I receive updates and newsletters from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Organization. I found several startling facts on the number of chemicals (toxic ones) that are allowed into our everyday hygiene and skin care products when I read the book Healthy Child Health World. Believe it or not there is really very little regulation on what goes into these products and there is also very little regulation on what the product says on the bottle.
I received this report today and while I wasn't surprised that the two chemicals being tested for were found, I was surprised at the products that tested positive for these chemicals. I'm not telling you to throw out all of your shampoo and lotions and substitute with baking soda and beeswax. I am just saying, do your homework. Read the labels, do a little background research, and be sure you know what you are putting on yourself and your kids everyday!
A Toxic Tub for Baby - And a Call to Action for Congress
Babies across America are sitting in bubbles tainted with cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins linked to serious health effects, according to a report released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Many of the contaminated products are advertised as "gentle," "pure" or "naturally refreshing."
Read the new report, "No More Toxic Tub," for all the details, but this is the quick and dirty version:
The Campaign sent unopened bubble bath, baby lotion and other products intended for babies and children, purchased in cities across the U.S., to an independent lab to be tested for 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde. Both chemicals are contaminants that do not appear on product labels, and both are carcinogenic; formaldehyde can also trigger rashes in those with sensitive skin.
The lab tested 48 kids' products for 1,4-dioxane and found it in 67 percent of the products. Of the 28 products tested for formaldehyde, 82 percent were positive. Seventeen products were contaminated with both 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde.
Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea baby wash, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel, and even the iconic Johnson's Baby Shampoo were among the products that contained both of these toxic contaminants.
We know that cosmetics can be made without hazardous ingredients and contaminants. So what's going on? How is it legal for companies to sell baby and kids' skincare products that contain toxic chemicals used in embalming fluid, fumigants and automotive coolant? Worse yet, these chemicals aren't even on the label, so even the most ingredient-conscious parents wouldn't know whether the product is safe.
Take action right now: Ask your legislators to clean up cosmetics.
Some industry representatives say that a little bit of formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane isn't going to harm anyone. But these bath products are regularly used on children in combination with numerous other products. Because our air, water and food can contain harmful chemicals, too, our total daily exposure to toxic chemicals can be significant and can add up to harm.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, several factors contribute to children's special vulnerability to the harmful effects of chemicals:
• A child's chemical exposures are greater pound-for-pound than those of an adult.
• Children are less able than adults to detoxify and excrete chemicals.
• Children's developing organ systems are more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures.
• Children have more years of future life in which to develop disease triggered by early exposure.
The widespread presence of contaminants and other harmful ingredients in children's bath products is just one symptom of a self-regulated cosmetics industry badly in need of reform. We deserve better!
What Can You Do?
Ask your legislators to give the FDA the authority it needs to ensure that all cosmetics, from baby shampoo to lipstick to body lotion, are truly safe.
Spread the word to friends and family.
Download the report, check the list of products we tested and find safer alternatives at www.safecosmetics.org/toxictub.
**I must note that I have no way of validating this the report or its data. For questions and concerns on the products you are currently using, contact the manufacturers via the numbers listed on the packaging.
