CONTAMINATED BATH PRODUCTS
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test 48 top-selling children's bath products, including shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions, for 1,4-dioxane, a cancer-causing agent. Twenty-eight of these products were also tested for formaldehyde, which is also a carcinogen and can also cause skin rashes. Unlike many other countries, the federal government does not limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane or most other hazardous substances in personal care products.
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, in conjunction with Environmental Working Group (EWG) now reports that 17 of the 28 products tested contained both formaldeyhe and 1,4 dioxane; 23 of the 28 products contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm); and 32 of 48 products contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.
Strikingly, the chemicals are not disclosed on product labels because they are contaminants, not ingredients, and are therefore exempt from labeling laws. Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release fomaldehyde over time in the container. 1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of ethoxylation, a chemical processing technique in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. The report notes that manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not requried by law to do so.
Keep these tips in mind when shopping for your family:
* Select products with fewer ingredients and no synthetic fragrances or dyes and use fewer products overall.
* Select products that don't contain PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20, which are likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane.
* Select products that don't contain quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea, which may release formaldehyde.
* Check out this parent's buying guide for more information.
