Toxic Tub Alert – Kid-Safe-Chemicals-Act

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics team is working hard to keep our kids (and us) safe from toxic exposures to chemicals in bath and personal care products. There is a new report out this week about toxic chemicals found in traditional bath products.  Most people don’t know that personal care and cosmetic companies are not required to list all ingredients on the label, so even the most ingredient-conscious parents wouldn't know whether the product is safe and free from cancer causing chemicals. Many bath products are labeled as “gentle," "pure" or "naturally refreshing", which can be deceiving because label laws for personal care products is unregulated and these alluring words can be a hook for even the most conscientious parent.

In this new study, an independent lab tested 48 kids' products for 1,4-dioxane and found it in 67 percent of the products. Of the 28 products tested for formaldehyde, 82 percent were positive. Seventeen products were contaminated with both 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, both linked to significant health effects. You can read more about this report at http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=414. There is also a safety guide to children's personal care products on that page as well.

Beyond the findings of the study, I feel it is important that parents know that current regulations don’t require chemicals to be proven safe to get on the market, or stay on the market. The Toxic Substances Control Act is what is suppose to be protecting us, however, when it was passed back in 1976, most of the chemicals slated as safe were never tested, but rather grandfathered in at the time. This Act is the weakest of all major environmental laws we have today. Under federal law EPA does not have the authority to demand the information it needs to evaluate a chemical's risk, and neither manufacturers nor the EPA are required to prove a chemical's safety for use in these products. I consider this to be a huge problem that truly falls short of protecting us, especially protecting our children. This year the Environmental Working Group needs our help – they are working hard to reform this safety hazard, please read about the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act - http://www.ewg.org/kidsafe - and sign their declaration.