Water Consumption in NYC

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/898479/

Giradia and Cryptosporidium in NYC source water.

LINK: (https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/898640/)

I’ve been mostly focusing on water throughout the semester, and initially I wanted to track how many “toxic” chemicals enter the NYC environment and what industries produce those releases. I think the topic is a bit far removed from individuals and will be hard to relate to.

I’ve been more interested in the potentially hazardous chemicals or substances that we come into contact with everyday. For my final I want to collect my own data on how many products in chain stores (Target, Whole foods, Trader Joe's, etc) sell products that have “fragrance” on the ingredient list).

Why do I want to do this?

• “Under the law, cosmetic products and ingredients, with the exception of color additives, are not subject to FDA approval before they go on the market. FDA can take action against unsafe cosmetics that are on the market, but only if we have dependable scientific evidence showing that a product or ingredient is unsafe for consumers under labeled or customary conditions of use.”
• “However, the regulations do not require the listing of the individual fragrance ingredients; therefore, the consumer will not be able to determine from the ingredient declaration if phthalates are present in a fragrance.”

People consuming in the U.S. have a long history of being the guinea pigs for widely used manufactured products without knowledge of long term health effects, first with asbestos, cigarettes, and even cocaine in Coca Cola. With brands splintering into the thousands thanks to the internet, new products enter the market place everyday without much pushback from federal regulations. I want to see how many/what kind of products are being used by people that haven’t been tested or regulated by the F.D.A in any formal capacity.

I will have the data categorized by type of product, and possibly separated by what room unregulated products are used in. Are there chemicals in your house you don’t about?