Farah brought us the flick. Jennifer gave us the ‘Rachel’. Madonna made ‘blonde ambition’ a desirable thing – at least for a while. And Britney? Well, she got fed up and shaved all hers off.
In the last few years the Ecologist has written extensively on the flu – both the garden variety that strikes us on an annual basis and the wider threat of avian influenza, H5N1.
If we truly knew about flu, and the lack of effectiveness of the vaccine being offered as protection, would we really be so obedient about getting the jab?
Soft towels, fluffy fleeces and synthetic fabrics don’t cling. What’s not to like? Well, try skin irritation, increased flammability and environmental pollution, for starters. It seems the average bottle of fabric softener has a dark side.
The bird is now bones, the gravy glue, the roast veggies are on their way to becoming a source of winter fuel and as soon as everyone’s dinner has gone down a bit, it will be time to do the washing-up. If you are one of the 64 per cent of households in the UK that doesn’t own a dishwasher, chances are there will be a trusty bottle of Fairy Liquid by the sink to get the job of washing-up done.
Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. Nevertheless, in the hygiene stakes, antibacterial soaps are a ridiculous form of ‘overkill’.
A little mouthwash to make your tongue and gums feel fresh and clean? Beware, you may be swilling a mouthful of chemicals that will give you more to worry about than bad breath. Pat Thomas reports
Marketed as a superfood with almost magical properties, soya protein is found in almost everything we eat. It’s a shame its health claims aren’t worth a bean, says Pat Thomas
Many mainstream toiletries’ incompatible ingredients require chemicals to bind them together. Pat Thomas considers the alternatives to this unholy alliance
Credited in the Guiness book of records as the world's most slippery substance, Teflon has escaped the scrutiny of environmental regulators for 50 years. Now evidence suggests that the chemicals that leak from the Teflon pans during cooking may be more harmful to the environment and human health that DDT
Genetically modified food. It’s a big issue. Increasingly, we are handed the notion that GM food is just like any other food, only better, because of its almost magical power to solve our most immediate crises of poverty, hunger, fossil-fuel depletion and climate change.
Growing anxiety, growing concern, growing doubts, growing uncertainty. If you are one of a growing number of people who want to be heard on the subject of GM, and to find out how you can become involved in keeping the future GM-free, here are some places to start.
We get an entertaining selection of press releases each week at the Ecologist. Recently, however, amid claims for the greenest 4x4s ever, vegan-friendly breastmilk ice cream and strip-mining with a heart, one stood out.
It’s fair to say that we have our share of robust discussions in this office. Opinions get aired, fingers get pointed, occasionally voices get raised. It’s all in a good cause. Setting the world to rights isn’t always a civilised tea party.
Your recycled loo paper may be soft, strong and very, very long, but is it really all that green? Pat Thomas gets to the bottom of an issue of convenience
You don¡¯t have to choose between looking good and being healthy. In our regular look at cosmetic ingredients, Pat Thomas gives you the information you need to identify safer cosmetic and bodycare products.
Recent reports of catastrophic declines in bee populations have had scientists buzzing around looking for a plausible explanation. Is it mites? Is it GM crops? Is it mobile phones or habitat loss? It's all of these things, says Pat Thomas, but it's also so much more than that.
No one should have to choose between looking good and being healthy, which is why each month we will be taking a critical look at the active ingredients in personal care products and asking why manufacturers continue to choose toxic ones over safer alternatives.
