STINK! Documentary review

STINK! The Movie The Chemical Industry Doesn’t Want You To SeeWe’re not big on television, but every now and then we splurge with organic homemade pizza, a glass of wine, and sit down to enjoy a movie instead of a book. Last night was one of those nights. With everything geared up and almost ready for the holidays, and a huge to do list starting soon, it was a night to relax. But relax I did not. I got mad.

So mad actually, that I almost regretted watching this film. Not because it wasn’t enjoyable, but because this was supposed to be my work free moment to relax, and here I was, thinking about work, and getting madder and madder.

If you believe that manufacturers (or government agencies) test their products before selling them to unsuspecting children (and adults), then you have been misled, because they do not. Most manufacturers are solely profit driven, and could care less about your health. This has been demonstrated in this documentary. Nature’s Complement may be a for profit company, but we will never sacrifice our integrity, or our customers’ health and trust in pursuit of profit.

If you believe that there are government agencies that protect you from unscrupulous producers, then really pay attention to the scenes in this documentary that tell you exactly what powers governments do and do not have, to protect average consumers from any chemicals that may be lurking in the products you or your children use. People need to be aware that there is very little regulation (in practice none) of chemicals in non-ingestible consumer products.

If you think that cancer is something that we all eventually get, then really pay attention to the increased numbers of cancer cited in this film. You will question if indeed the chemicals found in your everyday products are culprits in the cancer rates that have more than doubled over the years. Yes, I said more than doubled.

I don’t know why I got so angry. I had previously read books covering most of these topics. Maybe because the information is out there for consumers to learn about, but so many don’t have time to deal with it? Or maybe they don’t care? Or they truly believe that everything sold on a store shelf is safe? Has been tested for them, rather than on them? In reality, the chemical industry is making guinea pigs out of all of us.

I don’t know why more people aren’t taking action on this information, but I do know this: the science is there, the studies have been done and continue to be done. Over 1200 chemicals have been banned for use in products by the European Union while in the US, only about a dozen have. And… despite the dozen or so being illegal in the US, they are still found in our everyday products. Despite the fact that they have been scientifically shown to cause cancer, they are sold to, and purchased by unsuspecting consumers.

What makes me mad is that we have the information, and we have the power to change things – through both our buying habits and through legislation/regulation. We can also change the way industry treats us – like idiots who don’t know how to read ingredients or look up chemicals or scientific research. Not to mention that still, to this day, chemical concoctions do not have to be listed or disclosed on the label other than the word “fragrance”. Perhaps because we can look up chemical ingredients and scientific research, industry does not want consumers to be aware of what they are putting in products.

As things are now in the US, I as a business owner and formulator, can very legally concoct a poison out of a combination of hundreds of chemicals, call it “fragrance” on the label, and I can sell it to you without disclosing what’s in it. I personally would never do that; quite the opposite actually – Natutre’s Complement discloses all of our ingredients. But hiding ingredients under the guise of “proprietary” is what most manufacturers do. And I’m angry that people keep supporting these criminally deceitful manufacturers by buying their products because they were naively fooled by some feel good commercial.

Watch this documentary before you buy anything again. Watch it, rewind it, watch it again. And if you don’t get angry, you’re not paying attention.