Chemical world

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Saturday May 8, 2004
The Guardian

They're everywhere. In the cosmetics we use, the food we eat and the homes in which we live. Our daily lives are awash with chemicals. Every year, up to 400 million tonnes are produced and a thousand new substances concocted. Individually, each chemical, used in a minute quantity, may be harmless, but there's growing concern about the combined effect as they accumulate in our bodies. It's not just environmentalists and the green lobby who are worried. Leading scientists are asking questions about our ever-increasing exposure to synthetic chemicals.

In a brilliant three-part series starting today, Guardian writers explore the chemical world we inhabit. We uncover what's in the everyday products we take for granted and report on the latest scientific research into the possible implications for our health.

The series kicks off with health and beauty: an investigation into the hidden contents of our bathroom cabinets and make-up bags. Did you know, for example, that some blushers share an ingredient with anti-freeze and that shaving gel can contain Teflon? We tell you how to decipher the labels on your toiletries, give you a comprehensive guide to the best alternative brands and offer 20 ideas on how to reduce your chemical load. Sarah Boseley opens the series with a ground-breaking investigation into the cosmetics industry, where scientific advances in nanotechnology are taking skincare and beauty into new and unregulated territory. Next Saturday we look at food: what are the effects of the pesticides, artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives in what we eat - from takeaways to rice cakes, diet cola to red wine?

And in the third and final part of our series, on May 22 we explore the chemicals swilling around our homes and gardens: from washing powder to frying pans, DIY to dust.