/oss/taxonomy/term/338/all en /oss/article/nutrition/apples-getting-core <p>I’m fond of apples. Maybe it has to do with some youthful memories of an upset tummy being soothed with a grated apple sprinkled with lemon juice. Or perhaps biting into one rekindles thoughts of the great times we had with my kids going apple picking. Then there is the notion that apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away. That is in spite of the toxins it contains! No, I’m not talking about traces of pesticide residues, I’m speaking of natural toxins. And the apple has plenty of those!</p> Wed, 16 Jun 2021 17:58:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8763 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-general-science/can-tresemme-take-you-bad-hair-day-no-hair-day <p>In November 2020, a <a href="https://archive.is/y6kp2">class-action lawsuit</a> was filed against Unilever for the sale of TRESemmé shampoos that were said to contain hazardous ingredients. Word spread quickly as a viral <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tresemme-shampoo-lawsuit/">Facebook post</a> circulated in which a woman claimed that TRESemmé hair products caused her to lose hair by the “brush full” and suffer from scalp irritation. Many other unhappy customers came forward online to share their nightmares using these products.</p> Thu, 04 Feb 2021 22:23:56 +0000 Cat Wang 8608 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/formaldehyde-baby-shampoo-crunch-numbers-crunch-scare <p>It is a very small molehill. But to the folks at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) it seems more like Mount Everest. This organization’s recently released report features a cute baby smothered in lather, sitting in a bathtub under the headline “Baby’s Tub Is Still Toxic.” What is this all about? Acrylic monomers leaching out of the tub? Lead in the water? Chemicals out gassing from the shower curtain? Reactions to mould on the grout? Nope.</p> Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:51:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1681 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/what-brazilian-hair-straightening-treatment <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?attachment_id=3379" rel="attachment wp-att-3379"><img alt="keratin" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2012/11/brazilian-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>In “Brazilian straightening” a protein known as keratin is mixed with formaldehyde and is applied to hair followed by heat treatment. Results can be surprisingly good with the straightening effect lasting for weeks. The problem is that the key substance in the treatment is formaldehyde, a compound with a cloud hanging over its head. Formaldehyde can not only cause allergic reactions, it is a possible carcinogen, especially when inhaled. The heat treatment volatilizes formaldehyde so inhalation is indeed possible. At concentrations above 0.1 ppm in the air formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eyes and throat and can trigger asthma in susceptible people. Such levels may be reached during a keratin treatment which is why hair dressers have taken to wearing masks when applying formaldehyde. Of course, the extent of exposure is critical and having such a treatment once in a while is not likely to be harmful, but working constantly with formaldehyde may present a risk. Supposedly these hair treatments contain only 0.2% formaldehyde, which is deemed to be safe, but the content of these products is not regulated in any way. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/11/18/what-is-a-“brazilian”-hair-straightening-treatment/">Read more</a></p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:33:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1810 at /oss