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Could Your Shampoo or Body Lotion be Harmful to Your Health?Report says household toxins are commonRelated ContentANCHORAGE - How closely do you read the back of your lotion or sunscreen bottles? A report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says many big retailers are stocking cosmetics and other personal care items without an adequate screening policy. The report says, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have the authority to test cosmetics product ingredients before they are marketed, unlike other products it regulates like pharmaceuticals. As a result, products such as baby shampoo, lipstick, lotions, and nail products often contain chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility and other chronic diseases.” Samantha Englishoe, the environmental health and justice policy coordinator with the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, said not many people are aware that the $50 billion personal care product industry is largely unregulated. “I think a lot of people aren't aware, because we assume that products have been tested for safety before they end up in stores, which isn't the case,” said Englishoe, whose group helped write the report. The report looks at stores such as Walmart, Target, Costco and Walgreens and ranks them on how well they screen personal care items before putting them on shelves. Macy’s received the lowest score while Whole Foods received the highest for its basic chemical safety screening for all personal care products. Englishoe said consumers have some weight when it comes to changing the way manufacturers make products. But it takes more than just a consumer’s voice. “You can't shop your way out of the problem entirely, that's why we need to add pressure to the retailers who then add pressure to the manufacturers and eventually we want the FDA to be given authority to test for safety,” said Englishoe. Some of the pressure is paying off. “For example Johnson and Johnson had a chemical in their baby shampoo that was a carcinogen and so after working with them, the retailers and consumers, they eventually reformulated that product,” said Englishoe. Englishoe recommends this guide for consumers to help them shop for safer products: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/. |
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vivien said on Thursday, Dec 13 at 4:42 PM
this is why I only use sulfate free shampoos like pro naturals argan oil, they're healthier.
109157105Anonymous said on Wednesday, Dec 12 at 9:35 PM
Samantha rocks!
109090006Mickey in Petersburg said on Wednesday, Dec 12 at 5:19 PM
I was "constructively" fired (resigned because employer refused to purchase light scent soap products, even though previous boss complied). It's not always the scent, sometimes it's the propellant. Also, plastics in toys. 30-50% of children I've worked with, could smell the toxins on the toys. Most of the children would play with toys anyway, peer pressure of just having something new to play with.
109075855Karen Matteson said on Wednesday, Dec 12 at 1:07 AM
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108990585Vickie (Anderson) Drussell said on Tuesday, Dec 11 at 11:08 PM
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108985925Anonymous said on Tuesday, Dec 11 at 10:01 PM
You can make 'shampoo' out of common harmless ingredients like olive oil, honey, baking soda, vinegar, coconut milk..... I only ever put coconut oil on my kids in the summer, the sunscreens they sell have more cancer causing garbage than the slight possibility of skin cancer, and the natural vitamin D up here is priceless.
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