Nina Silver’s 50 page exposé, The Politics of Poison, gives detailed information on the most commonly used synthetic chemicals in foods and cosmetics, such as surfactants and detergents, solvents, toxic metals, pesticides and fungicides, plastics/petroleum, synthetic fragrances, synthetic flavours, preservatives and dyes. Here are some of the valuable tips she provides:

• Solvents made from petro-chemicals are sometimes listed as ‘plastics’

• All toxic metals (e.g. aluminium anything, lead, cadmium, fluoride) are poisonous

• ‘Germicidal’, ‘antifungal’ and ‘antibacterial’ all mean ‘contains pesticides’

• The word ‘fragrance’ means ‘includes one or more of 200 ingredients’. The main component of fragrance is a poisonous solvent

• Air fresheners work by desensitising the nose by covering the nasal passages with a film of oil, masking one odour with another, or by numbing the olfactory nerves (nerves related to the sense of smell)

• Synthetic flavours or flavourings are usually made from alcohol solvents, whether marked ‘natural’ or not

• Preservatives are classed as anti- microbial agents.

• Many dyes are derived from coal tar. They may contain aluminium or other toxic metals to give a shine to shampoos and make up

Nina’s research brought up a few surprises:

• Some Ecover and Weleda products contained detergents or surfactants

• Johnson’s Baby Magic Bubble Bath contained detergents or surfactants and solvents

• Vicks Cough Suppressant and Old Spice deodorant contained solvents, as did Gillette and Colgate shaving creams

• Head & Shoulders shampoo contained pesticides

• Almost all household detergents contained pesticides

• Many eye products contain petroleum-based products, as do some ice creams

• Ecover Natural All Purpose Cleaner contains antimicrobial preservatives, as does Tom’s Toothpaste

• Head & Shoulders and Johnson’s Baby Shampoos contain dyes

A copy of The Politics of Poison can be ordered from Nina Silver (190 Kripplebush Road, Stone Ridge, NY12484, USA Tel.: 001 914 687 0963 email: nina@bestweb.net) for £15. Please contact her for postal charges.