Missy Kinch, Grade 10
Ms. Green, Teacher / Notre Dame Academy, Hingham
"Lead-Head: A Hair Raising Tale Told in a Series of Limericks"
There now is a woman named Faye Whose hair is beginning to gray
She cries out "Oh dear!
It's the time I have feared!"
And rushes to the store right away.
She wants dye that makes her hair look golder
And her not the slightest bit older.
She thinks all the while
As she walks down the aisle
And sees dyes that would make her hair bolder.
"Aha!" she says, "this one looks fun,
This will color my hair like the sun, Gradual it will be
And it'll look good on me,
Oh yes! I think this dye's the one!"
But then quite a loud sound she hears
And she looks all around as she fears.
As she starts to tremble
Both an angel and devil
magicallly on each shoulder appear!
"That's great!" says the Devil, "buy that dye!"
As his eyes dart around and look sly,
"It may contain lead,
But so what! Be a lead-head!"
And the angel is starting to cry.
"Please don't," cries the angel, "You'll regret it!
When you wash out that dye the lead will hit
The sewers and drains,
Then treatment facilities will pain
But out of the water the lead will not get!
"From there it will enter the bay,
And in that water the lead will stay
Until the poor fish drink it
And then they will get caught
And sent to a restaurant that day!
"Not only will lead hurt the fishes,
But believe me, against all our wishes,
When those fish we eat
From our head to our feet
The lead will travel with blood swishes.
"Lead can cause behavior disorders
Decrease sperm count, perhaps by a quarter!
Kidneys it can disparage,
And also cause miscarriage,
And high blood pressure you did not order!
"Not only will the lead harm you,
But the sea life and ecosystem, too!
It pollutes the water,
It will anger sight spotters,
You can use something better in lieu!
Buy natural dye," the angel poses,
"Although it may not smell like roses,
All the bad in it will get
Filtered out at the plant,
And, trust me, no filter there opposes!
"If you think about the choice, it's easy!
Pick the hair dye that won't make you queasy,
If you don't pick the lead,
But the natural instead
The waters will be clean and breezy!"
And so the moral of this story
Is one to remember 'til you're hoary, Don't pollute the water
Even if you'll look hotter,
Because that will cause the end of its glory.
There are some hair dyes on the shelves, such as Grecian Formula®, a hair dye for men, that contain lead. Lead, a heavy metal, is one of the water pollutants that is not filtered at water treatment facilities, although the MWRA is working to reduce the amount of lead that leeches into the water. According to Environment Canada, "one gram of lead in 20,000 letres of water makes it unfit for drinking." Every ounce of lead that leeches into the water has a greater affect than one would think. Not only is lead harmful to people, when they eat lead in food, such as eating fish living in water polluted by lead, but it is also harmful to the ecosystem in the water. When people buy products either not knowing about or not caring about its ingredients, they don't realize how it affects either themselves or the water that is polluted as a result of washing it down the drain. A much better alternative to an unnatural, chemical- and heavy metal-laden dye would be an all-natural hair dye, such as EcoColors ® Hair Color, made with natural oils, preservatives, and vitamins.
If people considered their options they would realize that the natural products are really more beneficial for everyone and everything involved. If people considered their options there would be, I believe, no question about it.
SOURCES
EcoColors®. 2009. "Retail: Hair Color Kits." EcoColors. (Accessed March 15th, 2009).
Environment Canada. 2008. "Clean Water - Life Depends on It! " Environment Canada. (Accessed March 15th, 2009).
Hotlz, Andrew. 1997. "Study Suggests Lead Risk in Hair Dyes." CNN Interactive. (Accessed March 15th, 2009).
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. 2008. "How the MWRA Water System Works." MWRA online. (Accessed March 13th, 2009).
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. 2008. "What You Need to Know About Lead in Tap Water." MWRA online. (Accessed March 17th, 2009).
Pollution in People. 2006. "Heavy Metals: Mercury, Arsenic, and Lead." Pollution in People. (Accessed March 15th, 2009).
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