Lack of Regulatory Oversight Allows Toxic Products in Marketplace
Madison, WI – Despite label claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to new report and product tests released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and WISPIRG. The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because contaminants are exempt from labeling laws.
The Campaign study is the first to document the widespread presence of both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane in bath products for children.
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 also trigger skin rashes in some children.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that "the presence of 1,4-dioxane, even as a trace contaminant, is cause for concern."
But unlike many other countries, the U.S. government does not limit formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, or most other hazardous substances in personal care products. Companies are allowed to use nearly any ingredient in personal care products sold in the U.S. with no required safety assessment.
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.
Many products tested by the Campaign, including baby shampoo, bubble bath and baby lotion, contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, as well as other toxic chemicals. Parents often use all of these products on a child during a single bath session. While the baby products industry might argue that levels of contaminants found in individual products are “low,” the reality is that children often receive multiple chemical exposures from combinations of products and other sources in their environment.
“Toxic chemicals have no place in children’s products,” said Alyssa Mathews, Toxics Project Associate with WISPIRG. “We need smarter laws that ensure all families have access to cosmetics and other products free of toxic chemicals."
“We simply don’t know what kind of damage can be caused when we expose infants and toddlers to these toxic chemicals on a daily basis,” said State Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point). “We need to make parents aware that these products contain toxins, and we need to change public policy to make personal care products safe for kids,” she said.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics commissioned an independent laboratory to test 48 products for 1,4-dioxane; 28 of those products were also tested for formaldehyde. The lab found that:
·17 out of 28 products tested – 61 percent – contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane; these included Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash and Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash.
·23 out of 28 products – 82 percent – contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 79 parts per million (ppm) to 610 ppm. Baby Magic Baby Lotion had the highest levels of formaldehyde.
·32 out of 48 products – 67 percent – contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 ppm to 35 ppm. American Girl shower products had the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane.
“There is no reason for bath products to contain carcinogens,” said Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Public policy is failing our kids. Congress must act to protect our health and our future by reforming the federal policy that, at this moment, allows dangerous chemicals in our personal care products.”
The full results of the study can be found at www.safecosmetics.org/toxictub.
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WISPIRG is statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization that stands up to powerful interests. www.wispirg.org.
Founding members of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics include: Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, Breast Cancer Fund, Clean Water Fund, Commonweal, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, National Black Environmental Justice Network, National Environmental Trust and Women's Voices for the Earth. For more information, see www.SafeCosmetics.org.
