Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in
Children's Bath Products
Women’s Shampoos and Body Wash also Contaminated
WASHINGTON — A hidden cancer-causing
petrochemical has been found in dozens of children’s bath products
and adults’ personal care products, at higher than acceptable
levels.
Laboratory tests released today revealed
the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble
Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath
and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen
in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash and many
other personal care products.
1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived
contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut animal carcinogen by
the National Toxicology Program. It is also on California’s
Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to
cause cancer or birth defects. Because it is a contaminant produced
during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an
ingredient on product labels.
The problem of 1,4-Dioxane contamination
in personal care products is highlighted in a new book, “Safe Trip
to Eden: Ten Steps to Save the Planet Earth from the Global Warming
Meltdown,” by David Steinman. The laboratory results were released
jointly today at the National Press Club by Steinman and the
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of U.S.-based health and
environmental groups working to protect cosmetics consumers from
toxic chemicals and hold companies accountable for the safety of
their products.
“Regrettably, 1,4-Dioxane contamination
is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., executive
director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a founding member of the
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Because the FDA does not require
cosmetics products to be approved as safe before they are sold,
companies can put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals in
cosmetics.”
Steinman said parents should be outraged
that companies are willing to spend a significant amount of money on
entertainment licensing agreements that entice children but won’t
spend pennies to remove contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane.
“Consumers who have young children, as I
do, have the right to expect the highest purity in children’s
products,” Steinman said. “I call on American consumers to say no to
dangerous petrochemicals in their children’s cosmetic and personal
care products.”
Contrary to what many consumers may
believe, the FDA does not review or regulate cosmetics products or
ingredients for safety before they are sold to the public and has no
legal authority to require safety assessments of cosmetics.
Devra Lee Davis, professor of
epidemiology and director of the Center for Environmental Oncology
at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said that the
usual regulatory approach of assessing risk one chemical at a time
does not account for the combined effects of very low levels of
hidden contaminants in personal care products and from other
sources. “We must lower exposures to controllable agents that we
know or suspect cause cancer,” she said.
The FDA has been measuring 1,4-Dioxane
levels since 1979, but because the agency has little authority or
enforcement capacity over the cosmetics industry, it has worked with
manufacturers to reduce levels on a voluntary basis only.
More than two dozen products were tested
at Steinman’s request by West Coast Analytical Service, an
independent testing laboratory specializing in trace chemical
analysis. Among the products tested:
Product
Baby & Children’s Consumer Products |
1,4-Dioxane
concentration |
| Disney Clean as Can Bee Hair & Body Wash (Water Jel
Technologies) |
8.8 ppm |
| Disney Pixar Cars Piston Cup Bubble Bath (MZB Personal
Care) |
2.2 ppm |
| Gerber Grins & Giggles Gentle & Mild Aloe Vera Baby
Shampoo |
8.4 ppm |
| Hello Kitty Bubble Bath (Kid Care) |
12 ppm* |
| Huggies Baby Wash Shea Butter |
4.0 ppm |
| Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash Extra Gentle and Tear
Free |
4.2 ppm |
| Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson) |
5.3 ppm to 6.1 ppm |
| Johnson’s Kids Tigger Bath Bubbles (Johnson & Johnson) |
5.6 ppm to 7.9 ppm |
| Johnson’s Kids Shampoo Watermelon Explosion (Johnson &
Johnson) |
10 ppm* |
| Lil’ Bratz Mild Bubble Bath (Kid Care) |
3.7 ppm |
| L’Oreal Kids Orange Mango Smoothie Shampoo |
2.0 ppm |
| Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath Gentle Formula with Aloe |
1.5 ppm |
| Rite-Aid Tearless Baby Shampoo |
4.3 ppm |
| Scooby-Doo Mild Bubble Bath (Kid Care) |
3.0 ppm |
| Sesame Street Wet Wild Watermelon Bubble Bath (The
Village Company) |
7.4 ppm |
| |
|
| Adult Consumer Products |
|
| Clairol Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers Shampoo |
23 ppm* |
| Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins (normal skin) |
23 ppm* |
| Suave Naturals Passion Flower |
2.0 ppm |
| *Product was at or above FDA maximum |
|
Steinman’s book explains what Americans
can do today to be “green patriots” and curb the nation’s dependency
on foreign oil. The new laboratory results reveal the health risks
posed by the same petrochemicals that are part of what he calls the
nation’s growing oil addiction.
Women and girls use an average of 12
personal care products daily, according to a 2004 survey conducted
by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The Environmental Working
Group's interactive product safety guide, Skin
Deep, allows consumers to find products free of common
carcinogenic impurities like 1,4-Dioxane. Source:
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Return to Miessence
Natural Make Up Products Overview Page |
