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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.
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Hey Parents: Read This Book, Then Save the Planet, Would Ya?
Don't get slimed: Skip the fabric softener
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Toxins in our Kids' Foods: Where is the FDA?
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Fluoride in Your Water: How much is too much?
Borax: Not the Green Alternative It's Cracked Up to Be
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
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
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Monthly Archive
Tea Tree and Lavender Oils: What We (Don't) Know
By Swati Sharma, MS, EWG Research Assistant
"Natural" and homemade cosmetics and cleaning products aren't by definition safer than mainstream products. EWG takes a closer look at two common plant-based ingredients - tea tree and lavender oils - and finds that the science is still evolving and safety can't be assumed. First of a two-part blog on health concerns tied to natural ingredients.
All natural.
Plant-based.
Petroleum-free.
You've no doubt seen buzzwords like these splashed across cosmetics and cleaning supply labels, but what exactly do they mean?
Truth is, customers tend to trust these front-of-the-package claims and often don't know that some household cleaners and common cosmetics contain chemicals tied to health problems such as asthma, allergies, hormone disruption and even cancer. Other consumers are more aware of the potential health effects of toxic ingredients and are actively looking for apparently safer products, while still others are taking it a step further and making their own cosmetics and cleaning supplies - with ingredients they buy individually - so they can be sure that what's in them is safe.
Examine Natural Products, Too
While these alternatives may seem better - and even offer a sense of control in the face of misleading advertising claims and confusing and toxic ingredients - it's still important to ask: Is a homemade or naturally-derived product necessarily safer? Maybe, maybe not, is the unsatisfying answer. Unfortunately, safety standards are nearly non-existent when it comes to ingredients in cleaning supplies and cosmetics, including natural ones.
Take tea tree and lavender oils, for example. They are two natural ingredients common in both cosmetics and cleaning agents. When I took a close look at the ones I have at home, nearly half contained one or the other. Both compounds have many uses and benefits, but researchers have raised concerns about potential health effects from excessive exposure to each. We'll explore tea tree oil here - stay tuned for our follow up blog post on lavender oil tomorrow.
Here's what we know:
Tea Tree Oil
Over the past several years, use of tea tree oil has been on the rise, spurred by scientific studies showing that the compound can kill microbes such as flu viruses, E. coli and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, mold, mildew and other types of fungus.
However, just as for synthetic antibacterials, overuse of naturally derived antibacterial compounds can eventually render them ineffective. Numerous studies all over the world show that using antibacterial soap at home is no more effective at eliminating germs or preventing the spread of infection than ordinary soap, but it has a real potential downside: breeding resistant bacteria. Bacteria adapt readily to changing environments and can easily evolve into new strains that no longer respond to antibiotics or other antibacterials when they are overused.
So what about tea tree oil? A study published by Irish scientists in 2007 found that bacteria exposed to tea tree oil became resistant to it. Even more worrisome, they also became more resistant to conventional antibiotics. Researchers concluded that while tea tree oil is indeed an effective antibacterial agent, low-level, sustained application "may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens" - a significant and growing medical concern.
Tea tree oil is often used in aromatherapy and massage therapy, where it is inhaled or applied directly to the skin. A recent study of air quality in spas in China found that tea tree oil generated the highest levels of an important class of indoor air contaminants (secondary organic aerosols) compared to other essential oils. Should a day at the spa automatically come with an extra dose of air pollution? And how might these air contaminants affect spa workers exposed daily?
Applying tea tree oil in massage oils and lotions raises concerns about skin allergies. Several studies show that it can cause skin irritation and allergies (often referred to as contact dermatitis or skin sensitization). In a 2008 report, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) concluded that tea tree oil could induce both skin and eye allergies. Another study found 41 dermatitis cases out of 2,320 people tested and linked 41 percent of them to tea tree oil. The European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) recommends that products with this ingredient be formulated with extreme care:
"Tea Tree Oil should not be used in cosmetic products in a way that results in a concentration greater than 1% oil being applied to the body. When formulating Tea Tree Oil in a cosmetic product, companies should consider that the sensitization potential increases if certain constituents of the oil become oxidized. To reduce the formation of these oxidation products, manufacturers should consider the use of antioxidants and/or specific packaging to minimize exposure to light."
Based on this research, EWG does not suggest avoiding all products containing tea tree oil, but it is wise to respect this potent compound and use it with caution - and with all the information you can get.
Watch for the second part of EWG's two-part blog for information on lavender oil and take-home tips for both oils.
[A big thanks to flickr CC and jaybergesen for the beautiful lavender field pic.]
Tips for Teens: Reevaluate your makeup bag!
By Adrienne Barlia and Melissa Aronson, EWG 2011 Teen Ambassadors
Did you know that your cosmetics could harm your health? Your makeup is probably laden with dangerous chemical ingredients that could potentially cause long-term damage.
Are you having trouble getting rid of old cosmetics you don't use anymore? Do you find yourself buying the same unhealthy products every time you go to the store? Here are some tips to help you start buying safer and healthier products:
- Rid your bathroom and makeup bag of the products you don't use. Make sure you recycle packaging!
- Evaluate all of your cosmetics on the Skin Deep database. Check the scores on your products then learn about the different ingredients and the dangerous effects they may have on your health.
- Take the information you learned from Skin Deep into consideration when buying new products. Read labels and ingredient lists on products you find in the store.
- Instead of buying cheap products to save money, try buying fewer products that are safer and have a low score on Skin Deep. The fewer products you use, the lower your exposure to chemicals and contaminants.
- Don't trust all products that say they are natural or organic. Always check with Skin Deep!
- Donate to Skin Deep and get our free Quick Tips to Safer Cosmetics wallet guide to use on-the-go while shopping.
- Spread the word to your friends and family, and join the conversation about safe cosmetics on Facebook.
Teens Find Out the Real Story Behind Cosmetics
By Adrienne Barlia and Melissa Aronson
EWG's 2011 Teen Ambassadors
Hey teens! We know you probably wear make-up and use cosmetics everyday, but do you have any idea what's inside these products? Many personal care products may include dangerous chemicals that can build-up inside your body and pose risks to your health.
Here's a video about this issue just for you - made by teens, for other teens. Just take a look and think about evaluating your products for safety. Just think about it!
We're not asking you to throw out all of your make-up. But once you've watched this video, the shocking facts you'll learn may change your opinion on the safety of your cosmetics. The truth behind the beauty industry is definitely not pretty.
After you watch the video, check out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and get to work learning about your make-up and personal care products. Then spread the word!
Save the Delaware River
Since George Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776, the river has become an iconic American image. Nearly 16 million people rely on the Delaware river for drinking water, and every year 5.4 million Americans swim, fish, camp, hike and explore its 330 miles of pristine, un-dammed water.
This Monday, the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware and representatives of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will meet and vote on whether to allow gas drilling and exploration in this sensitive area.
Josh Fox, director of GASLAND and Delaware River Basin property owner calls the situation a crisis, and we couldn't agree more.
Please take a moment and help save the Delaware:
Live in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware?
Contact your governor and tell him you oppose any regulations that would allow gas drilling in the basin.
Want to learn more?
Hey Parents: Read This Book, Then Save the Planet, Would Ya?
By Lisa Frack, EWG Social Media Manager
We parents give a lot of orders.
"Put your pajamas away. Clear the table, please. Don't pull the cat's tail!"
But in her new book, Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis, it's Sandra Steingraber who gives the orders - to us parents. But she has just one, albeit a big one: Save the planet - for your kids' sake.
Oh, OK, Sandra, I'll cross that one off my "to do" list next week! But seriously, she believes that we parents are the only ones who can and will do what it takes to turn things around for ol' Mother Earth - like fight for clean air, safe drinking water, and non-toxic consumer products - because our kids' health depends on it. Plus, becoming a parent often creates an environmentalist, so there are a lot of us.
But just because she thinks we're the answer doesn't mean she takes her orders lightly. She understands the dilemma of modern-day parents well (she's a working mom with two kids under 10, after all, and travels frequently to boot). She understands that some of us are just plain too overwhelmed with our 5 million other parental duties to, say, reverse climate change (even for our kids), and others of us are so well informed about the sorry state of the environment that we suffer from something she aptly calls "well-informed futility."
Just like it sounds, well-informed futility is basically the feeling that there are so many big, complex issues to solve - over which we feel precious little control - that we run from them all because anything we might do would be futile. Sound familiar? Steingraber herself says it best: "I am a conscientious parent. I am not a HEPA filter." Nor should we be. Nor, sadly, can we be. It's just bigger than any one of us. But not bigger, Steingraber posits, than all of us. And I agree.
If we took all the energy we spend on navigating our world to protect our children (like, say, avoiding BPA, PVC and pesticides, seeking out toys and food that are healthy and safe) and redirected that energy toward overhauling ineffective environmental protections, we could get somewhere. As Sandra sees it, our hyperactive efforts to prevent harm at home are akin to building a fallout shelter instead of pursuing disarmament. And make no mistake: She believes we need disarmament.
That said, Steingraber does offer up some "fallout shelter" steps for us personal action types, not just to appease us and certainly not to distract us. To the contrary, she suggests that some personal greening actions are in fact "symbolic starting points for heroism." Say what? Think gateway drug: you start with one of these little ideas, and before you know it, you're marching on Congress - or at least calling them - preferably in droves. Here are her top three steps to get you started on the path to environmental heroism:
- Plant a garden.
- Mow grass without the assistance of fossil fuels.
- Replace the clothes dryer with a drying rack or clothesline.
Why these, you ask? Either you've "been there, done that" or it's just too hard; or you can't quite fathom why a woman calling on parents to singlehandedly save the Earth settled on these three relatively minor actions (compared to, say, selling the car and walking everywhere - with two kids and your groceries!). Sandra's solid reasoning shows how she thinks; she writes:
The acquisition of new personal habits and new skills can change our thinking. It compels us to ask new questions. They are daily reminders that we urgently need new choices within new systems. They are harbingers. They signal our eagerness to embrace much bigger changes. They bear witness to our children that we are willing to exert energy, that we are not cynical, that we respect the right to inherit a habitable planet.
Her call to action may feel overwhelming and burdensome (aren't we pretty busy raising the next generation, after all?). But Steingraber knows that, and she encourages us to shrug it off, as heroes would - and she has me convinced:
Okay, so you're all laughing anyway - half of you because, given how far down the road of climate change we are already, you find these gestures pathetic and inconsequential, and the other half because, given how far down the road of frantic exhaustion working parents are, you find these gestures unrealistic and excessive. But it's in the nature of heroes to shrug off snickering. Keep reading.
Here are some things you can do with Raising Elijah - soon:
- Buy the book.
- Read it.
- Give it to a fellow parent when you're done.
- Share it on social media (your "friends" will thank you!).
- Choose it for your book group.
Feeling empowered to solve the world's big problems doesn't come easily, but one thing is for sure, it tends to happen incrementally. So about that clothes drying rack...
Don't get slimed: Skip the fabric softener
By Rebecca Sutton, PhD, EWG Senior Scientist
Fabric softeners contain toxic ingredients that are bad for your health and the environment. EWG recommends that laundry doers just say no.
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are relative newcomers to the laundry room. They were designed to make our clothes feel a little softer and less staticky - and to line the cleaning products industry's pockets. Most also blast our clothing with potent fragrances.
We took a closer look at the chemistry of common fabric softeners, and we don't like what we see (or smell).
How do fabric softeners work?
Manufacturers market liquid or dry crystal fabric softeners for washing machine rinse cycles and dryer sheets for the dryer. A few laundry detergents claim to have a bit of softening built in, though that "Touch of Downy" may not make much of a difference in the way clothes feel.
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets coat our clothes with a subtle layer of slimy chemicals - in fact, that's why they feel a little softer. The most common softening chemicals are called "quats" (short for quaternary ammonium compounds) and include such chemical mouthfuls as diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride, dialkyl dimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate, dihydrogenated palmoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate and di-(palm carboxyethyl) hydroxyethyl methyl ammonium methyl sulfate.
Of course, difficult pronunciation does not necessarily mean danger, but in this case it does clarify that we're talking chemicals here, not vague, wonderful softness (as the advertisers would like you to believe). Quats are in many cleaning products, including most antibacterial wipes.
So what's so bad about quats?
The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, a leading international authority on asthma, calls these chemicals "asthmagens," substances that can cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy people. With asthma affecting nearly 1 in 10 American children, it makes sense to avoid exposing kids unnecessarily to asthma-causing chemicals.
Many quats have antibacterial qualities. While it might sound useful to keep clothes germ-free, freshly washed clothes are already plenty clean, and overuse of quats may lead to development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
And what about that "fresh, clean scent?"
The mystery mixtures that provide the jolt of fragrance in fabric softeners and dryer sheets can contain hundreds of untested chemicals, including toxic ingredients like phthalates and synthetic musks - both suspected hormone disruptors. Fragrances are among world's top five allergens.
A recent University of Washington study on air contaminants from fragranced consumer goods detected between 18 and 20 chemicals in each of four laundry products - including likely human carcinogens acetaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, developmental toxicants methyl ethyl ketone and chloromethane, and allergens like linalool. I don't want this in my laundry and my neighbors probably don't want it in the dryer air that vents in their direction. Turns out that air gets contaminated, too.
A few fabric softeners for babies or people with sensitive skin are fragrance-free but still contain quats.
Green options for the wash
To reduce your family's exposure to untested, unnecessary chemicals that can cause asthma, allergies and other health problems, simply skip the fabric softeners and dryer sheets. It's easier, healthier and cheaper to just say no.
If you can't live without that extra softness, try using 1/2 cup of white vinegar per load during the rinse cycle as a natural fabric softener. And while you're at it, hang it out to dry, too - that fresh, outdoor smell might just be better.
Big thanks to Flickr & coda for the very yellow washing machines.
