Most of us would like to think that consumer products—especially those that we put on our body like shampoo or body lotion--would be well regulated and thoroughly safety tested. Or, at the very least, if we have any concerns, we can just read the ingredients on the label.

Unfortunately certain regulatory loopholes such as a company’s right to protect “trade secrets” prevent us from knowing all the ingredients. For example, manufacturers are allowed to use the term “parfum” or “fragrance” on a product label to protect their proprietary formula.

So What’s the Harm?

You may wonder, so what’s the harm in protecting trade secrets? Consider these facts:

• According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the fragrance industry uses up to 3,000 ingredients of which 900 were identified as toxic.
• Among the harmful chemicals lurking in perfumes are hormone disruptors called phthalates which can cause harm during development and affect sex organs. Studies have linked phthalates to breast cancer and inhibit estrogen-blocking treatments such as tamoxifen.
• Banned in Europe, the phthalates DEP and DEHP were found in 12 out of 17 popular fragrance products tested in 2010. Phthalates are so pervasive that the CDC has found measurable levels of phthalates in the general population with women having higher levels than men.
• Another potentially harmful chemical found in fragrances is polycyclic musk. Studies have found that younger people with a high use of personal care products had measurable levels of the musks in their blood. The effects of musks on humans are unknown, but they have shown to affect the reproduction of rats and fish and can damage DNA.
• Not unlike smoking, even if you accept the risk of wearing hidden toxins, those around you may suffer ill-effects. Fragrances contain many sensitizing chemicals commonly associated with allergic reactions which can trigger headaches—even severe migraine headaches--asthma attacks, and contact dermatitis.

Safer Alternatives

Not only is it difficult to know what’s really lurking behind the term, “fragrance,” it’s equally challenging to find products that don’t contain synthetic fragrances. Due to lax labeling regulations, the terms “fragrance-free,” “natural” or “hypoallergenic” are no guarantee.

You do have a few options:

• Choose only products with recognizable ingredients.
• Consult cosmetic databases such as The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. It provides a list of all-natural fragrances derived from natural oils like peppermint or lavender.
• Experiment with mixing your own perfumes using essential oils. Just be sure you’re diluting these oils in a carrier oil or beeswax as they are quite potent.

Sources:

Skin Deep

The Daily Green

Hella Wella

A new study finds that a class of chemicals called phthalates, which are found in many household and personal care products, may be linked to higher rates of obesity in children.

The researchers measured blood levels of a particular phthalate, di-ethylhexyl phthalate or DEHP, in 204 children ranging from 6 to 13 years old. Of those, 105 were considered obese and 99 were of normal weight.

Children with higher amounts of body fat had higher DEHP levels. The increased risk of obesity with elevated DEHP levels remained independent of physical activity or calorie intake.

While the exact mechanism for this effect is unknown, the researchers believe that DEHP may trigger the master regulator of fat creation and fat metabolism. It may reduce the effect of the male sex hormone androgen, which lowers body-mass index (BMI). DEHP may also disrupt thyroid function, which contributes to weight gain.

Other studies have linked phthalates to breast growth in boys, reproductive problems in men and low birth weight.

How Common are Phthalates?

Phthalates are added to a type of plastic called polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make it flexible. They are also used to help some products retain their color and scent.

Sometimes referred to as plasticizers, phthalates can be found in a wide range of consumer products, including: perfumes, nail polish, vinyl floors, detergents, lubricants, food packaging, soap, paint, shampoo, toys, air fresheners and plastic bags. They are also used to make certain medical devices including intravenous bags, blood bags and different kinds of tubing.

Avoiding Phthalates

In recent years the U.S. banned (permanently or temporarily) six specific types of phthalates including DEHP in any amount greater than 0.1 percent in children’s toys and certain other child care articles related to feeding and teething. However the bans don’t include all children’s products, including topical creams or shampoos which may contain phthalates.

As for other household or personal care products, U.S. manufacturers are not required to indicate phthalate content on the package or label. If listed at all, you may find these commonly used phthalates in products:

• DBP (dibutyl phthalate)
• DINP (diisononyl phthalate)
• DEP (diethyl phthalate)
• DEHP (di 2-ethylhexl phthalate)
• DMP (dimethyl phthalate).
• BBP (benzyl butyl phthalate)
• DNOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)
• DIDP (Diisodecyl phthalate)

Phthalates are often added to perfumes and fragrances so it’s a good idea to avoid products with “fragrance” in the ingredients list if you wish to avoid phthalates.

Fortunately, the growing awareness of phthalate concerns has led to an increasing number of “natural and organic” brand products that are “phthalate free.”

To find out whether a product contains phthalates or other potentially harmful chemicals, call the manufacturer or visit the company's website, or use the Environmental Working Group's Safety Guide to Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and search by product, ingredient, or company.

Sources:

Healthfinder

Medical News Today

U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

When we have any opportunities to discuss the value of lifestyle changes in this space, you'd better believe we take advantage of them. We do it for a reason… Many of the alterations we suggest -- for example, incorporating exercise or more whole foods -- aren't easy to make, and, often, it takes a long time doing them every day to start noticing a real difference in your health.

The huge upside of today's blog post: Cutting back on packaged, processed foods has a nearly immediate impact on your exposure to health-harming, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, like phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA).

The gist of the study was elegantly simple. Scientists compared levels of BPA and five different phthalates used in consumer packaging in urine samples taken from five two-parent families (each with two children ranging in age from 3-11) for eight days. After eating as they liked for the first two days, patients were provided catered meals and snacks made from fresh organic foods stored in glass or stainless steel containers for three days, then returned to their normal diets for the final three days.

During the organic/fresh food phase of the study, average BPA levels among all patients dropped by more than 60 percent, and by as much as 75 percent among folks with the highest exposures. What's more, BPA levels among patients returned to typically elevated levels when folks returned to their daily dietary routines.

Of the phthalates monitored, levels of bis(2-exthylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), another FDA-approved chemical for medical equipment and packaged foods that contain water, fell by half and as much as 90 percent during that same three-day period patients were eating organic, catered foods.

So, if you want to make an impact on your health in a hurry, consider eating fewer canned and processed foods and avoid microwaving them in plastic containers whenever you can.

Sources:

Environmental Health Perspectives March 30, 2011 Free Full Text PDF

USA Today/Green House March 30, 2011

Breast Cancer Fund March 30, 2011

Silent Spring Institute March 30, 2011 Full Free Text PDFs

You may have gotten rid of all those toxic toys and cosmetic products that may be harming the health of your son or daughter, but don't believe for a second that you're home-free.

Fact is, your home may be the real problem, according to a new report from the Ecology Group that tested some 2,300 kinds of wallpaper and more than 1,000 samples of flooring for chemicals known for their toxicity or ability to build in the environment and humans. Among the harmful chemicals detected in these products: Lead, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cadmium, phthalates, tin, arsenic and mercury.

By the scary numbers:

* Almost all wallpaper samples that were tested contained PVC, and more than half contained at least one harmful chemical at levels above 40 ppm, including antimony, lead, tin, chromium or cadmium.

* Thirteen percent of the wallpaper samples analyzed had cadmium levels greater than 100 ppm.

* A host of phthalates made up nearly 13 percent of the weight of tested flooring samples. Also, many vinyl flooring samples contained four phthalate plasticizers, chemicals that have been banned recently in children's products.

To the good, HealthyStuff.org listed some safer alternatives, but only on the flooring side. Hardwood, bamboo, linoleum and cork flooring were free of hazardous metals including mercury, lead and cadmium, and non-vinyl flooring was 50 percent less likely to contain harmful chemical additives.

Image source: HealthyStuff.org

HealthyStuff.org/Ecology Group October 19, 2010

MSNBC October 19, 2010

Bloomberg.com October 18, 2010