Babies on the Coast 17-Jan-2012
An Environmental Working Group (EWG) review found that 77% of ingredients in 1,700 children’s products in the US have not been assessed for safety.
Queensland University lecturer, researcher, and author of Chemical Free Kids, Sarah Lantz explains that there are 100,000 synthetic chemicals on the market for a wide variety of purposes. “The vast majority of chemicals on the market have never been tested, and are not required to be tested for toxicity on the body” Dr Lantz advises.
Exposed daily to an average of 27 personal-care ingredients that haven’t been found safe for developing bodies? Yes, a lot of kids are, an EWG national (US) survey advises.
What about testing? The argument is, in small doses these chemicals will do no harm to the body, and there is no data proving harm.
Yes, one unit each of 200 different chemical toxins may be harmless. “However, what we are seeing is that the small doses of many chemicals ultimately are much more poisonous than the large doses of a single chemical,” Dr Varipatis, author of Children of a Toxic Harvest; an Environmental Biography advises.
In Australia, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) regulates industrial chemicals in personal care products. Ingredients must be legally permitted for use in Australia, and must appear on the label. But the NICNAS’s role is not to test products.
Outside to inside, and out?
“Children are like sponges for chemicals,” the EWG says. Their skin absorbs more because it’s thinner than an adults’ skin. They breathe in more air (and contaminants) relative to their weight than adults, and the blood-brain barrier, that helps block chemicals from brain tissue, isn’t fully formed until six months of age.
Ingredients like phthalate plasticizers, paraben preservatives, the pesticide triclosan and synthetic musks are found as common pollutants in adults’ and children’s bodies. “Many of these chemicals are potential hormone disruptors,” the EWG advises.
Thankfully the body will cleanse itself of chemicals; many toxins will eventually depart the body via excretion. But when chemicals are metabolised into the body and eliminated very slowly, build-up results. When intake-rate exceeds the detoxification-rate, a toxic level is reached, Dr Lantz explains.
And water soluble pollutants are excreted, but fat soluble chemicals are not readily broken down and can be stored in body fats.
What-nots
I recall the eye-sting as my good-intentioned gran scrubbed my hair with yellow rock-like Sunlight soap. I wonder what she’d make of these, the common ingredients to avoid*:
Parabens, phthalates, SLS, fragrances, butyl/ethyl acetate, petrolatum, cocamide DEA/lauramide DEA, diazolidinyl urea, propylene glycol, toluene, synthetic colours and fragrances, retinyl palmitate or retinol(lip products), mercury, triethanolamine, DMDM hydantoin, talc, lauryl compounds, DEA or TEA lauryl sulfate, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, formaldehyde, triclosan(liquid soap, toothpaste), triclocarban (bar soap)and ingredients containing the word ‘PEG’ , ‘eth’(like ceteareths), ‘DEA’, ‘TEA’ or ‘MEA’. “Avoid products that contain harmful ingredients, like chemical names ending in acid or alcohol.” Dr Lantz says.
*Source - EWG, Safer Solutions and Chemical free kids - these lists are not definitive, check chemical databases for more information.
The what-nots who foam and preserve
We’ve come a long way since Cleopatra’s baths in ‘off’ Asses’ milk, right? Enter Sodium laureth/sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), and it’s ‘cousin’ Ammonium lauryl sulphate/laureth sulphate - common foaming agents in cosmetics, shampoo, hand wash and conditioners.
Safer Solutions describes SLS as a moderately toxic by ingestion, a mild allergen and a respiratory irritant and “The jury is still out, but it may be mutagenic and teratogenic,” Safer Solutions says.
Synthetic preservatives like parabens - propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl - are staples within hair products, sunscreens, cleansing products and toothpaste. Longer-chain parabens may disrupt the endocrine system and cause reproductive and developmental disorders, the European Commission’s scientific committee on consumer products advises.
Triclosan – an antimicrobial pesticide in liquid soap – “disrupts thyroid function and reproductive hormones,” the EWG states. Medical consensus is that soap and water serves just as well to prevent spread of infections and reduce bacteria on the skin.
Fragrance – label lunacy?
“Fragrance is catch-all term which can include hundreds of chemicals and trigger allergic reactions,” the EWG advises. Fragrance may include any of 3,163 different chemicals, none of which are required to be listed on labels, the EWG advises.
After you’ve produced binoculars to read the label, the advice is to limit your odour-choice to products that list each fragrance ingredient separately. The likes of DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, ceteareth, phthalates, polyethylene glycol and PEG can contain impurities linked to cancer and other health concerns. the EWG warns.
Honestly, you could not make some of these names up! ‘Fragrance-free’ sounds sweeter every minute.
Seduction by label
‘Gentle’, ‘hypoallergenic’, yes please!
An EWG investigation of 1,700 children’s body-care products found 81% marked with these tags actually contained allergens, or skin and eye irritants.
‘Natural’, ‘organic’. Sounds good... But wait, product labels may state ‘organic’ then only contain only one or two organic ingredients, along with the very chemicals we’ve been talking about.
Sun sense
Sunscreen wasn’t on the radar in my childhood, and I have the surgery scars to prove it! But what’s the sunscreen-sense today?
While the EWG advises that babies under 6-month-old shouldn’t wear sunscreen, and should be kept out of the sun, that isn’t always practical in Queensland. As we discussed in KOTC 47 the Australasian College of Dermatologists recommends the use of sunscreen ‘at any age when there is unavoidable exposure to the sun’ and states that sunscreen is safe to use on babies.
For everyone else? “Zinc or Titanium are the best active ingredients, otherwise Avobenzone at 3%, SPF 30 for intense sun, use a lot and reapply frequently,” EWG states. And of course everyone should wear a hat, sunglasses and suitably protective clothing.
Nano or not?
So, the old-fashioned white or multi-coloured zinc oxide creams ability to filter UVA and UVB light make them the most effective sun blocks.What of newer nano-technology colourless versions - which refine ingredients to miniscule sizes and reduce the visible whiteness?
Consumer groups are concerned the nano-ingredients potentially can slip through the skin and into the system.
Friends of the Earth Australia recommend using a non-nano, zinc-based sunscreen. Spokesperson Georgia Miller says Friends of the Earth surveys of sunscreens and cosmetic companies’ nanoparticles use found “a high level of industry secrecy, with several companies refusing outright to tell their customers whether or not they use nanoparticles...” she explained.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration, which approves the sale of products such as sunscreen in Australia, says there is insufficient evidence nanoparticles cause adverse health effects.
How can we shake off our foam, bubble, smell and preservative nasties? A check of the ingredients for toxics might be the fastest way to go cold turkey! And there are alternative foaming agents like natural saponins for shampoos. “They gently cleanse the hair and scalp without stripping the natural oils,” Dr Lantz explains.
Many suggest we use less products in the first place (and don’t swallow them). Sounds good for the wallet.
Marketing hype hooks us in (who hasn’t been impressed by the shine on the locks in the shampoo ads) but by ignoring it as best we can, surely we are off the starting blocks to healthier choices.
You might have your own ‘no-go’ zones; fragrance, bubbles, preservatives. Chemical databases are a wealth of information.
Go for totally natural, Dr Lantz suggests. Her tips for ‘living in wellness’ include using certified organic, plant-based products and home-made products.
Reading labels carefully and contacting the business to find out if the claims are true, is another key tip Dr Lantz gives. “Become a conscious consumer and tell companies you want safer products,” she urges.
