The Safe Shopper's Bible: A Consumer's Guide to Nontoxic Household Products

by Samuel S. Epstein and David Steinman

Anyone concerned about the health effects of ingredients in the items they buy every day -- from soup to flea powder, mascara, or car wax -- will find The Safe Shopper's Bible indispensable. Finally, here's a complete guide to settle such questions as: Can your hair coloring cause breast cancer? Is this brand of apple juice safe for babies? Will the additives in this salad dressing harm you? Which shampoo won't sting your eyes? The Safe Shopper's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0020820852
• ISBN13: 9780020820857
• Release Date: July 1995
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Best Overall Source on Food and Product Healthfulness

If you would like to reduce your personal toxic load, you probably will not find a better resource than the Safe Shopper's Bible by David Steinman (an excellent health writer) and Samuel Epstein (a well-known cancer researcher). This book covers a large array of consumer products and foods with a specific focus on cancer-causing ingredients, with specific product types and brands listed for each category. It is based upon hard research from sources including manufacturers' Materials Safety Data Sheets, reports by the World Health Organization and Freedom of Information Act requests to the FDA, USDA, EPA and ATF (which perform their own testing that often never sees the light of day). Deodorants, shampoos and conditioners, as well as fish, red meat, and various vegetables, are just some of the many products covered. All products are listed in easy-to-read charts by category, with an overall risk level for each, and more specific information if you need it. In the seven pages the book devotes to deodorants, for example, we see that there are enormous differences in the carcinogenicity of the various products reviewed. They range from products like English Leather A Man's Deodorant Stick, with six ingredients placing users at risk for contact dermatitis (fragrance, parabens, propylene glycol), or cancer (D & C Red 33, FD & C Green 3, FD & C Yellow 6), to Desert Essence Tea Tree Deodorant, which has no such ingredients. The main failing of the book is that it overlooks substances that are not known carcinogens, such as mercury. Hence, various seafood items are listed as safe which actually pose a mercury risk. A secondary failing is that it was written ten years ago, and the toxic burden of the planet, and hence of our food supply, has been shifting and increasing since then. Both of these deficiencies can be remedied by a visit to the Environmental Working Group's Web site at http://ewg.org. This page contains a nice summary of mercury levels in fish: http://www.ewg.org/reports/brainfood/sidebar.html More general coverage on mercury in seafood can be found here: http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20031209/index.php I have personally adhered to the recommendations of the Safe Shopper's Bible and its predecessor, Diet for a Poisoned Planet, since 1990. During that time, I went from a person who had sometimes extreme allergic reactions to cigarette smoke, new carpet odor, gasoline fumes, perfumes, and a variety of other common substances, resulting in recurring bouts of bronchitis, to a person who is presently in excellent health with virtually no reactions to anything. There is more to the story than that, because I also had mercury removed from my teeth during this interval, but I feel certain that paying close attention to the lists in these books was a major contributing factor to the dramatic improvement in my own health.

An excellent guide to safer products

I have serious adverse reactions to the chemicals in many products, and need to avoid those that make me sick. Since most products do not list ingredients, there is no way of knowing what is actually in them, or if it may be a health hazard. This book lists the hazardous ingredients in many products, and also lists the ones that are safer. Great information for anyone who has health problems that are aggravated by various chemicals, as well as people who wish to avoid using harsh chemicals. I use the book quite often, in my search for safe products.

At last a book to help all of us avoid dangerous chemicals

This has been the book all aware people have waited for.Thank goodness a friend in the states sourced it for me and I look forward to the updated version which wil include data about the company that cares about people and preventing cancer..Neways International.I Have shared the information with many folk here and they are waiting for the book eagerly.Congratuations.

chemicals are a factor

All I did was place this book on my desk...wow...it was the conversation topic of the day...aluminum cooking utensils, pots and pans are harming us ...antiperspirants which we have been wearing since puberty contains aluminum which we spray and roll on daily...shampoos. hair dyes, plastic wrap on meat, get this...microwave popcorn packaging is slowly harming us....what do ya do...buy this book for your home reference library..get informed....they need to make this a pocket size book for easy referencing while shopping....someone bought my copy again so...i am buying my third copy...again!!!! BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

This is a great book for keeping your family healthy

I think this book is excellent. It tells about many different house-hold products. Some of the products it tells about is- Bathroom cleaners, Paints, Animal (pet) products. Cosmetics, Shampoos, Hair care products, Tooth care, Fruits and Vegtables plus many more. It also tells about carcinogenic products. I find this book very helpful when I want to find out about products I want to buy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find about the products that are healthy for you and non-healthy for you.