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ALERT! Cancer-causing Chemical Found in Children's Bath Products

ADDITIONS!

You might also want to check out Izzy's excellent post, "Prepubertal Man Boobs and Other Not Good Things" alerting us to the lavender-scented lotion risk and other links to good information about bad products.

And...while we're on the topic, another one of my product soapboxes. I don't want to add to hysteria here. No need. But next time you run out of dryer sheets or fabric softener, before you buy your usual, consider a few things: is it safe? what are the ingredients? what byproducts does it emit to my air and leave on my clothes? does it include animal tallow and is it tested on animals?

The natural health and organic healing site offers easy-to read information and some excellent healthy living tips to avoid dangerous products but still have soft and cling-free clothes.

I use Method dryer sheets. They contain no tallow, are cruelty free, include only nontoxic ingredients, are made from biodegradable green-friendly material, smell great without being overpowering (and scent actually lasts longer), and still they manage to soften clothes and prevent cling. (no, sadly, they DID NOT pay me for this endorsement but HEY METHOD, I'M FOR SALE! So's my BLOG REAL ESTATE. But never my true and honest pinion. :) I also accept product as payment.)

Original post...


I mentioned very briefly product safety the other day.

I am now getting around to the info I linked to and the credit due elsewhere for the information. I know I am sometime later than everybody posting this but eh...it gets busy around here. I reiterate my belief in products that I can read the label.

Source: Breast Cancer Fund

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, in some cases at levels that are more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s lenient recommended maximum.

Read the rest of the article. (Unless you are Kyla. In which case, you already read this so just meet me at Erma's.)

Here's the list (for better viewing click to the article). Note the *. * = Product was at or above FDA maximum

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

Thanks to Kyla (who I already mentioned), and Jenny via Mommy off the Record for the heads-up.

Copyright 2007 Julie Pippert
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Comments

flutter said…
This scares the flying crap out of me.
Anonymous said…
I threw out both bottles Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash. I'll never use their stuff again. I picked up some all natural organic California Baby body and hair wash and we'll be using that instead.

Did you read my recent post about the lavender lotions and baby washes and boys developing gynomastia (man boobs) from it? Feel free to mention that info here if you like. The more people that know the better.
Jean-Luc Picard said…
All sorts of weird things can come on the market.
Magpie said…
So damned depressing. I don't have any of those products, but what's in the ones I do have?
Kyla said…
So then the Saturday playdate will be at Erma's to stock up on non-killer baby care items? Yes?

My friend L and I discussed this over the weekend. I was telling her about this crap and tipping her off to the Skindeep database and then hours later she was reading Vogue (as I read Wondertime) and came across an article about it all. It is just overwhelming, but I am incredibly pleased that it is being discussed. I just hope the discussions lead to change.

80,000 new chemicals have been introduced since WWII. Is that not horrifying?
Liv said…
Thankfully I'm all madly into natural products--none of which were on the list.

But, I'm real pissed that I can no longer have an ORGANIC experiences with herbal essences....giggle, snort.
Liv said…
damn that typo. experience. although multiple organic experiences can be good, I've heard.
S said…
i wonder why a lot of the products on that list are mango, passion fruit, etc. is there some connection?
Julie Pippert said…
SM, good question. My understanding from my Birkenstock Hippie Forums (little self-deprecation, LOL) is that the STRONG scent is market preference, so the things with milder scent needs more additives for stronger scent and preservation of scent.

But that's a *guess* and I'm not sure.

A path maybe, at least, for further investigation.

P.S. I don't prefer strong scent. It overwhelms me.
NotSoSage said…
Julie. Saving the world one step at a time! ;) That means thanks. No joke.

Thankfully, my hypersensitive skin means I don't use any of that stuff, but it still scares the crap out of me.
Arkie Mama said…
Yikes! Thanks for posting this. Very scary stuff.
kaliroz said…
Oh, crap. We had that bubble bath ... the Sesame Street one. Just threw it away and will take out the trash before my monster notices.

I'm trying to slowly switch us over to more organic/natural products. It's hard because we're on a really tight budget, but I'm doing my best. We use a veggie based dish soap, I've begun using a lot of Burt's Bees stuff. It's going to take a bit for my hubby to catch on, but he's coming around.

Where do you get those dryer sheets, Julie? I'd like to try them.
Catherine said…
For crying out loud! Will it never end?!?! As if trying to figure out the "which organic is really better than the normal stuff" question and the "which toys are really poison" question, now its "which shampoo is really poison?"

Some of us don't have the time or money to search out "natural" products.

Huge, upset, sigh.
ewe are here said…
Awww, hell.

I think I've used the Olay bodywash in the past... No more.

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