CONSUMERS AND CHEMICALS
There is so much different advice and views about the presence and use of chemicals in consumer goods – that this section of our website is to bring clarity to some of the hot topics concerning chemicals today. Everything we do is based on our Responsible Care programme that can be summarised by the following philosophy: Safe chemicals, safe workers, and safe sites.
‘Chemical Free’ goods
- Do these really exist?
All ingredients contained in manufactured goods are made from chemical elements, whether natural or man-made. The idea that manufactured goods can be chemical free is misleading. Consumer goods labelled as ‘Chemical – free’ generally means that the manufacturer has avoided the use of synthetic ingredients (although this is not always the case) rather than the use of chemicals altogether. For example, essential lavender oil is composed of a variety of chemicals. Table salt is a combination of two chemical elements, sodium and chlorine. Even water is a chemical made up of hydrogen and oxygen molecules.
Natural vs Synthetic
- Are goods containing natural ingredients safer than those made with synthetic ingredients?
The expectation that natural chemicals are safer than those manufactured is unfounded. Alcohol, for example, whether produced through natural fermentation or from a petrochemical reaction, is the same chemical with exactly the same properties.
Natural substances tend to be a mixture of several compounds, consisting of one or two main ingredients and a collection of others at lower concentrations. In manufacturing, we would define the latter as impurities. As impurities can affect the overall properties of a final product, chemical manufacturers endeavour to produce a substance as pure as possible to ensure it meets high standards of quality. For example, in the development of new medicines it might be discovered that a chemical in a plant is effective in the treatment for a disease. The active chemical substance in the plant is then identified and reproduced synthetically to ensure reliability of supply and access to a pure, safe, standardised substance that can be used in new medicines.
Chemicals used in consumer goods such as cosmetics, detergents, toys and electronics are strictly regulated making sure that they are safe for the public to use – something the chemical industry fully supports. This helps ensure that the chemicals used in everyday consumer goods make all our lives happier, healthier, longer and safer. As most natural substances do not undergo the same level of rigorous safety testing as synthetic chemicals, there is no guarantee that they are actually "safer". For example, plants produce many chemicals that can have potent properties. The skin of potatoes that has been exposed to light goes green indicating the presence of chemicals that are toxic for human consumption. Tea tree oil used at more than 2% of the composition of a formulation can cause skin irritation. This is why only a few drops of tea tree oil suffice to be effective and it should be used with great care.
Chemical Ingredients
- Are fewer ingredients safer than numerous ingredients?
The saying ‘quality over quantity’ does not always apply. The number of chemicals used in a given manufactured good – be it a tomato sauce, a shampoo or a paint - is not very relevant as each chemical will be there to fulfil a specific function aiming to meet the needs and expectations of consumers. It may prevent food from spoiling or ensure that the make-up we wear is waterproof or that the paint we bought is colourfast. It is important to remember that all synthetic ingredients used in consumer goods such as toys, cosmetics and food are strictly regulated. Their suitability is discussed and agreed by independent scientific committees and their opinions are used to instruct legislation.
Our understanding of chemicals and their toxicological properties has progressed over the years ensuring that today’s manufactured goods are designed using safer and more environmentally friendly chemicals than even 10 years ago. This trend is a testimony to the effectiveness of our Responsible Care programme.
Chemicals in Our Body
- Should we be worried?
Finding numerous chemical substances in one individual is perfectly normal and should not be a cause for undue concern. As science progresses, we are able to detect the presence of chemicals in our bodies in ever-smaller amounts, the equivalent of a blade of grass on a football pitch. The presence of chemicals in tiny amounts does not mean that they are harmful to our health or the environment. Chemicals are the basis for life - they are present in everyone and everything in many forms. Even a simple banana is composed of a mixture of more than 100 different chemical substances. This is why, whilst interacting with our surrounding environment, we all get exposed to hundreds of chemicals every day - we breathe in, eat and release back numerous chemical substances of both natural and man-made origin. Our body is well equipped to process them, transforming, through chemical reactions, useful substances into nutrients, and eliminating the rest as waste.
‘Chemical Cocktail’
- What is this?
When talking about the 'chemical cocktail' effect, people usually refer to the possibility that chemicals could interact within our body affecting our health in a different manner than that identified from testing single substances. The concern is that when chemicals (natural or synthetic) behave in a similar manner, they could combine forces to be more potent than first thought.
To date there is no evidence of any risk to our health at the minute concentrations at which chemicals have been found. Admittedly, to establish conclusively if this is true will be very difficult. Family predispositions or lifestyle - both known to impact on long term health - are hard to take into consideration when carrying out any study. Regardless of those difficulties, the chemical industry takes this issue very seriously and is working with regulators to ensure that our understanding in this area progresses. It is important to remember that we have always been exposed to chemicals and that our body is able to process and remove most natural and synthetic substances through sweat and urine preventing their build up in the body.