens protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. They are beneficial. They are desirable. They are necessary. Or so we are told. So why […]