According to the authors of Rub a Dub Dub, is Cancer in your Tub? available from The Health Garden:
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Between 1965 and 1982, over 4 million distinct chemical compounds were formulated. |
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At least 250,000 new formulations have been created annually since then |
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Approximately 3000 chemicals are added to our foods |
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700 have been found in our drinking water |
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400 have been identified in human tissue |
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Over 500 can be found under the kitchen sinks or in the laundry rooms of our homes |
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Over 800 neurotoxic chemical compounds are used in the cosmetic and perfume industries |
Here are some of the most common culprits in commercial personal care products:
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| SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS) AND SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES) |
Don’t you just love a relaxing warm shower or bubble bath, lathering yourself up with shampoo and soap? Well, think again. This one of life’s innocent pleasures is no longer so innocent, once you discover what is causing this delightful lather!
Check the labels of your personal care products. Are Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) listed? Or perhaps one of their cousins is there instead, like Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Myreth Sulfate, etc.?
SLS and all its cousins are very harsh detergents that strip the skin's moisture barrier (which is linked to immunity and skin health) and have caused serious health problems during testing on animals. Because they denature protein (thereby possibly contributing to hair loss or thinning) they are also linked to harming children's eyes. When combined with DEA, MEA and TEA (often found in the same shampoo), they form nitrosamines, a potent carcinogen.
Most manufacturers only use these harsh detergents because they produce a lot of foam very inexpensively. But SLS is such a strong degreaser that it’s also used to scrub garage floors and to degrease engines! Is that what you want to put on your body every day?
Check your labels! Approximately 98% of personal care products, even those in Health Food stores, contain SLS/SLES (including toothpastes, shampoos, conditioners, hand and body creams, depilatories, bubble baths, hair color kits, shaving cream, shower gel, facial cleansers, "baby wipes", "soapless" shampoos, and many others). And it’s often listed as the first ingredient on the label, meaning it’s in the highest concentration.
Don’t be misled! SLS/SLES can be disguised under the term "coconut oil" or "from coconuts" (because they are originally derived from coconuts). However, pure, unprocessed coconut oil is not SLS.
Click here to learn more.
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| PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG) |
PG is a colourless, viscous liquid used in anti-freeze solutions, hydraulic fluids, solvents, paints and coatings, floor wax, laundry detergents, pet food and tobacco. It is used to break down protein and cellular structure (what the skin is made of)! In fact, it’s so strong that it can strip barnacles from the bottom of boats!
Because of its ability to quickly penetrate the skin, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requires people working with PG to wear protective gloves, clothing, and goggles. The Material Safety Data Sheets on propylene glycol warn against skin contact because it has severe health consequences and reactions, and systemic consequences such as brain, liver, and kidney abnormalities. The data sheet warns:
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If the solution makes contact with the skin, immediate action must be taken, and the incident should be reported to the supervisor. |
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If the solution spills on the ground, it must be contained and the contaminated earth dug up and hauled to a toxic waste dump. |
Because it is so inexpensive, exactly the same form of PG is used as a solvent in very high concentrations in most forms of make-up, hair products, lotions, after-shave, deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpaste, baby wipes, and even some processed food! And this applies to many brands you might purchase in “natural food” stores. In fact, it is probably the most common ingredient found in personal care items (check the labels of your favorite products!!).
This is because it works as a humectant (a substance that helps retain moisture content), allowing processed food to remain soft and chewy, and your skin (and your baby’s skin) to feel moist and soft. Yet personal care products containing PG aren’t required to display a warning label, even though the concentration is greater than that of most industrial applications.
According to the book, Rub a Dub Dub, is cancer in your tub? available from The Health Garden, Material Safety Data Sheets for PG show that:
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PG has been implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. |
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PG can inhibit skin cell growth in human tests and can damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage. |
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PG may be harmful by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption. It may cause eye irritation and skin irritation. |
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Exposure to PG can cause gastro-intestinal disturbances, nausea, headaches and vomiting, and central nervous system depression. |
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And a published clinical review showed that PG causes a significant number of reactions and was a primary irritant to the skin even in low levels of concentration. The American Academy of Dermatologists, Inc.: Jan ’91. |
Is this what you want to be rubbing on your baby’s “tender tush”? Or your own? |
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| POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEG) |
PEG effectively dissolves oil and grease, and is a thickening agent. It is often used in caustic spray-on oven cleaners and in many personal care products. It is potentially carcinogenic, and contributes to stripping the skin’s Natural Moisture Factor. This in turn leaves the immune system vulnerable. Note that the number after “PEG” refers to its molecular weight, which in turn influences its characteristics.
| DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoetha-nolamine), TEA (triethanolamine) |
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| On the show “CBS This Morning” (Feb 23, 1998), there was a report of the findings of a study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology program (NTP TR 478), revealing that: |
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DEA, when applied to the skin of rats, resulted in clear evidence of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) activity. And (you got it)…..DEA is readily absorbed into the skin. |
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| As if that wasn’t enough, Dr. Samuel Epstein, professor of environmental health at the University of Illinois and author of The Safe Shopper’s Bible, said: |
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“Repeated skin applications....of DEA-based detergents resulted in a major increase in the incidence of two cancers—liver and kidney cancers”. |
These hormone-disrupting chemicals, known to form cancer-causing nitrates and nitrosamines, are found usually in products that foam (along with SLS/SLES)…..this includes bubble bath, body washes, shampoos, soaps, and facial cleansers.
Can’t find DEA or MEA on your personal care product labels? Look for the word in conjunction with the compound being neutralized, eg. ‘Cocamide DEA’ or MEA, ‘Lauramide DEA’, etc.
According to Linda Chae, tests at the University of Bologna in Italy found TEA to be the most frequent sensitizer used in cosmetics, gels, shampoos, creams, lotions, etc. |
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| FD&C COLOUR PIGMENTS |
| In her book Home Safe Home, Debra Lynn Dadd explains that colours used in foods, drugs and cosmetics are made from coal tar, and that animal studies have shown almost all colours to be carcinogenic. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients states that “....many [pigments] cause skin sensitivity and irritation....and absorption [of certain colors] can cause depletion of oxygen in the body, and death”. |
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| FRAGRANCE |
Here’s another one. Fragrance is an ingredient in most deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, skin care, body care, and baby products. Many compounds in fragrances are toxic, and some are even carcinogenic. There are up to 4,000 ingredients that are covered under the single banner of “Fragrance”, and most (if not all) of them are synthetic.
| Fragrance has been linked to: |
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headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation (from reports received by America’s FDA). |
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hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes (clinical observation by medical doctors) |
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| TRICLOSAN |
Prevent the spread of germs….wash your hands with antibacterial solution! Haven’t we all been brought up that way? I know I have. Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical, included in detergents, dish soaps, laundry soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions, creams, and toothpastes and mouthwashes.
But I question the philosophy of killing off the good (protective) bacteria along with the bad, as it’s the good bacteria that help inhibit the invasion of harmful pathogens. Isn’t it better for us in the long run to have a strong, healthy immune system to combat disease, rather than facilitating a sterile environment where each new disease becomes more threatening to us?
Linda Chae quotes Boston-based microbiologist Laura McMurray and her colleagues at the Tufts University School of Medicine as saying that "triclosan is capable of forcing the emergency of ‘superbugs’ that it cannot kill.” In fact, this is backed up by J. B. Verrengia in the book New Products Feared Breeding Tougher Germs, with the comment that "Public health officials have blamed the indiscriminate prescription of antibiotics for the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The Tufts study suggests the recent widespread use of antibacterial agents in everyday products might have similar results".
| When you know more about it, Triclosan is the last thing you would want to put on your hands, or near your food! |
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Triclosan is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide, receiving high scores as a risk to both human health and the environment. It is a chlorinated aromatic (a chlorophenol)….and chlorophenols are suspected of causing cancer in humans, and are similar in molecular structure and chemical formula to dioxins, PCB’s, and Agent Orange - among the most toxic chemicals on earth. |
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In its manufacturing process, dioxin (a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical) may be produced. By interfering with the way hormones work (eg. changing genetic material, or leading to birth defects), dioxin and other hormone disrupters pose enormous long-term health risks. Dioxin has toxic effects in the parts per trillion (that is, any stronger than a single drop in 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools!). |
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Linda Chae goes on to say that “Externally, triclosan can cause skin irritations, but since "….phenols can temporarily deactivate the sensory nerve endings….contact with [triclosan] often causes little or no pain". "Internally, it can lead to cold sweats, circulatory collapse, convulsions, coma, and even death". Stored in body fat, it can accumulate to toxic levels, damaging the liver, kidneys, and lungs, and can cause paralysis, sterility, suppression of immune function, brain hemorrhage, decreased fertility and sexual function, heart problems, and coma." |
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And how about this one! London's Evening Standard newspaper gave a cancer alert warning-about toothpaste! It seems a US study has British chain stores like Marks & Spencer removing their brand-name toothpastes such as Colgate®, Aquafresh®, Dentyl, and Sensodyne® from their shelves. Dr. Peter Vikesland of Virginia Polytechnic Institute found that the antibacterial chemical triclosan can react with the chlorine in water to produce chloroform gas. Researchers believe that over time, inhaled chloroform can result in depression, liver ailments, and even cancer. "The amount of gas formed is very low but I think the key thing is that we just don't know what the effects are,” says Dr. Vikesland. “However, manufacturers do have to list triclosan on their ingredients, so if consumers are worried, the best advice is to avoid such products with the chemical." [1], [2]. He goes on to say, "This is the first work that we know of that suggests that consumer products, such as antimicrobial soap, can produce significant quantities of chloroform." |
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University of Minnesota researchers have found that photochemical reactions of triclosan could be producing dioxins in the presence of sunlight [3]. This is a concern, because according to Virginia Tech’s press release, most of the consumer products that contain triclosan are eventually discharged down residential drains. |
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Vikesland's study was published in the online Science News of Environmental Science & Technology, April 6, 2005. |
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Mark Prigg, Science Correspondent and Rebecca Lawrence, Evening Standard , "Toothpaste cancer alert," This is LONDON, Evening Standard, April 15, 2005. |
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Press Release: Virginia Tech News, "Researcher: Being too clean could be hazardous to your health and environment," April 15, 2004. |
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| ALCOHOL (ISOPROPYL) |
Alcohol (usually in the form of Isopropyl) is a petroleum-derived substance used in antifreeze and shellac as a solvent, and used to “extend” (dilute) essential oils (in lesser quality brands). It is found in many cosmetics and personal care products, including hair color rinses, body rubs, hand lotions, after-shave lotions and fragrances….and it’s present in higher percentages in mouthwash than in beer!
Acting as a solvent and denaturant (a poisonous substance that changes another substance's natural qualities), ingestion or inhalation of the vapour may cause headaches, flushing dizziness, mental depressions, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia, and coma. The fatal ingested dose is one ounce (A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients).
According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (22/4/91), mouthwashes with an alcohol content of 25% or higher have been implicated in mouth, tongue and throat cancers. This is because alcohol acts as a solvent in the mouth, which makes tissues more vulnerable to carcinogens. The study showed that men had a 60% higher risk and women a 90% higher risk of these cancers compared to those not using the mouthwash. |
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| ALUMINIUM |
Found in processed foods, anti-perspirants, antacids, cosmetics, paper products, beverage cans, foil and cookware, Aluminium is a toxin in the body (and the third most common element in the environment).
In a study by the World Health Organisation, it was reported that “There is a suspected link between Alzheimer’s disease and the toxicity of aluminium… autopsies have found high concentrations of the metal in the brain of people who had suffered from the disease.” (Public Health Reports, Nov-Dec 1993 v108 n6 p798[2])
To reach the brain, the aluminium must cross the blood-brain barrier (responsible for filtering the blood). Elemental aluminium from our environment does not easily pass this barrier, but aluminium compounds found in many consumable products do!!! Is this why Alzheimer’s Disease is the 4th leading cause of death among the elderly, where half a century ago it was virtually unheard of?
And Dr. Daniel Perl, Director of Neuropathology at Mt. Sinai Medical Centre in New York recommends, “…avoid aerosol antiperspirants. Aluminium in aerosol form may be more readily absorbed into the brain through nasal passages.” (The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, April 1993 v9 n7 p1[2]) |
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| TALC |
Chemically similar to asbestos (a known cancer-causing agent), talc is common in body and baby powders, feminine powders and many cosmetics. It’s also a lubricant on condoms. Its harmful effect on human tissues were discovered in the 1930s, when it was linked to post-operative granulomatous peritonitis and fibrous adhesions….in the doctors who wore talc-laden gloves to perform surgeries! (Nutritional Health Review, Summer 1995 n73 p8(1).
Then in the U.S. News and World Report, March 17, 1977 (v 122 n10 p77[1]) it was written that “A possible tie between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, long suspected because of talc’s chemical similarity to asbestos, was strongly supported last week when a study found a higher risk of the cancer among women who dusted themselves with talc of used feminine deodorant sprays. The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that women who used talcum powder in the genital area had an increased ovarian cancer risk of 60% and women who used feminine deodorant sprays had a 90% increased risk.”
Doctors Kasper and Chandler in the Journal of the American Medical Association (15 Mar 95) raised the question of whether talc on condoms may result in fallopian tube fibrosis with resultant infertility……and in case you were wondering, talc is no longer used in glove-donning powders (although it still remains in cosmetics, powders and condoms). |
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| UREA (IMIDAZOLIDINYL) & DMDM HYDANTOIN |
These two substances are used in personal care products as preservatives, but the side effect is that they release formaldehyde (thus their term “formaldehyde donors”). Formaldehyde-releasing ingredients are common in most store brands of skin, body, and hair care, antiperspirants, and nail polish (see the book Is this your Child’s world? by Doris J. Rapp, M.D. for a more complete list of products that contain formaldehyde).
Linda Chae quotes the Mayo Clinic as stating, “formaldehyde can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions and trigger heart palpitations. Exposure to formaldehyde may cause joint pain, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. It can also aggravate coughs and colds, and trigger asthma. Other possible side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer.”
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