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Group says children’s bath products contain carcinogens
A group that is pushing for more regulations of cosmetics and other products, reports that dozens of top-selling children’s bath products have cancer-causing chemicals in them.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 48 products and found 17 contained formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, including Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash and Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash.
Baby Magic Baby Lotion had the highest levels of formaldehyde.
American Girl shower products had the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane.
Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known to cause cancer in animals and are listed as probable human carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency. Formaldehyde can trigger skin rashes.
Jessica Saunders, the injury prevention/health coordinator at Dayton Children’s hospital, said if parents are concerned that they use products on the list, they might want to switch to products with less ingredients.
“They say ‘gentle’ and ‘pure’ on the product, but then read the actual labels,” Saunders said. “If it has got a lot of smell and has a lot of colors there’s probably a lot more chemicals.”
Saunders said that for further protection, parents can subscribe to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of recalled items. Go to http://www.recalls.gov/ to sign up for email alerts or to search recalls.
“It gives parents a peace of mind that you are aware of what is going on,” Saunders said.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics wants to change laws that do not require companies to disclose the contaminants on product labels. The contaminants are formed during the manufacturing process.
Other nations have stricter standards. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden. The European Union bans 1,4-dioxane from personal care products and has recalled products found to contain the chemical. The full results of the study can be found in the report, “No More Toxic Tub” at http://www.safecosmetics.org/toxictub.
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