豆知识 2011-08-14&08-20 化妆品的故事 (1/3)

 Can I tell you, I love my Pantene Pro-V. Of the dozen or so personal care products I use every day, it's the one I can't live without. Says it gives my dull hair “the ultimate cool shine.” How does it do that? I was wondering that while I was lathering¹ it into my hair one day, so I read the ingredients right here: Sodium² Laureth Sulfate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylisothiazolinone. What is this stuff? I took this list to some scientists who know how to read it. Turns out my Pantene contains a chemical linked to cancer. And lots of other products in my bathroom from sunscreen to lipstick³ and even baby shampoo also contain chemicals linked to cancer or other problems like learning disabilities, asthma⁴ and even damaged sperm⁵. Like most parents, I try to keep my family safe, but now I find out my bathroom is a minefield of toxins⁶. What are we supposed to do? 

 

To find out the answers, we have to go back to one of the key features of our materials economy: toxics⁸ in, toxics out. If at the factory, you pour toxic⁷ chemical into a product like baby shampoo, you are going to wind up with toxic baby shampoo and toxics in workers, communities and, duh, babies. 

 

So let's take a closer look at this toxic outrage⁹ where it seeps¹⁰ into our lives every day in the bathroom. The average woman in the U.S. uses about twelve personal care products daily. The average man about six. Each product contains a dozen or more chemicals. Less than twenty percent of chemicals in cosmetics¹¹ have been accessed for safety by the industry’s safety panel. So we just don't know what they do to us when we use them. Would you fly on an airline that only inspects twenty percent of its planes? 

 

Of course, not all of these chemicals are dangerous, but we know that many are. Some are carcinogens, that means they can cause cancer. Others are neurotoxins and reproductive toxins, proven to mess up brain development and reproduction in animals. Wait a minute, we’re animals too! It's like a giant experiment. We're using all these mystery chemicals and just waiting to see what happens.

1 lathering   

n.痛打，怒骂v.（指肥皂）形成泡沫( lather的现在分词 )；用皂沫覆盖；狠狠地打

参考例句：

• After this my skin is really illuminous and clean even though there was no lathering. 在这以后即使我不使用泡沬之类的，皮肤也特别光滑干净。 来自互联网
• And yet Carl is standing there lathering his face and not a single detail is altered. 可是卡尔却站在那儿往脸上抹肥皂，全然不动声色。 来自互联网

2 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

3 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

4 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

5 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

6 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

8 toxics   

n.毒物（toxic的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Corrosives are generally toxic, so follow the precautions cited in the following section on toxics. 腐蚀剂一般来说是有毒的，所以请遵守下文关于毒品的防范措施。 来自互联网
• Objective To evaluate the diagnostic methods and treatment of gastric ulcer perforating with toxics tubular necrosis. 目的探讨胃溃疡穿孔合并中毒性肾小管坏死的诊断方法与治疗方案。 来自互联网

9 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

10 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。