Welcome to a new week!
Things are getting spooky! I don’t know about your neighborhood, but people here in San Diego are getting creative with their Halloween decor. It’s fun to see all of the skeletons, ghosts + goblins everywhere.
It’s an interesting tradition, isn’t it? At its core, it’s all about warding off the evil spirits or appeasing the restless spirits to protect us + our crops. But, somewhere along the path, we may have lost our way + be doing the exact opposite.
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THE TRADITION
My oldest daughter’s first Halloween, we trick-or-treated with our neighbors. Just a couple of houses. She was probably only 2 or 3 years old.
When we got home that night with her little bucket of candy, we decided to just let her have at it. Eat the candy. Get it over with. I think she ate it all in that one sitting. It was the first time I had ever witnessed what a true ‘sugar high’ looked like. The girl was doing full-on parkour up the walls + back down. As we watched her run in circles, my husband + I just sat there thinking - OMG what have we done?
When our youngest daughter was about that same age, we dressed her up in her pink onesie pajamas + added some pink bunny ears + a drum. She was the Energizer Bunny - a very fitting costume for her I might add. It was her first-time trick-or-treating. She was floored when she realized the whole premise - going door-to-door to get candy. It was heaven for her! She buzzed up + down every sidewalk just like the Energizer Bunny did in all those commercials.
At one point, she was speed-walking down the sidewalk, jack-o-lantern bucket in one hand + lollipop in the other when she tripped. As she realized she was going down, she raised her arms up to make sure she didn’t drop her lollipop or her bucket of candy. Instead of letting go of it all to catch herself, she landed flat on her face. Her bucket of candy + lollipop didn’t even touch the ground. But, it was the end of the Energizer Bunny that night who was now sporting a chipped front tooth + a bloody lip.
Once each of our girls survived their first Halloween, the rest of them went pretty smoothly. Our neighborhood was the perfect place for Halloween. We decorated + created a spooky vibe that drew people into our neighborhood for the big night. Everyone came out in their front yards to visit + greet all of the trick-or-treaters. We easily had over 100 little ghosts + goblins up + down our street. And we gave away a LOT of candy.
It was always a fun night. One that I missed after we moved away.
THE TOXINS
I will say those last few years, it got harder + harder for us. My husband + I had been studying nutrition + health. We had been learning about the harmful effects of sugar, additives + food dyes. And, we were conflicted about handing out candy + contributing to the whole mess. It took the fun out of giving away those plastic bags full of Halloween candy to all of those precious little munchkins.
Luckily, our kids got older, we moved + eventually we just sort of ‘opted out’ of the trick-or-treating scene. Today, living in a high-rise with very few children around, it’s just not an issue for us anymore.
I know these days there are some cleaner brands of candy which is fantastic. I also know more + more families have joined the bandwagon of finding creative ways to swap out their kids’ candy with other items.
If kids were exposed to that highly processed, high sugar stuff once a year, it might not be so terrible, but most of them (heck, most of US) are eating very highly processed foods on the daily. It makes a holiday built around candy + treats seem a little overkill.
Years later when I started working in the clean beauty industry, I realized a whole new layer of concern around Halloween - the face paints + makeup.
All of those years of costumes + face painting, I had never thought to ask what ingredients were used to make that stuff or how they might be harmful.
Like most people, I assumed there was some sort of safety check or process for reviewing ingredients before products hit the shelves.
I didn’t know that cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today or that the FDA didn’t have any authority to review ingredients or issue recalls like it can for food + drugs.
I had no idea that lead + other heavy metals are common in those face paints. I didn’t realize that lead is not even banned for use in makeup like it is in other countries. I didn’t know that companies can use virtually any raw material in a finished cosmetic product or that ingredients in cosmetic products sold online don’t have to be labeled.
Did you?
In summary our label reading and laboratory tests revealed the presence of toxic chemicals across the spectrum of Halloween products and cosmetics marketed to children. These products pose a real threat to children’s health. Here’s what we found and what you need to be aware of.
LEAD AND CADMIUM. The CDC has made it clear that there is no safe level of lead. Yet, we found lead in nearly 20% of the Halloween face paints tested. Cadmium in nearly 30%. Lead is strongly associated with learning disabilities and developmental problems. Cadmium is linked to breast, kidney, lung and prostate cancer.
TOLUENE. Toluene, a hormonally active, development and reproductive toxicant was found in nearly 11% of products tested.
PARABENS. At least one paraben, an endocrine disrupting compound, was found in 34% of products. Two or three parabens were found in 3% of the products.
FORMALDEHYDE. We found formaldehyde-releasing preservatives in 3% of the products. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen.
ETHOXYLATED INGREDIENTS. We found 28% of products contained ethoxylated ingredients just from reading the labels. This manufacturing process can result in two toxic contaminants linked to breast cancer and other cancers: ethylene oxide and 1,4- dioxane.
There are real dangers in these children’s products designed for play or daily use. We have long known that the federal laws governing the safety used in personal care products are inadequate. The results of this study clearly indicate the need for strong, health protective, federal cosmetic safety reform to reduce children’s exposure to chemicals from products that on the surface seem playful, but upon scientific analysis, pose a dangerous threat to children’s health and well-being.
A bit of good news - since this report, we now have new legislation in this space with the passing of The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA). This is the most significant expansion of the FDA’s authority to regulate cosmetics since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act was passed in 1938.
This new law will help ensure the safety of cosmetic products many consumers use daily. It’s going to be a process + we have a long way to go, but it’s a step forward - the first of its kind in over 80 years.
And again, maybe a once-a-year exposure to these kinds of ingredients wouldn’t be as scary, but the daily exposures to all of the products we use on our kids + ourselves - toothpaste, shampoo, body washes, bubble baths, sunscreens, lip balms - that’s where it gets a bit scary.
THE WASTE
Speaking of just one day, it’s amazing what one day can do (and undo). The idea that Halloween is just one day doesn’t really hold up. We do a lot of damage in that one day.
Have you ever stopped for a moment to notice all of the waste around Halloween? The candy wrappers. The costumes. The decorations. The pumpkins. The plastic. Where do they all go the next morning?
Here are some scary facts:
83% of Halloween costumes use non-recyclable plastic (equivalent to about 2000 tons of plastic waste)
63% of Halloween costumes can take up to 20-200 years to decompose
35 million Halloween costumes are thrown away in the U.S. each year
In the US, over 5.4 million kilograms of textile waste is produced by businesses and consumers throwing away Halloween costumes
40% of consumers buy pumpkins to carve for Halloween, but 60% of them just throw it away afterwards
18,000 tons of pumpkins end up in landfills where they break down + emit methane gas
Halloween candy contributes to the plastic packaging waste - up to 30%
Americans spend around $2.36B on plastic decorations each year that end up in landfills
It’s kind of shocking to realize how much damage we can do for just one day of spooky fun. And, Halloween is one of the most popular holidays around the Western world. It gets more popular each year - which makes all of this a growing issue.
THE TRUTH
They say ignorance is bliss. Sometimes I wish I could unlearn the things I learn, but it doesn’t work that way. Learning leads to improving + improving leads to change.
I certainly didn’t set out to ruin Halloween for you with this post. But, this holiday is a perfect example of the witches’ brew we live in. A dangerous convergence of hazards in this toxic soup + waste we stir up around us. The disregard for the impact of our purchases on our health + planet. The assumptions we make that someone else is watching out for us or is going to clean up behind us.
Of course, it’s not just about Halloween. This stuff is an issue in our lives every day. We all use personal care products. We are all surrounded by various plastics + forever chemicals. We all contribute to the endless waste we create.
One more statistic I will share - only 20% of consumers consider sustainability in their Halloween purchases.
I actually find that a promising number. At least it is on the radar for some of us + the fact is, we can each make a big contribution to ensuring this number continues to go up.
HOW?
Pay attention. Awareness is the first thing. If you’ve never looked at Halloween through the lens of health, allow yourself to see it. The sugar. The chemicals. The plastic. The single-use waste. The textiles. Seeing is believing.
Save decorations. If you decorate, save your decorations. Use them again next year. Donate or recycle them. Keep that stuff out of the waste bins + landfills.
Reuse or borrow costumes. Get creative with your costumes. Repurpose + recycle them. Trade with friends. Make your own out of things you already have.
Eat your pumpkin. Create a new tradition for using that pumpkin you carve. Have fun looking up recipes. If you can’t eat it, compost it or feed it to the animals.
Look for Eco-Friendly Packaging. Use biodegradable or reusable packaging for candies + other goodies when possible.
Choose safer ingredients. Whether candy or face paints - the things we put IN + ON our bodies are important - especially for the little ones. With all of the toxins around us, choosing to be more intentional about what we use + consume is more important than ever.
These are just a few of the simple ways we can have an impact + make Halloween just a little less scary for us + our planet.
When you stop + think about it, what makes Halloween so fun is getting together, creating a special vibe + seeing each other’s creativity. None of that has to be harmful if we just slow down for a moment + get creative.
YOUR MISSION:
This week, I challenge you to make one small improvement to your Halloween tradition. How can you enjoy the fun without adding to the harmful waste?
RESOURCES:
READ: Why Halloween Waste is the Scariest Monster of them All in 2023 | Waste Managed
READ: 10 Spooky Facts About Halloween Waste And 5 Ways To Reduce It | Hummingbird International
READ: Fatal Conveniences | Darin Olien
LISTEN:
IN SUMMARY:
No one likes a party pooper I know. But, as I mentioned at the beginning, somewhere along the way, we lost sight of our path. Instead of warding off the evil spirits, we seem to be inviting them in…to stay.
Maybe it’s time to get back to our original intent - bringing our communities together to celebrate the harvest + ward off the ghosts that might harm our future.
See you next week?
You can learn more about my midlife nutrition + health coaching services on my website or follow along with me on Instagram @itMayBeMenopause
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@itmaybemenopause.com
Instagram: @itmaybemenopause
I am still wearing the costume I made 24 years ago. I wore it today when doing a craft with a pumpkin. My son never wore a store bought costume. I made his costumes and still have some of them to this day. I have been slowly letting go of his old stuff by giving things to his friends who have little ones now. Also, I have been eating my pumpkin for many years as well.
I didn't like Halloween as a kid (didn't eat candy) and ignore it today. Yay! This time around it's effortless leaving less footprints on the planet.