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What are VOCs?

VOC is short for "volatile organic compounds" - in German "volatile organic substances". These are compounds with high vapor pressure and / or low boiling point. The methane gas is often left out here, or explicitly demarcated. [1]

How are VOCs defined?

Different countries define VOCs quite differently, so no exact one Description, which is universally applicable, available. Generally they are divided into:

→ VVOC - "very volatile organic compounds" with a boiling point between 0-50 ° C and 50-100 ° C

→ VOC - "volatile organic compounds" with a boiling point between 50-100 ° C and 240-260 ° C

→ SVOC - "semi-volatile organic compounds" with a boiling point between 240-260 ° C and 380-400 ° C

→ POM - "associated to volatile organic compounds" with a boiling point above 380 ° C [2]

Where do VOCs come from?

VOCs are natural and synthetic. Natural sources are e.g. Humans, animals, plants and microorganisms. Synthetic sources are e.g. Furniture, as well as construction, and plastics. The most common natural VOCs are the plant terpenes, which are all derived from isoprene. The most common synthetic sources are mainly road construction and in the plastics industry. Here are mostly organic solvents, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, acetone, ethanol or ether used. Humans have the pheromones as a natural source of VOCs. Here comes the statement "can not smell" ago, because the smell of other people can give us an opinion about this person. Plants use pheromones much more often than humans, so they are used to warn other plants against predators, to announce the maturity of the seed carriers or fruiting bodies, to attract bees and other pollinators or to keep out predators and microorganisms.[3]

What are the problems with VOCs?

VOCs can reach the groundwater, which is particularly evident in settlements with a very developed transport network with a high concentration. In addition, VOCs are very problematic when they occur in high concentration indoors. This can be achieved by e.g. contaminated building materials, molds, or even by room fragrance lamps occur. Health effects include headache and fatigue, but also respiratory irritation and hypersensitivity reactions. These symptoms are titled "Building Disease" or "Sick Building Syndrome". This sensitivity to VOCs is usually the case in humans who have a pre-existing disease such as have an allergy to the allergens in essential oils. But it can also, like an allergy, arise without pre-existing diseases or early signs. In the case of essential oils, substances such as eugenol, linalool, geraniol, citronella or menthol are often the trigger of such VOC sensitivities. These substances are also known allergens and can also trigger contact allergies. In addition, VOCs are partially flammable, so sometimes the essential oils, and can thus lead to explosions at a certain indoor air concentration.^[4]

How can you protect yourself from VOCs?

To be protected from VOCs you have to pay attention to some things, so you can:

→ Lower the humidity in the room to prevent mold

→ Ventilate frequently to prevent the accumulation of VOCs in the room air

→ Professionally determine and eliminate possible constructional causes

→ Buy a room air ionizer that removes the VOCs from the breath.

The latter possibilities are quite expensive and expensive in the case of structural engineering causes. One should therefore act as preventively as possible, not corrective. Unfortunately, this is sometimes not possible.^[5]

Sources:

Wikipedia^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

What is oral care?

Die Mundpflege umfasst alle Handlungen, welche darauf abzielen, das Mundgefühl und Wohlbefinden, sowie die Mundhygiene zu verbessern, zu behandeln und in Stand zu halten. Hierzu zählen die allgemeine Mundhygiene, mit der Entfernung von Plaque und Mikroorganismen, die Bekämpfung von Mundgeruch, und Zahnfärbung, sowie die Mund feuchte, das Wohlbefinden innerhalb des Mund- und Rachenraumes, sowie Entzündungs- und Schmerzlinderung.^[1]

What is used for oral hygiene?

In der Medizin bezeichnet man das Vorbeugen von Krankheiten im Mundbereich Prophylaxe – vom griechischem „prophylásso“ – „von vornherein Ausschließen“. Man unterscheidet die Gruppenprophylaxe von ganzen Bevölkerungsgruppen und die Individualprophylaxe jeder Einzellperson. Funde aus der Steinzeit zeigen, dass selbst dort Mundhygiene angewandt wurde. Bei unzureichender Mundhygiene können Plaque, Karies und Parodontitis auftreten. Plaque ist eine Mischung aus Eiweißen, Kohlenhydraten, Phosphaten und Mikroorganismen. Letztere werden durch hauptsächlich Zucker genährt und produzieren Säure und Schwefelverbindungen. Bei Karies fällt der pH-Wert im Mund durch die Säuren der Mirkoorganismen so tief, dass Mineralien aus dem Zahn gelöst werden. Parodontitis ist die Entzündung des Zahnfleisches, durch welche die Zähne an Halt verlieren. Im schlimmsten Fall führt dies zu Zahnverlust. Man unterscheidet zudem unter Zahn- und Protesehygiene. Beide dienen der Entfernung von Essensresten und Plaque. Hierbei können die Zähne nicht nur pur chemisch, sondern müssen mechanisch, gereinigt werden. Man sollte ca. 2 mal am Tag die Zähne putzen, wobei man eine Zahnbürste mit mittelharten, abgerundeten, Borsten, mit einem ca. 30mm langem Kopf verwendet sollte. Man sollte die Zähne nicht direkt nach dem Verzehr von säurehaltigen Lebensmittel putzen, da man sonst den Zahnschmelz abreiben kann. Mittel der Mundhygiene sind z.B. Zahnpasta, Zahnbürste, Mundgele, Zahnseide oder Mundwasser. Inhaltsstoffe sind hauptsächlich : Chlorhexidinglukonat, ätherische Öle, Propandiol, Ethanol, Extrakte aus Minze, Salbei und Kamille, Kaliumnitrat, Calciumcarbonat, Strontiumchlorid, Oxalate, quartäre Ammoniumverbindungen, Zink- Verbindungen, Fluoride und Fluorverbindungen. ^[2]

What do which ingredients do?

→ Mischungen aus Aminofluoriden und Zinkfluorid lösen Plaque, können aber auch zu Gelbfärbung der Zähne führen

→ The alkaloid Sanguinarin from the bloodroot has an antibacterial effect and kills bacteria that cause tooth decay or bad breath.

→ Surfactants can remove bacteria from the teeth and thus facilitate rinsing.

→ Chlorhexidinglukonat wirkt antibakteriell und Plaque lösend. Es ist das wirksamste Mittel gegen Plaque. Jedoch gilt es als einziges Mundhygieneartikel nicht als kosmetischer, sondern als medizinischer Inhaltsstoff.

→ Essential oils with menthol, methyl salicylate or eucalyptol are used to dissolve plaque. These oils form thin films on the teeth, kill bacteria, and prevent their accumulation.^[3]

→ In addition to cleansing, there is also a reduction in sensitivity to pain from closing the dentinal tubules with arginine and metal salts.

In dental hygiene, fluorides are the best researched substances. They ensure a better acid resistance of the teeth, they also reduce the sugar fermentation and remineralize the teeth. As a general recommendation, you should regularly use fluoride-containing toothpaste. This should have a concentration over 1000ppm. If this is not enough, there are toothpaste with higher fluoride salaries, but these are expensive and prescription.

Daneben gibt es noch das Xylitol, welches nach Studien, bei 5 Gramm am Tag die Entstehung von Plaque quasi komplett verhindert. Es bildet Komplexe mit Calcium und Eiweißen im Speichel, wodurch es die Zähne remineralisiert. Zusätzlich können Mikroorganismen Xylitol so gut wie gar nicht verdauen, besonders die Gattung Streptococcus mutans ist hier betroffen, was zu deren absterben führt.^[4]

In the Arab world, the buds or branches of the toothbrush tree are also used as toothbrushes. The so-called Mizwak has a fluoride content of 8-22ppm, as well as silicon, calcium sulfate, tannins, saponins, flavonoids and chlorides. ^[5]

What about oral hygiene products of natural cosmetics?

Many oral hygiene products already use essential oils and herbal extracts. Mint, chamomile, bloodroot and sage are the most commonly used plants from which these raw materials are extracted. However, the effect of toothpaste is dependent on the added fluorides. After Stiftung Warentest toothpaste without Fluoride were rated as "poor (5.0)".^[6]

Sources:

Wikipedia^{[1][2][3][5][6]}

PZ study on Xylitol^[4]

 

What is cosmetics?

The word "cosmetics" comes from the Greek, from the verb "kosméo" which means "I order" or "I decorate" means. A cosmetic article is any care and thus, improvement, regeneration or maintenance of the body. The cosmetics themselves aim in different ways to improve the appearance and well-being. By cleaning, perfuming or maintaining the natural body image is to be improved. There is also the decorative cosmetics, which is out to retouch, contour and model the complexion.^[1]

What is the history of cosmetics?

Even in prehistoric times, face paintings have been applied, e.g. Finds from Spain and France. The most famous but are the early civilizations of the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.^[2]

→ The Egyptians:

The Egyptians were probably the first to advertise cosmetics in such a way. For them, body hygiene and purity were extremely important. They had a wide range of active ingredients and tools. e.g. Creams and ointments or perfumes, with milk, honey, sea salt, aloe vera, roses, and different vegetable oils, e.g. Almond, myrrh, and lily oil. But they also used decorative agents such as the green malachite, the red cinnabar or the silvery galena. Here, especially the make-up of the eyes was important, so much so that the sign of the Egyptian eye stood for the word beauty. [3]

→ The Greeks:

In Greece it was similar but here a greater emphasis was put in care and smell. But even decorative, the faces were laminated with lead white. In addition, a variety of mixtures were designed here.^[4]

→ The Romans:

The Romans made a distinction in cosmetics, they shared the consumption of cosmetics from the very simple to very luxurious life.They used countless ingredients, concoctions and tinctures, with rose olive oil, beeswax and expensive exotic fragrances. Here was the cosmetics but also for the first time in criticism.^[5]

→ Early Christianity:

In early Christianity, ointment oils have become an important cultural commodity, e.g. Hospital anointings or for baptism. However, the cosmetics were criticized more because women should go more to inner values, according to the belief. Who uses cosmetics was titled as narcissistic.^[6]

→ The Middle Ages:

Towards the Middle Ages, the church prevailed in Europe strong, and so expensive cosmetics was considered even pagan. Women who nevertheless used cosmetics, especially decorative ones, were discredited and suspected of prostitution. At the same time, cosmetics flourished in the Ottoman area, with the largest rose-growing area in Europe.^[7]

→ The Renaissance:

Here, the cosmetics were only gaining in importance, and was also enriched by the early beginnings of chemistry. Cosmetics found a big boost in use especially in powders, pomades and generous amounts of perfume. This was prevalent mainly in the upper circles, and spread throughout the Baroque and Rococo.^[8]

→ The Industrial Revolution:

From the middle of the 18th century to the 19th century, the "naturalness was rediscovered", whereby decorative cosmetics have fallen into disrepute again. The care was based on old findings on aloe vera, rose water, oils, etc., and expanded this with scientific novelties.^[9]

→ The modern era:

In the 20th century, the cosmetics industry exploded. It started with a few companies from France, and local companies followed quickly. Not only the applicative, but also the decorative cosmetics had risen. The science, especially the chemistry had also come to great conclusions at that time, and enriched the cosmetics in addition. This resulted in many claims, wishes and interests of customers and industries at the same time. Tattoos and piercings, which were previously intended for outcasts, came more and more in fashion. However, this enormous boom meant that the look and body image now wanted to be embellished at any cost. The entire appearance, clothing, hair, body, face etc. were now important parts of society. To increase the attractiveness and erotic countless preparations, cures and treatments, as well as make-up products and home remedies came to light. And people were just too willing to try them all. From a full body cleanser were shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, hair straightener, hair fixator, etc. From a color of powder are whole pallets with colors and functions for different areas. And with increasing demands and ideals, the market is growing with offers. Often, however, was only paid to the appearance, but not on the health. Everything that was promised to help was also used, so preparations with lead and mercury salts, Tollkirschen tinctures, even hydrochloric acid, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide or even radioactive radium came on the market.^[10]

→ The 21st century

All these dangerous practices have been stopped by EU Regulation 1223/2009 since 2013. Some, e.g. the consumption of radium was already abolished before that. The contents, which are forbidden or restricted, are registered in the CosIng database. In addition, the INCI should provide information about the exact content of a cosmetic product. However, despite strict rules and regulations, the problem of secularism has remained in many developing countries, and the local people are reaching for every straw they have. For example, In Africa, skin lightening is still operated with mercury.^[11]

→ The natural cosmetics as another branch:

Natural cosmetics have been an additional branch of the cosmetics industry for quite some time, and are becoming increasingly popular. It has no exact description, only the commonly associated values ​​of man and the environment form its definition. At Naturkosmetik it is about the well-groomed, gentle and respectful treatment of man and nature. Some want, apart from a lot of chemistry, others do something good for nature. For something to be called natural cosmetics, it has to meet certain criteria in terms of ecology. For example, Plants that are used are grown in accordance with certain regulations and must not be threatened with extinction. In addition, e.g. no arable land created by deforestation, or extensive chemical processes are used.^[12]

Sources:

Wikipedia^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]}

What are dyes?

Dyes are coloring substances, which unlike the pigments, are dissolved in liquids. They are subdividable according to their origin, their application and structure. They have been known for thousands of years, and as early as 2500 BC, the indigo plant was grown and used for dyeing. In ancient times, one used especially indigo and purple, but also alizarin, henna, kermes, saffron and turmeric. By 1834, colors were extracted from coal tar, and around 1843 the methods of isolating them were greatly expanded. Around 1856, the first synthetic dye, discovered on the basis of Witts dye theory, the purple mauveine. The true purple is now used only for religious purposes, since its extraction from the purple snail is expensive^[1].

What are colors and how are they made?

The colors we see are only a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The human eye sees only a wavelength range from 380 (violet) to 780 (red) nm. The UV range (ultraviolet) lies in front of the visible light range, while the infrared range lies after the visible light, both invisible to the human eye. All bodies are colored when they absorb a certain part of the light and reflect another. If a body reflects all wavelengths, it will appear white, as all colors cancel each other out. If a body absorbs all wavelengths, it appears black, since hardly any reflections are absorbed by our eyes. Depending on which wavelengths are absorbed and reflected, the body receives a color for the human eye. Metals are usually shiny and reflective because they scatter light less than e.g. a salt^[2].

Why are dyes colored?

Organic dyes get their color through their structure and functional groups. This is described by the Witts dye theory. It states that molecules consist of chromophores, delocalized π-electron systems, + M-effect auxochromic groups, and -M-effect anti-auxochromic groups. All these properties give a substance its coloring. Chromophores are molecules with conjugated double bonds, ie double bonds with a bond distance to each other. For example, in benzene, and therefore in all aromatic compounds. Auxochromic groups are functional groups which have a lone pair of electrons which can donate to the molecule, e.g. Hydroxy or amino groups. They enhance the coloring of a substance. Anti-auxochrome groups are those which have a double or triple bond and therefore increase the electron density. For example, Nitro and carboxylic acid groups. They reduce the coloring of the substance. The mixture of chromophores, auxochromic and anti-auxochromes was cited by Witts as the reason for the coloration, and based on this theory, the first synthetic dye mauvein could be prepared [3].

Where do dyes come from, and what are they used for?

Dyes are often used in the textile industry to dye textiles, so jeans have always been dyed with the dye "indigo". Indigo is a so-called vat dye which has a water-insoluble colored and a water-soluble non-colored form. They are e.g. also used as so-called emulsion paints for paints. There are also a large number of different applications and structures. The best known are the azo, methine, and nitro dyes. They are also used in food and consumer goods. These dyes are titled E numbers from E100 to E163 + E180, and are used in many foods and cosmetics. In food and cosmetics, they are usually to beautify the products, or to give a more appetizing appearance. There is also the distinction between natural and synthetic dyes. Natural ones are e.g. Indigo, Hena, Alizarin, Crocetin, Basiline, Chlorophyll, Carmine, Curcurmin and Riboflavin. Synthetic are e.g. Tatrazine, Quinoline Yellow, Erythrosine, Brilliant Black BN or Litholubin BK. Natural dyes are usually poor in color strength, lightfastness, gloss and durability^[4].

What do dyes in cosmetics do?

As with food, they are there to beautify the product and to make it more attractive. Dyes such as chlorophyll (the natural leaf green), or other of its derivatives, mostly with copper instead of magnesium in the center, serve to make many products greener. In addition, many plant extracts still contain their own dyes, and so dye the product without the addition of dyes^[5].

Are dyes dangerous?

Many dyes are considered safe, but they can lead to allergies and pseudoallergies. So some people are sensitive to certain dyes. Also, the azo dyes are suspected to cause hyperactivity and attention deficit in children. This was the result of a study in 2007 [6], which, despite some doubts, convinced EFSA to lower the ADIs of 3 of these substances. (ADI = Allowed Daily Intake, EFSA = European Food Safety Authority). In addition, foods containing these dyes must carry the warning "May impair activity and attention in children". The coloring Chinolingelb is forbidden in the USA. The use of azo dyes in food has fallen sharply since the decision of the EU Commission in 2010, as such a warning makes marketing more difficult [7].

Can we just not use or consume dyes?

Only very rarely, since even a product labeled "without dyes" also contains dyes of e.g. May contain fruit juices, which need not be explicitly declared as dyes. But by no means all dyes have negative properties, many are considered completely safe. Dyeing and explicitly avoiding dyeing is difficult, and sometimes superfluous. If one sticks to certain limits, and does not feed exclusively on finished products, but often cooks with fresh ingredients, then one can reduce the dye consumption a good deal^[8].

Sources:

Wikipedia ^{[1][2][3][4][5][7][8]}

Study on azo dyes ^[6]