I am looking into making your own cosmetics and skincare products from natural ingredients and can see why parabens are used. (although there is still no excuse for them and their toxic effects) When using water (aqua)or milk in a skin care product such as a face cream, preservative needs to be used to avoid dangerous micro-organisms from multiplying within the product.

Parabens are a group of chemicals that have been shown to have oestrogenic (hormonal) properties. Most of the other major cosmetic company formulas use Parabens in their products. Any substance that has the potential to raise the oestrogen level in the body is to be discouraged.

The alternatives involve getting a joint ITD/CAEN account from the CAEN Office in the Media Union, which gives you access to the CAEN Sun Sparc 20s in NUBS and the Media Union Site, and the RS/6000 machines in the Media Union Site. It is also occassionally possible to get an account on a departmental unix machine, though not all departments have unix machines, and not all departments that do have unix machines offer accounts to all of their students, staff, and faculty.

Parabens are the most frequently used cosmetic preservative. You may see them as methylparaben, propylparaben, etc. We have chosen not to use them because they are strongly suspected to be linked with breast cancer. Recommended reading: "State of the Evidence," the 2004 report from the Breast Cancer Fund. - top -

There are a number of alternatives to on-site storage. One, gather all fuel in a central place and store it in concrete canisters. Permanent isolation is another method considered by nations with nuclear power programs. These options include isolation in granite, in salt domes and other solid rock formations underground.

There are some organic alternatives, but at the moment, these simply cannot satisfy demand. There are so many complexities involved with chemicals and unfortunately, viable alternatives hard to come by.

Dentures are no longer the only way to restore a mouth that has little or no non-restorable teeth. Strategically placed support, or implants, can now be used to support permanently cemented bridges, eliminating the need for a denture. The cost tends to be greater, but the implants and bridges more closely resemble the "feel" of real teeth. Dental implants are becoming the alternative of choice to dentures, but not everyone is a candidate for implants. Call your dentist for advice.

animal alternative falls into one of three categories: replacement of an animal method; reduction in the number of animals used; or refinement of the experimental design and methods to reduce pain and distress to animals. It is important to understand that a procedure that uses animals can still be considered an alternative by the scientific community. Eye Irritancy Tests: In these tests, a liquid, flake, granule, or powdered substance is dropped into the eyes of animals, usually rabbits.

Exciting computer programs (where a student can not only take an animal apart, but also put them back together further enforcing the learning process), realistic or larger-than-life models, films, and diagrams are all effective ways to teach anatomy and physiology without harming animals. "Visifrog," a wonderful computer simulation of a frog dissection, teaches the structure and function of various organs. Students who object to dissection may call IDA at 415-388-9641 for advice or information.

While scratching is natural behavior for cats, it can cause problems for cat owners. The standard solution for many years was just to declaw the cat. Declawing is the process where the claw and bone up to the first joint are removed. It is a painful process with a several week recovery period. There is now a safe and painless alternative to declawing called “Soft Paws.

Parabens are chemical preservatives added to personal care products for extending shelf life, and widely used in tens of thousand types of cosmetic products today. Four main parabens are in use: methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparabens; many products will have 2 or more of these chemicals as part of a preservative system. Even the definition of parabens is scary, as it states, "..