Overview
Assignment:
Ok, let's try something different for a change. This is meant to be a fun and insightful activity. Don't stress over it. Just focus on what you might learn about the substances you put into or on your body. Ok then. Choose from one of the two options to answer this essay question (minimum 150 words).
- Option 1: Scan five to ten food items from your fridge and/or cosmetics items you use. If you do not have Yuka installed yet, see below. After using the Yuka app to scan your items in your home, reflect on your findings in the context of Norah MacKendrick's discussion on environmental health and chemical body burdens (lesson 11) .
- Option 2: If you can't use the Yuka app or don't have access to a variety of products, choose five common household items (foods, cosmetics, cleaning products, etc.). Research online or use ChatGPT to find out what typical chemicals are present in these types of products. For example, investigate common health risks in food, such as food additives, food colors, food preservatives, and/or food stabilizers.
Once done, consider discussing the following points:
- Personal Chemical Exposure: Discuss the types of chemicals found in your food or household items. Reflect on how these chemicals, as mentioned in the reading, might contribute to the 'chemical body burden' and how this concept might be relevant to your daily life.
- Societal and Economic Influences: Analyze how the presence of these chemicals in everyday products reflects the broader economic and political systems MacKendrick describes, particularly the influence of industrial capitalism and neoliberal policies. How do these systems perpetuate the presence of potentially harmful chemicals in consumer products?
- "Proof of Harm" or "Proof of Safety": State your personal stance on which approach you believe is more effective in protecting public health and the environment. Justify your position with specific reasons, drawing on examples or insights from MacKendrick's reading, your observations, or external sources.