ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« The Enviroblog Top 10 in 2008: What was on our minds? | Main | Toxins in your hood? You have the right to know, again.... »
When "pure" is not pure or how did our lack of regulations allow cancer-causing chemicals in baby's products
Being a parent should not be a scary thing. It is supposed to be the time of joy, fun and reward. Ok, and a few boo-boos.
But trying to keep your child clean and healthy is serious business. Especially when you read the new report, released today, by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. EWG is the founding member of the campaign, along with groups such as Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Breast Cancer Fund, Clean Water Fund, Commonweal, Friends of the Earth, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, National Black Environmental Justice Network, National Environmental Trust and Women's Voices for the Earth.
The study documents the widespread presence of formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, potent cancer-causing chemicals, in bath products for children. Neither one of those chemicals are listed on labels, since both are by-products formed when preservatives react to one another.
The Campaign tested 28 products and found that
- Over 60 percent items contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. These included Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash and Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash.
- Over 80 percent of products contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm).
- Almost 70 percent of products contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.
All of these products were marketed as "gentle" and "pure." Obviously they're not.
As regular readers of this blog know, the cosmetics industry is self-regulating and can do whatever it wants. Cosmetics companies can add nearly any ingredient to cosmetics without government-regulated safety testing. The system is so broken that parents cannot be assured that shampoos, bubble baths and lotions they put on their kids are safe. The standards in the U.S. are far behind the standards in Europe or Japan.
So what can parents do? It's impossible to shop your way out of this problem. But, you can use fewer products, use products with fewer ingredients and search our Skin Deep database for alternatives. And lobby congress to pass health protective laws. Or just move to Europe or Japan.
For a great Q and A with one of the report co-authors, Stacy Malkan, check out the Washington Post's live blog from Friday 3/13: http://tinyurl.com/czazuq
What do you know about Skin Care and Cosmetics products by Market America Inc.
Thank you.