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Tens
of thousands of Britons could suffer anything from chronic ill-health to
early death because of toxic chemicals used in consumer products in homes,
according to a new book.
Fewer
than a quarter of the 70,000 chemicals used in toiletries and cleaning
products have been subjected to a full safety investigation, while others,
officially classed as hazardous waste, are frequently found in products
from baby lotion to eye drops and cleaning fluids, according to Pat
Thomas, author of Cleaning Yourself to Death .
Women
who work at home have a 55 per cent higher death rate from cancer than
those who work outside the home, a statistic that Thomas argues is closely
related to the increase in household cleaning products and toiletries.
'We
spend 90 per cent of our time at home but some of the most toxic chemicals
we come into contact with are not blown in through the window from some
anonymous factory or a passing car,' she said. 'They are bought in good
faith in stores and supermarkets and brought back into our homes by us, in
the form of every day cleaning products.'
Thomas
believes that the lack of legislation has meant that chemicals banned in
other, more tightly controlled areas are still commonly used in thousands
of household products.
She
believes this contributes heavily to the US Environmental Protection
Agency's recent finding that the air quality in homes is more toxic than
the outdoor air, often containing between two and five times the
concentration of toxic chemicals.
'Most people cross their fingers and pray that the companies who put these
chemical soups together really do have the consumer's welfare and best
interests at heart, but the emerging evidence is that many of these
chemicals have the potential to make us and our children very ill indeed,'
she said.
Although
no national research has been carried out in Britain, a survey by the the
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in America found that
of 2,983 chemicals found in personal care products, more than 30 per cent
were toxic. According to Thomas, toiletries and cleaning products
regularly include ingredients which contain carcinogens,
hormone-disrupting chemicals and central nervous system disrupters.
'This
has remained hidden because people assume that if we're living longer, we
must be healthier,' said Thomas. 'But we are actually strikingly
unhealthy: chronic diseases are on the rise, respiratory problems such as
asthma and bronchitis have doubled in recent years, and vague disorders
such as sinusitis and allergic rhinitis are becoming major problems. Heart
disease, diabetes and thyroid problems are also on the rise and
infertility of both males and females is becoming more common, as are
other hormonally linked disorders.'
Thomas
found high levels of sodium lauryl sulphate, a harsh detergent commonly
used as an engine degreaser, in toothpastes, shampoos and cleansers. One
of the most dangerous chemicals Thomas found was nitrosamine, a
carcinogenic commonly used in baby and body lotions, facial moisturisers
and shampoos.
'In
the 1970s nitrosamine contamination of bacon and other cured meat became a
worldwide public health issue,' she said. 'A typical portion of bacon will
now contain a single microgram of nitrosamine. The amount of nitrosamine
that could be absorbed from a single dose of shampoo, on the other hand,
is often 100 times that.'
Cosmetic
Toxins Studied
The
next time you buy nail polish or antiperspirant, read the ingredients.
Manufacturers are putting a toxic chemical that causes severe birth
defects in animals in shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, cosmetics
and especially nail polishes, according to a report released today by the
Environmental Working Group.
Alarmed
by the discovery that dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, was present in every
single person tested for the compound by the Centers for Disease Control
this fall — with the highest levels found in reproductive-age women —
the environmental group decided to study the compound’s prevalence in
consumer products.
“Government
researchers speculate the elevated levels of DBP among women of
childbearing age come from cosmetics and beauty products but no one has
done the studies to test this hypothesis,” writes the report’s lead
author, Jane Houlihan.
Concerned
that “the most critical population” appeared to receive the highest
exposures to DBP, members of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group
scoured both real and virtual drugstores, as well as U.S. Patent records,
to find the toxin in widely used products.
“We
wanted to know what products containing DBP were readily available to the
average consumer, and whether or not you could actually read the list of
ingredients on the label,” says Houlihan.
Many
Popular Brands Contain DBP
The group says it discovered DBP in many popular brands, including nail
polishes, top coats and hardeners made by L’Oreal, Maybelline, Oil of
Olay and Cover Girl. In an analysis of more than 100 patents, the
environmental group found Procter & Gamble, which owns both Oil of
Olay and Cover Girl, held the most, with 37, followed by L’Oreal, with
10 patents containing DBP.
“Major
loopholes in federal law allow cosmetics manufacturers to put unlimited
amounts of industrial chemicals like DBP into personal care products
without any testing for adverse health effects,” the reports says.
Because
the government conducts chemical safety testing on compounds only if they
are directly added to food, even chemicals that are tightly regulated as
environmental pollutants can still find their way into personal care
products, it says.
Procter
& Gamble representatives declined to comment on the report, saying it
was an industry issue and not company-specific.
In
a statement, the Washington D.C.-based Cosmetic, Toilet and Fragrance
Association, which represents the personal care products industry in
regulatory matters, says: “Nail polishes and cosmetics are safe … The
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires that cosmetics and their individual
ingredients must be safe and that labeling must be truthful and not
misleading … The Food and Drug Administration can take immediate action
to stop the sale of any product that does not meet the standards.”
An
FDA representative says the agency is aware of both the earlier CDC study
and today’s Environmental Working Group report and is looking into the
matter.
DBP
is used to help nail polish form an even film as it dries, to keep
products blended and evenly consistent, and as an ingredient to help
cosmetics penetrate the skin. The compound is also found in patents for
shampoos, conditioners, lotions, hair growth formulations,
antiperspirants, sunscreen and even gum and candy.
Beauty
Secrets?
According to a report earlier this year by the Center for the Evaluation
of Risks to Human Reproduction in Alexandria, Va., dibutyl phthalate is
particularly damaging to the male reproductive system, with effects
ranging from reduced sperm counts to testicular atrophy. There is no
information, however, on how much DBP it takes to harm humans — male or
female.
Center
scientists did study the chemical’s effects on laboratory animals, such
as rats and mice, testing the effects of high exposure on fetuses, organs,
skin and more. Dozens of different tests were conducted at a variety of
exposure levels. When pregnant rats were fed high doses — from 650 to
1,000 milligrams of DBP a day — fetal weights went down and some rats
were born with cleft palates.
DBP
is one of more than 100 chemical pollutants and pesticides found in
Americans, and it is virtually impossible to isolate the effects of DBP in
the population at large, the Environmental Working Group says. “No one
knows exactly where these exposures come from or the effect of constant
exposure to this low-level mixture of poisons,” the report says.
The
group, nonetheless, suggests caution. “Based on our findings, we’re
recommending that women who are considering becoming pregnant, or who are
pregnant or nursing should avoid using any products with DBP,” says
Houlihan.
Nail
products that do not contain DBP include L’Oreal Paris Jet-Set Quick Dry
Enamel, Revlon Nail Enamel and Garden Botanika Natural Color Nail Color.
The
Environmental Working Group will push for a comprehensive cosmetics
industry-funded study, to establish which chemicals are dangerous to
humans. It is also calling for improvements to cosmetics industry labels,
so they are more legible.
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