The Health Risks of Chemicals in Personal Care Products and Their Fate in the Environment
By: LIsa Paulsen '15
Advising Faculty: Marc Zimmer
This paper looked at four main classes of chemicals, phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and fragrances, in personal care products. Many of these chemicals are known endocrine disruptors, and appear in personal care products or the environment at hormone relevant concentrations, leading to adverse neurological, developmental, or sexual developmental effects, which can be extremely detrimental to a fetus or to younger organisms. Determining the fate of these chemicals in the environment and the rates of exposure are crucial to fully understanding the overall safety and environmental effects of these chemicals, and for providing more complete information for consumers on the personal care products they choose to buy and use everyday.
This honors thesis may be viewed in its entirety at Digital Commons @ Connecticut College.
http://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/chemhp/15/
Related Fields: Chemistry, Chemistry/ Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Goodwin-Niering Center