Print Friendly and PDF

Personal Care Feed

How to reduce the transmission of diseases from pets to humans

On Saturday, I wrote about One Health Day. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it’s a global campaign that recognizes the close connection between the health of people, animals, and the environment and the role this connection plays in the spread of diseases. Several times, I’ve written that people shouldn’t allow pets to sleep in bed with them. Read more →


With increasing use of personal care products by men, they – as well as women – need to check out whether the items they use contain harmful chemicals

It’s not surprising that men are succumbing to the same advertising on looking good that has enticed women to buy for decades. The average adult man in the U.S. uses 11 different personal care products every day, nearly twice as many as 20 years ago, according to a survey. The survey also showed that women use 13 products daily, up from 12 in 2004. Read more →


A suggestion on National Pet Day: Don’t let your pets sleep in your bed

As a researcher, I was surprised several years ago when I ran across a study on pets that are allowed to sleep in their owners’ beds. It found E.coli, a bacteria that can cause illness, on the pillows, sheets, and blankets. The CDC recommends taking precautions to help reduce the risk of getting sick from germs pet can carry. Read more →


Weak cosmetics laws updated, finally, but problems remain

Of the many consumer laws I’ve reported on over the years, weak laws on personal care products such as cosmetics are among the most frustrating. The United States has lagged behind the rest of the world in regulating the contaminants and ingredients in personal care products. More than 80 other countries have taken action to protect their citizens. Read more →


Top 10 tips for Baby Safety Month

Babies are among the most precious things in the world. I was fortunate to have two wonderful daughters, and luckily, they survived childhood although not as much was known back then on child safety. Here are 10 top tips that parents, grandparents, and caregivers need to follow to keep babies safe: Read more →


Journalist wins prizes in press women’s state contest

For many years, when I lived in Alaska and Washington state, I participated in the state contests of the National Federation of Press Women or NFPW. However, when the Washington chapter of the organization faded away in 2015, I missed participating in the organization and its annual contests. Read more →


Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers are selling skin creams with dangerous levels of mercury, study shows

Almost half of skin lightening creams tested contained dangerously high levels of mercury but continue to be sold by online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Flipkart, according to a report from the Zero Mercury Working Group, an international coalition. Read more →


Lock up poisons to celebrate the 60th anniversary of National Poison Prevention Week

Protect your kids, teens, and elders from poisonings by locking up potentially harmful household products and medications. Nearly nine out of 10 unintentional poisonings occur in the home. Thirty-one children under the age of five die in the U.S. each year from consumer products found in the home Read more →


1.7 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches are being recalled due to burn risk

Fitbit is recalling about 1 million Ionic smartwatches in the United States and about 693,000 internationally. The lithium-ion battery in the Ionic smartwatch can overheat, posing a burn hazard. Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the U.S. – and 59 reports internationally – of the watch battery overheating. Read more →