MAINE COMPASS: That’s a killer look
Hazardous chemicals abound unchecked in personal-care products
I am 21 years old, and I hope to have children someday. I should not have to worry that ingredients in my shampoo will put me at risk for infertility, or that my sunscreen is linked to increased rates of birth defects. But I, like all Americans, am an involuntary lab rat in chemical experiments that put our health and our future at risk.
There is currently no law mandating safety testing for chemicals in personal-care products, such as shampoos and lotions, despite the fact that we spread these items on our skin, rub them into our hair and inhale their fumes.
A recent study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found lead in 75 percent of lipsticks, and formaldehyde, a toxic chemical linked to cancer and hormone disruption, in 82 percent of top-selling baby shampoos. And these are only two of many hazardous ingredients.
Most of us are exposed to more than 100 chemicals from cosmetics every day, including substances that are known to cause cancer, early puberty, impaired fertility or infertility, developmental and learning disabilities, and hormone disruption.
The effects of toxic substances can surface generations after initial exposure, meaning the repercussions of this problem may be far greater than we can even imagine.
This year, I have been working with WATCH (Women Against Toxic Cosmetics Harm), a group of concerned young women at Colby and Unity colleges and Waterville High School, to push for safer personal-care products and greater accountability by the cosmetics industry. The Maine Women's Lobby has provided financial and other forms of assistance.
In February, we gathered 12 common personal-care products sold by well-known companies and sent them to an analytical testing laboratory, where they were examined for toxic ingredients.
The results of these tests were striking. Of the 12 products, 10 contained one or more chemicals that have been banned or restricted elsewhere in the world, are known carcinogens or are linked to reproductive problems.
Formaldehyde was found in three of the products, including one that was specifically labeled “formaldehyde-free,” and two of the products contained detectable levels of phthalates.
Phthalates are used frequently in personal-care products, especially those like nail polish and hair spray that are marketed to teenagers and young women.
Phthalates are suspected in contributing to reproductive problems. According to the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance, pregnant women who work in nail salons have higher rates of miscarriage, which may be linked to the many chemicals to which they are exposed.
The European Union, Canada, Japan and Mexico have banned or restricted phthalate use in the interest of protecting public health, but these highly toxic substances remain completely unregulated in the United States.
Furthermore, phthalates in personal-care products are difficult or impossible to avoid. On lists of ingredients, they often are given the innocuous-sounding label of “fragrance.”
Apart from certain colorants, cosmetics are completely unregulated, which means that consumers do not have the tools to make informed decisions about their own safety. And because there are no standards for testing and labeling, products marketed as “natural” or “organic” may be just as toxic as their mainstream competitors.
Currently, the best method I know of to determine the safety of a product and its ingredients is through the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/).
We shouldn’t have to rely on this type of independent, after-market approach that not everyone can know about or access. We should be able to buy personal-care products off the shelf and trust that they will not cause harm to our bodies.
The state of Maine has shown itself to be a leader in responsible chemical reform, with groundbreaking laws, such as the Kid-Safe Products Act, that emphasize the protection of human health. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is compiling a list of priority chemicals that manufacturers will be required to disclose. It’s extremely important that substances used in personal-care products be included on that list.
On the national level, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., has introduced a bill called the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010, which is an invaluable opportunity for reform to ensure consumer products are safe for human health.
I urge all concerned Mainers to call Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and express their support for this bill.
Our health, and the health of our families, is the most important thing we have. It needs to be protected.
Blair Braverman, of Davis, Calif., is a student at Colby College in Waterville, class of 2011. An environmental policy major, she is interested in environmental justice, health and toxicology.
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11 COMMENTS
gen81465 said...
Considering the increase in recent years of wacky behavior by otherwise seemingly "normal" people, it makes one wonder if much of the abnormal mental state of people in this country is related to what's in their shampoo.
May 6, 2010 at 1:10 AM Report abuse
mum said...
I hate being a Lab Rat
May 6, 2010 at 5:21 AM Report abuse
JonEBigTime said...
Good God, did the Sentinel really waste page space on this piece? It wasn't a very green choice to waste all the paper to print this nonsense. The last thing Collins and Snowe need is a flood of calls to their offices about shampoo. Don't we have other issues? Mainly, the economy and our national security.
May 6, 2010 at 6:26 AM Report abuse
Laura228 said...
THANK YOU for this information and I hope to see more on this issue. I used to think that if a food or a product was on the shelf in the store that it was safe to eat or use. Sadly, that's no longer true. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that we all have to put in the time to educate and protect ourselves and our families from the harmful items being sold on store shelves. It's scary to live in a "profit above all else" world.
May 6, 2010 at 1:11 PM Report abuse
freeman said...
Thanks Blair for your work on this and for the group effort and concern. I'm with you, unlike JonEBigTime who is obviously more concerned with money than public health or participation in government. But I'd bet you could bribe him. On the other hand, Laura228 is right on profits. It appears corporations are not concerned with people, public health, and our future. The bottom line is that we should have a choice but so much is unlabeled and misrepresented in a quest for profits. This corporate culture can kill us and they won't care.
May 6, 2010 at 2:26 PM Report abuse
freshwater said...
The claim that consumers function as an "involuntary lab rat" is false. The purchase of any product is a voluntary exchange and presumably mutually beneficial. Your proposal only increases the fixed costs of the products which translate into higher prices for consumers. Try spending a little more time at your community college library and less time spewing nonsense in the newspaper.
May 6, 2010 at 5:35 PM Report abuse
JonEBigTime said...
If you don't know what you are using to clean yourself, then I apologize. The federal government has their hands into everything; if this was truly a serious hazard, I'm sure products would be pulled. If I am able to shampoo my hair with the brand I like, I'm going to. The chemicals being spoken of MAY shorten your life, but so will everything else we use. Next week, our friend Blair will be writing about Dove soap and how after long-term use, your life expectency will decrease by 2 days. The next time you jump in the shower, be scared, very scared... your shampoo will kill you.
May 6, 2010 at 6:52 PM Report abuse
OldClarkie said...
Do we need the government to give people advise on washing hair and using lipstick? How ironic that people pay billions in dollars to place unknown products on their bodies and have no idea what is in them. Maybe if they went back to the human and animal proteins of past cosmetics. Better yet nothing at all.
May 7, 2010 at 7:02 AM Report abuse
mdenis46 said...
As usual, there's a middle ground here. I heard last night that taking 100 to 1000 times the recommended dose of vitamins can cause cancer. Can you imagine taking 2 or more large bottles of vitamins per day? Good God, taking 1000X of ANYTHING must be bad. On the other hand, there are chemicals in our everyday products that do long-term harm to us and to our environment. The key is to try the middle road, not to go overboard on either side. Laura228's "Profit above all else" carried to its extreme is not good for us (and government needs to rein that in), but if we removed every single chemical which might possibly harm us over a 100 year period, there would be nothing left to use! Let's face it, breathing, eating, sleeping, drinking, water, milk, food, vegetables, meat, etc., are ALL harmful or fatal in certain quantities.
May 7, 2010 at 7:04 AM Report abuse
freeman said...
Somehow, I think most of you are missing the point. My take here is on unlabeled use of whatever. The bottom line is better information that you and I can make our own choices. When Oakhurst began with rGBH free milk, Monsanto made a legal battle over it stating that there was no difference in the milk and that the labeling implied otherwise and hurt their profits from rGBH sales. Thank you Oakhurst. Another BIG issue is labeling non-GMO, which is another afront to Monsanto which they fight. Do you realize that the EU bans importing GMO crops? I have much more concern with Monsanto than shampoos but it boils down to labeling so that you and I can make our own choices at the store and go our happy ways. However, it seems odd that lead is not allowed in household paints because children may ingest some small amount of paint, but they put it in lipsticks. They don't label it. Did you know or do you care? I do.
May 8, 2010 at 7:03 PM Report abuse
cindy157 said...
I have been researching the same thing in regards to the increase in breast cancer, primarily estrogen dominant. Many products contain endocrine disruptors that are affecting women's and girl's hormones in general which can lead to health issues. I am a consultant with Arbonne because I know that the company is pure, safe and beneficial and healthy for myself and family. many products contain known carcionegens that are in products but may have a small amount but add up all the products that individuals use in a day and the amount of chemicals in each and there is a real danger.
May 21, 2010 at 1:01 PM Report abuse