JOY FEELINGS MAGAZINE December 2016 New Year issue | Page 67

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react with other chemicals to cause photosensitivity.
Health Canada requires warnings about skin irritation and
blindness if PPD is present in products used for dying
eyelashes or eyebrows.
Phthalates - Everyone in the general population is
exposed to phthalates from one source or another. They
are found in many products from soft plastics and air
fresheners to shampoos and nail polish. Tests done by the
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found phthalates in 3/4 of
the 72 products they tested, including deodorants,
fragrances, hair gels, mousses, hairsprays and hand and
body lotions. Phthalates are used to enhance fragrances to
make them last longer and to denature alcohol. Research
has shown that phthalates disrupt the hormonal system
and interfere with reproduction. A 2008 study published
in Environmental Health Perspectives showed that
pregnant women exposed to high phthalate levels were
more likely to give birth to baby boys with a shortened
distance between the anus and the genitals. This study
showed that the effects of phthalates on humans were
similar to the effects seen in animal studies. The
shortened ano-genital distance is associated with genital
problems and feminization. An earlier 2002 study in the
same journal found that one common type of phthalate,
diethyl phthalate (DEP) is damaging to the DNA of sperm
in adult men at current levels of exposure. DNA damage
to sperm can lead to infertility. DEP is a popular
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