pmtswife
07-26-2007, 07:33 AM
PRODUCT REPORT
Shampoo
THE SOLUTIONS
What to look out for
Carcinogenic Concerns
Through contamination or reactions with other ingredients or contaminants, some cosmetic ingredients unintentionally offer potential threats to health. As there is no way to know whether or not a problematic contamination or reaction has occurred in any individual product, avoiding contaminant risks in general is recommended.
Formaldehyde can be present in the preservatives DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, and Bronopol. Formaldehyde is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen," according to the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens, and The Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a probable human carcinogen. It also can produce skin, eye and respiratory irritation. Formaldehyde is a volative organic compound (VOC), which means that it easily becomes a breathable gas under the warm, wet conditions of a typical shampoo, making it a particularly troubling shampoo ingredient.
Polyethylene, PEG compounds (containing polyethylene glycol) and polysorbates may become contaminated with 1,4 dioxane. 1,4 dioxane has produced liver cancer in rodents in National Cancer Institute studies, and is listed as "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens. Some laboratory data furthermore calls into question the practice of putting polyethylene on skin: The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reports that some laboratory rats and mice developed cancer when implanted with polyethylene under the skin. -Eth compounds (such as sodium laureth sulfate) are also a 1,4 dioxane contamination risk.
Look out for diethanolamine (DEA), a wetting agent used in shampoos to create thick lather, and the similar chemical triethanolamine (TEA). Both of these can react inside the shampoo bottle with nitrites (often present in preservatives) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines, which can be absorbed through the skin, says the FDA. The risk of this reaction occurring is higher if the shampoo contains Bronopol. Compounds with MEA, DEA, or TEA in their names can present this problem.
Bronopol is not only a formaldehyde risk; it also can cause carcinogenic nitrosamines to form in shampoo products, according to the FDA. The risk is heightened if amine-containing ingredients such as DEA, TEA, or MEA are also present in the shampoo.
Although they are used in small quantities, problematic coloring agents in personal care products pose unneeded health risks. Some commonly-used dyes are allergens and irritants. Some contain lead acetate, a heavy metal toxic to the nervous system, while others are linked with cancers. Particularly worrying are "coal-tar" dyes found in many FD&C and D&C colors. FD&C Blue 1 and FD &C Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors -- D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 -- have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.
David Steinman, author of The Safe Shopper's Bible, suggests avoiding the following colors:
D&C Green 5
D&C Orange 17
D&C Red 9
D&C Red 19
D&C Red 33
FD&C Blue 1
FD&C Green 3
FD&C Red 4
FD&C Red 40
FD&C Yellow 5
FD&C Yellow 6
Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common shampoo degergent, has been found in laboratory studies to cause "severe epidermal changes" to mouse skin. This has led Dr. Samuel Epstein to recommend avoiding this ingredient despite recent cosmetics industry pronouncements of its safety.
Coal tar is usually found as an ingredient in dandruff shampoos. Although the FDA considers it safe to use in applications where the product will be quickly rinsed off skin, coal tar is identified as a known human carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens.
Hormone Disruption Risks
Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben) are preservatives widely used in cosmetics. They can be allergenic, and there is preliminary evidence that parabens act like estrogens; they therefore may be able to disrupt normal hormone functioning in humans.
Benzophenone-3, a substance found in a few shampoos, also causes concern. It can be irritating, and also, more troublingly, appears to mimic the hormone estrogen. In one study, estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in test tubes multiplied when they were exposed to benzophenone-3, indicating that the substance was acting like estrogen. While research on this subject is preliminary, results suggest that benzophenone-3 has the potential to disrupt the endocrine system of people who use it. Its use in personal care products is particularly risky because studies show that benzophenone-3 is readily absorbed by the skin.
Shampoo
THE SOLUTIONS
What to look out for
Carcinogenic Concerns
Through contamination or reactions with other ingredients or contaminants, some cosmetic ingredients unintentionally offer potential threats to health. As there is no way to know whether or not a problematic contamination or reaction has occurred in any individual product, avoiding contaminant risks in general is recommended.
Formaldehyde can be present in the preservatives DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, and Bronopol. Formaldehyde is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen," according to the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens, and The Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a probable human carcinogen. It also can produce skin, eye and respiratory irritation. Formaldehyde is a volative organic compound (VOC), which means that it easily becomes a breathable gas under the warm, wet conditions of a typical shampoo, making it a particularly troubling shampoo ingredient.
Polyethylene, PEG compounds (containing polyethylene glycol) and polysorbates may become contaminated with 1,4 dioxane. 1,4 dioxane has produced liver cancer in rodents in National Cancer Institute studies, and is listed as "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens. Some laboratory data furthermore calls into question the practice of putting polyethylene on skin: The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reports that some laboratory rats and mice developed cancer when implanted with polyethylene under the skin. -Eth compounds (such as sodium laureth sulfate) are also a 1,4 dioxane contamination risk.
Look out for diethanolamine (DEA), a wetting agent used in shampoos to create thick lather, and the similar chemical triethanolamine (TEA). Both of these can react inside the shampoo bottle with nitrites (often present in preservatives) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines, which can be absorbed through the skin, says the FDA. The risk of this reaction occurring is higher if the shampoo contains Bronopol. Compounds with MEA, DEA, or TEA in their names can present this problem.
Bronopol is not only a formaldehyde risk; it also can cause carcinogenic nitrosamines to form in shampoo products, according to the FDA. The risk is heightened if amine-containing ingredients such as DEA, TEA, or MEA are also present in the shampoo.
Although they are used in small quantities, problematic coloring agents in personal care products pose unneeded health risks. Some commonly-used dyes are allergens and irritants. Some contain lead acetate, a heavy metal toxic to the nervous system, while others are linked with cancers. Particularly worrying are "coal-tar" dyes found in many FD&C and D&C colors. FD&C Blue 1 and FD &C Green 3 are carcinogenic, and impurities in other colors -- D&C Red 33, FD&C Yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6 -- have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.
David Steinman, author of The Safe Shopper's Bible, suggests avoiding the following colors:
D&C Green 5
D&C Orange 17
D&C Red 9
D&C Red 19
D&C Red 33
FD&C Blue 1
FD&C Green 3
FD&C Red 4
FD&C Red 40
FD&C Yellow 5
FD&C Yellow 6
Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common shampoo degergent, has been found in laboratory studies to cause "severe epidermal changes" to mouse skin. This has led Dr. Samuel Epstein to recommend avoiding this ingredient despite recent cosmetics industry pronouncements of its safety.
Coal tar is usually found as an ingredient in dandruff shampoos. Although the FDA considers it safe to use in applications where the product will be quickly rinsed off skin, coal tar is identified as a known human carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program's Tenth Report on Carcinogens.
Hormone Disruption Risks
Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben) are preservatives widely used in cosmetics. They can be allergenic, and there is preliminary evidence that parabens act like estrogens; they therefore may be able to disrupt normal hormone functioning in humans.
Benzophenone-3, a substance found in a few shampoos, also causes concern. It can be irritating, and also, more troublingly, appears to mimic the hormone estrogen. In one study, estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in test tubes multiplied when they were exposed to benzophenone-3, indicating that the substance was acting like estrogen. While research on this subject is preliminary, results suggest that benzophenone-3 has the potential to disrupt the endocrine system of people who use it. Its use in personal care products is particularly risky because studies show that benzophenone-3 is readily absorbed by the skin.