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Carcinogens

Chemicals are now so pervasive in our lives you can’t even give your children a bath without exposing them to potentially harmful substances.

A recent report by a coalition of environmental and health advocacy groups found traces of a probable human carcinogen in a wide variety of shampoos and other bath products used by American families. The chemical in question, 1,4-dioxane, is one that federal health officials have been concerned about for more than two decades. But while the FDA has asked the cosmetics industry to voluntary remove this chemical, there are currently no standards governing its use.

In a culture that has grown increasingly chemical-dependent over the past 50 years, consumers must carefully read labels and research the ingredients in all the products they buy to fully understand what their families are being exposed to. For those who don’t wish to spend their time researching the multitude of chemical ingredients that pervade our lives, organic, chemical-free shampoos and bath products are also now available.

Without federal guidelines and clear labeling, it’s tough to know what’s safe and what’s not. Many people mistakenly assume that if products weren’t completely safe, they wouldn’t be available for purchase. The truth is, many of the substances to which we are regularly exposed through mass-marketed products are not regulated by the government. Often, it’s not until a product is found to be harmful that it is pulled from the shelf.

Those who don’t wish to wait that long may wish to go organic.

For more information about this story, visit the LA Times.   

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org