You can get them at any drugstore or grocery store, but I didn't want to pay the twenty bucks for yet another an extra pair, so I figured I would snag a cheap pair at my local dollar store, since I had noticed them there in the past.
So I spotted the reading glasses display, found the magnification I was looking for, tried a pair on, and checked out at the register. All within about three minutes.
Wow, only one dollar for such an important tool! Of course at this point I was feeling pretty great about myself and my amazing cheapskate shopping wizardry. Until....
Within just a few minutes I started to notice a strong chemical smell coming from my glasses. Well, I thought, they are cheapie reading glasses, so I guess they smell a little bit like new plastic. I tried to ignore the smell and kept on working. Within a few more minutes, it seemed like the smell was getting stronger and stronger. And not only that, my eyes were starting to burn!
Could these reading glasses be giving off toxic fumes that bothered my eyes? They had to be. There was no other explanation. I tried to wear them one more time, to see if the smell was fading. Nope. It wasn't going away. But these glasses weren't just smelly, they actually made my eyes burn. Something was really wrong with these glasses.
After realizing that something was really wrong with the glasses, I didn't know what to do with them. I didn't want to throw them in the trash because I didn't want their toxicity landing up in the Earth. Do I send them to the EPA? Return them to the store? I'm still not exactly sure what to do with them, but I'll figure it out soon.
But my whole point is this: Remember, anything that you are putting against your skin you are also putting inside of your body. I read that years ago, and it always stuck with me.
I don't dye my hair or use tons of cosmetics or beauty treatments. I worry about toxic chemicals and fumes. I imagine people going through cancer treatments due to exposure to toxic, cancer-causing substances. Situations that maybe could have been prevented. It happens every day.
There are labels on so many products warning us of dangerous substances. People use those items all the time without a second thought or safety precaution. They only think of the here and now and well I need this treatment for my skin/hair/nails/for cleaning/what-have-you right now.
It's such a self-contradiction when people fuss about buying and eating organic foods and yet in the same breath they get chemical based beauty treatments put onto their bodies...which land up inside of their bodies, in their organs, in each of their cells, etc.
Okay so I'm kind of passionate about the subject and get a little carried away, but it's important. Isn't it?
What do you think?
Have a great week!
Laura
My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns
Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2017 all rights reserved
Thanks so much for the reminder and the heads-up! Scary!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
DeleteI think I'm getting cancer on the bridge of my nose from dollar store glasses!
DeleteI'd return them to the store, and let them figure out what to do with the glasses. One thing I've learned is you can't save them all. They will go into the landfill. There is no hazardous waste pickup truck. It would be interesting to know how some government entity would test these glasses. There are too many pieces of toxic junk coming into the US. We want cheap, but cheap comes at a price...maybe a terrible price.
ReplyDeleteWow, good stuff, thank you for the warning!
ReplyDeleteSince I have mild up-close blindness and use a magnification of 1.50 for both eyes, my eye doctor said I don't need expensive prescription glasses. Just get them at the Dollar Store, he said.
So I have pairs of them all over the house...and I HAVE noticed that some of them stink and I've had to throw them away.
Reading of your experience will make me more aware from now on, thank you!
I bought 3 pairs at Dollar Tree a week ago.. They all had chemical smell eminating from them. I had the same reaction, burning eyes, tightened sinuses, and headache.. I washed them and set them in the hot Florida sun.. Nothing, chemical smell wont leach out. Im returning them.
ReplyDelete