My journey into better health started with a new awareness of things typically considered “safe”.  Like most people, I trust that the government and major corporations would take care not to harm the public, or more specifically me or my family.  “Nothing on the store shelves could be toxic or carcinogenic”, I thought.  Perhaps ignorance is bliss, but once the knowledge is “out there”, there’s no turning back.  Corporations are most interested in the financial bottom line.  If public, there’s shareholders to consider.  For the manufacturing sector, that means making product for as little money as possible, and selling as much of the product as possible.  Many products share the same basic ingredients, especially for preservation/increasing shelf life – buying in bulk makes processing cheaper.  Many products, including personal care products, like shampoo, even kids’ shampoo, and toothpaste contain formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is embalming fluid – great for preserving dead things, not so good for keeping live things healthy.  The list of GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) chemicals is quite lengthy and little is known of their long term affect on humans, but they are still allowed in commonly used personal care, home care and cosmetic products.  A bit scary, but really it’s “buyer beware”.  The need is to find products made by a company you can trust!  Perhaps price isn’t everything!