10
Products Targeting Everyone
Imagine for a moment that you are in your bathroom in the morning, beginning your daily routine. First, you use the toilet, and then spray an air freshener. You take a shower, using soap, shampoo, and hair conditioner. Afterward, you stand at the mirror and apply underarm deodorant or an antiperspirant and brush your teeth.
It’s a routine that seems—even feels—harmless. Examine each of these modern conveniences and how they interact with each other through the lens of scientific research, however, and the picture is very different.
What Is Really in Your Air Freshener?
About three out of every four U.S. households keep air freshener products in their bathrooms. Most of these products contain variable amounts of phthalates, hormone disrupters suspected of causing a range of reproductive abnormalities, sometimes without labeling. Phthalates are used to dissolve and absorb fragrances, enabling aroma from the products they’re used in to linger for longer periods of time. A 2007 survey by the Natural Resources Defense Council evaluated fourteen air fresheners purchased from U.S. store shelves and twelve were found to contain phthalates, either diethylphthalate (DEP) or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), ranging in concentrations from a few parts per million up to as high as 7,000 parts per million. Only two products were virtually free of phthalates: Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects.
1Your exposure level to air freshener ingredients is determined by the size of the room the fresheners are sprayed in and the length of time you stay in that room. Since most bathrooms are small, enclosed, and improperly ventilated—and because freshener mist is designed to linger in the air for many minutes—the longer you stand in front of the sink performing your morning ritual, the more phthalates you inhale and absorb through your skin. When researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested 289 persons for phthalate contamination in 2000, seven types of phthalates were found in subjects’ blood. DBP, the phthalate most often found in air fresheners, was detected in every person.
2But air fresheners alone should not be the focus of our concern: When a coalition of environmental and public health groups contracted with a major laboratory in 2002 to test seventy-two cosmetic products for phthalates, three-quarters of the products contained them, including nine of fourteen deodorants, fourteen of eighteen hair sprays, and all seventeen fragrances. As reported in the “Not Too Pretty” report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), DEP and DBP were found in 71 percent and 8 percent of the products, respectively. None of the personal-care items containing phthalates listed them on the ingredient label.
3A subsequent study by two consumer groups in Britain and Sweden found that 79 percent of personal-care products on their store shelves carried phthalates, and more than half of them contained multiple phthalates.
4 Nor was the situation any different in Asia. A women’s group in South Korea had twenty-four products tested in 2003 and found that 100 percent contained phthalates; half contained more than three different types.
5Because phthalates have become so prevalent, we have countless opportunities to absorb them every day. These exposures are cumulative, so have a much greater potential for affecting our health than any one phthalate from any one product has on its own. One study found high concentrations of DEP in the urine of men after they used cologne or aftershave, and also found that phthalate levels in men’s bodies increased by 33 percent with the application of each additional personal-care product.
In the aftermath of news coverage about the discovery of so many phthalates in common toiletries, medical researchers began looking anew into the possible relationship between this class of chemicals and reproductive abnormalities in humans. One of the first significant findings came from a human study at the University of Rochester that measured phthalate levels in pregnant women and then, after the birth of their children, compared the results to the physical condition of their male infants. The study discovered “a significant relationship” between abnormal changes in male infant genitals and the phthalate levels in their mother’s bodies while pregnant, suggesting that the phthalate contaminants that had been passed on to the fetuses affected their development.
6More evidence for a link between phthalates and reproductive abnormalities emerged from a 2006 study, published in
Epidemiology , that tested men in an infertility clinic. Harvard School of Public Health researchers determined that the men with low sperm quality also had the highest levels of the phthalate DBP in their blood.
7 Other work by the same researchers, measuring the phthalate DEP in men with fertility problems, connected high phthalate blood levels with genetic abnormalities in the men’s sperm.
8In EWG’s “Not Too Pretty” report, a survey was done of all the medical science literature pertaining to phthalates and possible human reproductive disorders. “Scientists have shown that phthalates can damage the female reproductive system,” the report observed, “but it is the male reproductive system that appears to be more sensitive.” (See chapter 5 for more on phthalates’ effects on the male reproductive system.)
What Is Really in Your Shampoo and Conditioner?
Did you ever stop to think about what produces all of that foam and lather when you use shampoo? It is usually one of a group of harsh detergents: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, or one of its related ingredients.
In addition to acting as penetration enhancers for other potentially toxic ingredients, these and other ethoxylate detergents—any ingredient with myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, or any “eth,” in their names, in addition to PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethlene, or oxynol—are invariably contaminated with high concentrations of the volatile and carcinogenic ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Both of these are readily absorbed through the skin and can also be inhaled.
Ethylene oxide is a potent carcinogen that induces brain, breast, and lung cancer in rodents. It has also been incriminated as a cause of lymphomas in exposed workers.
9 In the medical journal
Cancer’s 2007 review of mammary carcinogens, dioxane was one of the 216 chemicals they identified as producing breast cancer in rodent tests. Its carcinogenicity in rodents was first reported in 1965 and subsequently confirmed in 1978. The predominant cancer caused in rats was nasal cancer; cancer was also found in the livers of mice.
As far back as 1985, the FDA recognized these dangers and requested that manufacturers voluntarily limit dioxane levels in cosmetics and personal-care products to ten parts per million. Unfortunately for consumers, the industry has remained unresponsive.
Los Angeles Times staff writer Marla Cone in February 2007 reported that all eighteen child and adult personal-care products she had tested by an independent laboratory were contaminated by high levels of dioxane, three of these exceeding the FDA’s recommended upper limit. The industry trade group, the Personal Care Products Council, responded that “[c]onsumers should not be concerned about the levels in this data.”
10Other carcinogenic contaminants include acrylates, which appear in a range of complex ingredients known as acrylate polymers or copolymers.
Contaminants are one source of toxic concern in shampoos and conditioners; chemical reactivity is another. Diethanolamine (DEA) is a common ingredient in shampoo and readily reacts with nitrite preservatives or contaminants to create nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA), a known and potent carcinogen.
These contaminants are also particularly easy, and dangerous, to absorb through the skin. A 1989 study showed that 13 percent of the carcinogenic preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 50 percent of the carcinogenic pesticide DDT (a common contaminant of commercial-grade lanolin derived from sheep’s wool), are absorbed through skin very rapidly.
11 And evidence cited in an October 22, 1996, Citizen Petition to the FDA “Seeking Cancer Warning on Cosmetics Containing DEA” concluded that NDELA is readily absorbed through human skin.
Meet Your Local “Penetration Enhancers”
For decades, the drug industry has used a group of ingredients known as “Penetration Enhancers” to decrease the resistance of the skin and increase drug absorption up to a hundredfold.
12 In spite of possible hazards, the personal-care industry still makes extensive use of penetration enhancers, as we’ve discussed in chapters 8 and 9. Penetration enhancers fall into four major categories: Gentle Detergents; Harsh Detergents; Hydroxy Acids; and the unrelated but much more hazardous Nanoparticle Ingredients.
1.
Gentle Detergents. The most common penetration enhancers in use are the gentle detergents monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine, which are also used as emulsifiers and thickeners. They facilitate the absorption of other ingredients through the skin by damaging the skin to increase its permeability.
Another gentle detergent, ammonium lauryl sulfate, is widely used as a cleansing agent. However, in its action as a penetration enhancer, it also has a degenerative effect on cell membranes, particularly at concentrations over 1 percent.
2.
Harsh Detergents. Harsh detergents act as penetration enhancers by damaging the skin and increase its permeability to varying degrees. Two of the most widely used harsh detergents are sodium lauryl sulfate and glyceryl laurate.
As admitted by the industry’s Cosmetic Ingredient Review Compendium, sodium lauryl sulfate is a strong irritant that “causes severe epidermal changes of the skin of mice,” including damage to skin protein and degeneration of skin membranes.
13 The Compendium further admits that products containing this ingredient are only “designed for brief discontinued use, following which they are thoroughly rinsed from the surface of the skin.” As reported by Danish Institute of Public Health studies, a single twenty-four-hour exposure to sodium lauryl sulfate damages skin proteins and causes prolonged disruption of “the skin barrier integrity,” allowing the ready penetration of carcinogens.
14,15A related detergent, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, can also react with nitrates to yield a carcinogenic nitrosamine.
3. Hydroxy Acids. See chapter 9 for details.
4. Nanoparticle Ingredients. See chapters 8 and 9 for details.
Other penetration enhancers include bisabolol, a naturally occurring terpene alcohol derivative widely used as a skin conditioner and also an anti-aging ingredient (see chapter 9), and ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), a sodium salt that binds to calcium normally present in skin and disrupts the normal bridges connecting cells. EDTA is also a hormone disrupter.
What Is Really in Your Deodorant or Antiperspirant?
The biggest concern about antiperspirants in recent years has been whether their contents contribute to the risk of breast cancer in women. Though the jury is still out, one study in particular, done in 2006, did ring a lot of people’s alarm bells. An article in the
Journal of Applied Toxicology reported evidence that aluminum chloride, which appear in concentrations of up to 25 percent in some antiperspirants, exhibits the same effects as estrogen in a way that could stimulate the onset of breast cancer, making aluminum chloride a hormone disrupter.
16There are several reasons for concern about the possible relationship of aluminum chloride to breast cancer, as cited by study author Philippa Darbre, Ph.D., of the University of Reading in Britain. Aluminum chloride-laden antiperspirants are applied to the underarm, near the breasts. The aluminum chloride remains on the skin, allowing continuous exposure. Shaving the armpits may damage the skin enough to allow aluminum chloride direct chemical access to underlying tissue—though studies have shown that aluminum chloride also has no trouble passing through intact human armpit skin.
What particularly concerned Darbre was the impact of the multiple chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants acting together. Most studies examine one chemical at a time, and these alone may not have measurable effects on people, meaning that study results can project an illusion of safety. “Each of these agents on their own may not have a powerful effect, but we need to see what happens when a number of them act together,” she commented. “It could be that this would have a significant effect on diseases like breast cancer.”
17Even products where responsible manufacturers have made honest attempts to limit the toxicity of their products—by eliminating aluminum, for instance—can still fall short of safety. Nature’s Gate Spring Fresh deodorant, which is aluminum-free, still contains diethanolamine.
Another kind of ingredient in deodorants and antiperspirants that may contribute to breast cancer are hormone-disruptive parabens, discussed in more detail in chapter 5. At least a dozen rodent tests since 1998 have documented parabens’ hormonal effects. Notably, parabens’ estrogen-like effects did not occur when the animals were fed the parabens, but did show up when parabens were applied to their skin.
18 “To date there is no concrete scientific evidence to support a link between parabens and breast cancer,” observed the two physician authors of a 2007 study of parabens in the journal
Skin & Aging. “Nevertheless, these studies brought to light the possibility that parabens might affect endocrine function and breast cancer development. Given that underarm deodorants or antiperspirants that contain these parabens are used daily for millions of people and the close proximity of the axilla and breast tissue, this possibility should be considered and further work done in this area.”
19It was long thought that parabens did not accumulate in the body because they were quickly metabolized by the liver and kidneys. This turned out to be untrue, at least when parabens are absorbed by the skin. A 2007 study in the
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, which assessed three different parabens in three commercial cosmetic creams, found strong retention rates. The three types studied—methylparabens, ethylparabens, and propylparabens—displayed some variation in this retention; methyl was the highest, with a 60 percent retention rate, followed by ethyl at 40 percent and propyl at 20 percent.
20 A 1999 report for the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan found the main metabolite of parabens present in blood and breast milk. And in a subsequent study of 100 demographically diverse adults, methyl- and propylparabens were discovered in nearly every sample of urine, while other parabens were detected in more than half of the samples.
21
What Is Really in Your Toothpaste?
Maybe you have noticed that most brands of toothpaste carry this poison warning, or a variation of it, on their labels: “Keep out of reach of children under six years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.” The main reason is the presence of fluoride in most toothpaste products; fluoride can be highly toxic, even if it does help to prevent cavities when applied topically to your teeth.
Deodorants That Do and Do Not Contain Phthalates
Here are the deodorants in EWG’s “Not Too Pretty” report in which lab testing uncovered the presence of phthalates (measured in parts per million, or ppm):
• Arrid Extra Dry Ultra Clear Ultra Fresh Spray: 200 ppm of DBP
• Arrid Extra Dry Ultra Clear Ultra Clean Spray: 150 ppm of DBP
• Arrid Extra Dry Maximum Strength Solid: 2900-3300 ppm of DEP
• Arrid Extra Dry Ultra Clear Ultra Clean Spray: 1100-1200 ppm of DEP
• Ban Delicate Powder Roll On: 400 ppm of DEP
• Degree Original Solid Antiperspirant & Deodorant: 140 ppm of DEP
• Dove Solid Antiperspirant Deodorant: 110 ppm of DEP
• Secret Powder Fresh Aerosol: 63 ppm of DEP
• Secret Sheer Dry Regular: 49 ppm of DEP
• Sure Clear Dry Antiperspirant & Deodorant: 20 ppm of DEP
• Secret Sheer Dry Regular: 33 ppm of DMP
Five lab-tested deodorants had no detectable levels of phthalates, which demonstrates that manufacturers are capable of making effective products free of phthalates if they so choose. Those deodorants:
• Certain Dri Antiperspirant Roll-On
• Dove Powder Antiperspirant Deodorant
• Lady Speed Stick Soft Antiperspirant
• Secret Antiperspirant & Deodorant Platinum Protection
• Soft & Dri Antiperspirant Deodorant Clear Gel
Note: These phthalate levels and product formulations may have changed since the “Not Too Pretty” test results were released in 2002. Additionally, the products tested represented only a small selection of deodorants on the market.
But the warning could also apply to some other common ingredients contaminating toothpastes. In a court settlement little noticed outside of California, the state where the lawsuit was filed, the Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company conceded in the summer of 2005 that its Crest brand of toothpaste products contained high levels of lead.
22The lead in this product was not discovered by any government agency, or even by the manufacturer. Instead, the analytical testing of numerous toothpaste products that uncovered this information was initiated by the Palo Alto-based American Environmental Safety Institute under California’s Proposition 65, a landmark consumer health initiative statute passed by voters that requires warnings be given to consumers about the presence of hazardous chemicals in the products they purchase in California.
“The research demonstrated that almost all toothpaste products contain significant levels of lead, a heavy metal known to the State of California’s health experts to be hazardous to human health by causing cancer and birth defects,” declared Institute researchers. Crest was singled out as one of the worst offending brands due to its additional inclusion of hydrated silica, an abrasive cleanser found to be laced with even more lead. Eighteen other toothpaste manufacturers also used lead-laced hydrated silica.
Procter & Gamble agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by the American Environmental Safety Institute by paying the group almost $400,000 to cover its research costs and attorney fees.
22 In addition, Procter & Gamble agreed to reduce by 25 percent the lead levels of toothpaste sold in California through testing and product reformulations.
22 The FDA was not involved.
Contrast this to what happened during the 2007 consumer scare over the discovery of diethylene glycol in toothpaste imported from China. The FDA quickly got involved, issuing an alert to retailers and consumers and stepping up its scrutiny of personal-care products made in China. Under the brand names of Excel and Cool, the oversea manufacturer had substituted diethylene glycol, known as DEG, for a more expensive chemical normally used as a sweetener and thickening agent. The syrupy DEG constituted up to 4 percent of each toothpaste tube’s overall weight. But according to an FDA statement, “it does not belong in toothpaste even in small concentrations” because it can lead to organ failure and death. Toxic DEG exposure is of particular concern for children and people with kidney or liver problems. When DEG had been added to cough syrup in Panama, up to 100 people died.
23The question naturally arises: Why would the FDA pay so much attention to foreign products and foreign manufacturers when it fails to give equal scrutiny to the safety of domestic products?
What Is Really in Your Soap and Cleanser?
In addition to whatever phthalates and parabens soaps and other cleansers may contain, there are two preservative ingredients common to antibacterial soaps and cleansers that pose particular dangers: triclosan and triclocarban, first discussed in chapter 5.
Just since 2000, more than 1,500 new antibacterial products have entered the marketplace. In a 2006 study, John Hopkins University researchers found that 75 percent of the bacteria-killing ingredients found in these products survive wastewater treatment processes and end up contaminating waterways or the sewage sludge that is commonly spread on farm fields. These ingredients accumulate in soil and water (and perhaps in human bodies) and help create super germs resistant to antibiotics.
24 Indeed, water testing studies by the U.S. Geological Survey have found that triclosan and triclocarban are among the top ten persistent contaminants in U.S. rivers, streams, lakes, and underground aquifers.
25Triclosan, which is also a hormone disrupter, is present in many liquid soaps. Ironically, unexpected volatility has been documented when the triclosan in these liquid soaps and other common household products comes into contact with water—something one assumes would happen during every use. At Virginia Tech University a team of researchers in April 2005 reported that some toothpastes and soaps create a chloroform gas when the triclosan in these products reacts with chlorinated water. Chloroform is known to cause liver problems, depression, and cancer if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
26Even more troubling evidence has emerged about the health impacts of triclocarban, which is used in bar soaps, deodorants, toothpaste, and even baby toys. A study published in the science journal
Endocrinology in late 2007 revealed that this chemical, too, is a hormone disrupter; feeding triclocarban to test rats resulted in abnormally enlarged prostate glands.
27In contrast to most other hormone disrupters, which either block or decrease natural hormonal effects, triclocarban, as this study showed, abnormally increases hormonal effects. “This finding may eventually lead to an explanation for some rises in some previously described reproductive problems that have been difficult to understand,” commented study co-author Professor Bill Lasley, a University of California at Davis expert on reproductive toxicology.
Are There Fragrances That Are Safe to Use?
Today, fragrances appear in almost all our cosmetics and personal-care products. Since even skin patch tests fail to identify up to one-third of known fragrance allergens, you should avoid all fragranced products unless they are labeled “contains no known allergens.”
This recommendation is strongly endorsed by the Perfume Foundation, a Belgium-based non-profit organization established in 1995 “to be the leading authority on health and environmental issues related to fragrances and scents, while contributing to the cultural heritage of perfumes.” The Foundation also works in collaboration with leading independent scientists and non-government organizations “in order to reduce the toxicity of perfumes,” and is also developing a “seal of approval” for non-toxic perfumes and related products.
Table 14: Toxic Ingredients in Products for Everyone
| INGREDIENT | TOXIC EFFECT(S) |
|---|
| 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC) | Hormone disrupter |
| Ceteareths | Contaminated with the carcinogens ethylene oxide and dioxane |
| Diethanolamine (DEA) | Carcinogen |
| Ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) | Hormone disrupter and penetration enhancer |
| Laureths | Contaminated with the carcinogens ethylene oxide and dioxane |
| Parabens | Hormone disrupters |
| Polyethylene glycol (PEG) | Contaminated with the carcinogens ethylene oxide and dioxane |
| Phthalates | Hormone disrupters |
| Polysorbates | Contaminated with the carcinogens ethylene oxide and dioxane |
| Triclocarban | Hormone disrupter |
| Triclosan | Hormone disrupter |
Safe Products and Ingredients For Everyone
AIR FRESHENERS
Nearly all air fresheners on the market contain dangerous levels of either DEP or DBP phthalates. The exceptions, according to a 2007 Natural Resources Defense Council study, are
Febreze Air Effects (
www.febreze.com) and
Renuzit Subtle Effects (
www.renuzit.com).
SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER
Erbaorganics Shampoo
INGREDIENTS: organic aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, sodium coco-sulfate, sodium lauroyl oat amino acids, sodium olivamphoacetate, sodium levulinate, glyceryl oleate (and) coco-glucoside, sodium chloride (sea salt), citric acid, organic lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil, organic lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, organic citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) peel oil, organic anthemis nobilis (roman chamomile) flower oil, sodium phytate, potassium sorbate, citric acid
Nurture My Body Shampoo—Fragrance Free
INGREDIENTS: water, decyl glucose, lauryl glucose, coco protein, seaweed extract, organic herbal infusions of coltsfoot, chickweed, nettles, horsetail, slippery elm, marshmallow root, comfrey root, calendula blossoms, chamomile flowers and oatstraw, sea buckthorn CO2, grapefruit seed extract
DEODORANTS
Erbaviva Jasmine Grapefruit Organic Deodorant
INGREDIENTS: organic grain alcohol, organic essential oils extracts of jasmine, grapefruit, ginger, safe, cedarwood, orange, and lemon
TOOTHPASTES AND MOUTHWASHES
Dentarome’s Thieves Toothpaste
Dentarome’s line of toothpastes use a formula of mostly plant-derived ingredients, including baking soda and peppermint and wintergreen essential oils. Their Web site challenges: “Go ahead and eat it! Our selection of powerful, non-fluoride toothpastes without the sodium lauryl sulfate are completely edible.”
Jason Natural Sea Fresh Toothpaste
INGREDIENTS: calcium carbonate, glycerin, purified sea water, blue green algae, sodium cocoyl glutamate, carrageenan, aloe barabadensis gel, sodium bicarbonate, bambuse arundinaces, stevioside, perilla seed extract, parsley extract, silica, grapefruit seed extract, spearmint
PerioPaste
INGREDIENTS: phytoplenolin (Centipeda Cunninghamii Extract), bio-chelated extracts of echinacea purpurea tops (Echinacea Purpurea), calendula flower (Calendula Officiinalis), olive leaf (Olea Europea), black walnut green hulls (Juglans Nigra), gotu kola herb (Centella Asiatica ), chamomile flower (Chamomilla Recutita [Matricarla]), green tea leaf (Camellia Sinensis), prickly ash bark (Zanthoxylum Ameriicanum), grapefruit seed (Citrus Grandis), bio saponins, folic acid, CoEnzyme Q10, aloe vera phytogel ,sodium bicarbonate, colloidal silica, lysine, xylitol, xanthan gum, chlorophyll, essential oils of peppermint, oregano, clove, thyme, lavender, cinnamon, and eucalyptus
Tom’s of Maine Mouthwash Oral Moistening Peppermint
INGREDIENTS: water (from branch brook), glycerin (from kosher vegetable oil), witch hazel (non-alcoholic, from hamelis virginiana plant), aloe vera juice, sodium bicarbonate (from purified sodium bicarbonate from the earth), poloxamer 335 (processed from natural gas and oil), xylitol (from birch trees), peppermint oil, menthol from Brazilian cornmint oil
SOAP/CLEANSER
Aubrey Organics Meal & Herbs Exfoliation Skin Care Bar
INGREDIENTS: palm oil, coconut fatty acids, peanut oil, shea butter, almond meal, oatmeal, walnut meal, coconut oil, water, almond essential oil
Chandrika Ayurvedic Soap (produced in India)
INGREDIENTS: coconut oil, wild ginger, lime, soda, soap stone powder, chandrika thilam, chandrika kashayam