Environmental Working Group

A Great Resource for Food and Product Safety Info
Reviewed on Aug 31, 2008

Pros:	great cosmetics/sunscreen safety database, latest public health/safety info
Cons:	website navigation not great - use the search bar

Within the last few months, you may have seen a lot of press on sunscreen toxicity. I believe CNN covered the story, as well as other media outlets. The data source for coverage is EWG's sunscreen database. EWG rates on a 1-10 scale the relative health risk of using sunscreens - there are hundreds of brands/types included. You can also "drill down" to assess safety of specific ingredients used in each product.

And guess what - the database has been around for a couple of years... It's a reminder that we can't rely on media to raise public health concerns.

EWG is a Washington-based non profit with the mission "to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles."

Another EWG effort popularized in the US press is Pesticide in Produce report - including the "Dirty Dozen List." This resource shows the pesticide load of 50 (I think) produce items. The most contaminated items are labeled the Dirty Dozen, and include everyday fruits like apples, pears, peaches, cherries and nectarines.

Check it out...

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