TOP 20 EVIL TOXIN INGREDIENTS IN OUR EVERYDAY PRODUCTS

• 12.2 million adults are exposed to known or probable human carcinogens through daily use of personal care products.
• 4.3 million women are exposed daily to toxic ingredients linked to fertility impairment and fetal development problems.
• 20% of all adults are exposed daily to the top seven carcinogens commonly found in personal care products: hydroquinone, ethylene, dioxide, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, nitrosamines, PAHs, and acrylamide.
• Women use more cosmetics and personal care products than men and are exposed to more unique ingredients.
• FDA does NOT test or determine safety of cosmetic products that we are exposed to each day.
• 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our body within the first minute of application.

TOP 20 TOXIN INGREDIENTS (BACK TO THE TOP)

• Mercury (Known human carcinogen)
• Lead Acelate (Known human carcinogen)
• Formaldehyde (Known human carcinogen)
• Toulene (Reproductive/developmental toxin)
• Petroleum Distillates (Possible human carcinogen)
• Ethylacrylate (Possible human carcinogen)
• Coal Tar (Known human carcinogen)
• Dibutyle phthalate (Reproductive/developmental toxin)
• Potassium Dichromate (Possible human carcinogen)
• 2-Bromo-2 Nitropropane (Froms carcinogens)
• Selenium Sulfide (Possible human carcinogen)
• Dimethylamine (Respirotary Toxincity hazards)
• Ziroconium Silicate (Banned for using in cosmetics)
• Acrylamide (Possible human carcinogen)
• Phenylphenol (Possible human carcinogen)
• Dioxin (Known carcinogen)
• Talc (Linked to uterine cancer & respiratory problems)
• Benzalkonium Chloride (Possible human carcinogen)
• FD& C Dye (Made out of Coal Tar & known carcinogen)
• Quatenrnium 15 (Q-15) (Known carcinogen)

OTHER TOXINS (BACK TO THE TOP)

• Butly Cellosulve and Isobutene  (damage to central nervous system found: in window cleaners)
• Propylene Glycol (Brain, Kidney failure and cancer found: in shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lipstick, lotion, face creams, etc)
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Ammonium/ Myreth family (Irritations & skin disorders found: anything that foams and lathers)
• Diethanolamine (DEA, Triethanolamine (TEA) & MEA (Cancerous, Restricted in Europe)
• DMDM Hydantoin & UREA (Formaldehyed release in body)
• Triclosan (Registered as Pesticide with the FDA, found: in anti-bacterial soaps)
• Methyl , Proplyl, Butlyl & Ethyl "PARABEN" (disrupts normal enzyme activity & causes allergies)
• Pthalates (highly toxic found: in Nail Polish Products)
• Stearalkonium Chloride (Causes allergies found:Shampoo & conditioners)
• Carmine (Can possibly cause heart problems)

WHERE TO BEGIN (Look at these products that you use every day)
(BACK TO THE TOP)

1. Cosmetics: (Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, body lotion, toothpaste, deodrant, shaving cream, cleanser, moisterizer, nail polish, lip balm)
2. Kitchen/Bathroom:(dish washing liquid, detergent, window cleaner, counter wipes, wood cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, floor cleaner, shower cleaner)
3. Grocery Store: Try to always buy these in Organic because they have the highest levels of pesticides otherwise (apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, grapes, celery, all berries, sweet bell peppers, spinach, lettuce & potato). These are fine if not bought organic because they contain the lowest in Pesticide (Onions, avocado, sweet corn & peas (frozen), pineapples, mangos, bananas, asparagus, Kiwi, all melons, Cabbage, broccoli & papaya). More on this issue, checkout MayoClinic. If you are unable to purchase produce in Organic, please try to buy from your local farmers. The products will be more fresh and will not contain as much added perservatives for increased freshness. Also, please soak your soft fruits in water mixed with 2 spoons of non-chemical based detergent such as 7th Generation Detergent Soap, for approxiamately 10 minutes. This will at least observe a lot of the pestiside remaining on the skin. Another great way to buy fresh fruits and vegtables at bulk price is to use www.bullrunfarm.com These are awesome opportunities to get organic food directly from a farm and making organics affordable and  they usually have delivery in the WDC area each week.

Only USDA certified-organic foods can use the word " organic" in the actual product name. However, organic ingredients can be listed on the packaging of products that are not entirely organic (for instance, "made with organic flour"). In addition, if a company is certified as an organic producer, it can use the word "organic" in its company name. This name can appear on all of its products even those that aren't certified organic. Therefore, it is important to look for the USDA "Certified Organic" seal when purchasing organic products. You basically want your products to be synthetic free from the ingredients that can cause health hazards to you and your loved ones. When you care about your body and how you are treating it, it only makes sense to preserve this precious gift and protect it from harm. After all, we are only made out of flesh and there is so much that our bodies can handle. Here are the important links that can provide even more information for you.

QUESTIONS I FOUND HELPFUL FROM SKIN DEEP: (BACK TO THE TOP)

A. No, the chemicals present in any one cosmetic product alone are unlikely to cause harm. But we are being repeatedly exposed to chemicals from many different sources all the time.

Some of the chemicals in cosmetics are carcinogens. This means that there have been many studies that show that exposure to the chemical can result in cancer in humans or in laboratory animals. We're not saying that your exposure to a carcinogen in cosmetics will give you cancer. But we are saying that personal care products and the people who use them would be safer without chemicals that we know can cause cancer or birth defects.

Q.  What are some of the most harmful ingredients in products?

A.  Mercury, found in some eye drops, ointment and deodorants; lead acetate, found in some hair dyes and cleanser; formaldehyde and toluene, found in nail products; petroleum distillates, found in some mascara, perfume, foundation, lipstick and lip balm; ethylacrylate, found in some mascara; coal tar, found in dandruff shampoos, anti-itch creams and hair dyes; and dibutyl phthalate , found in some nail polish, perfume and hair spray.

Q.Are you just talking about phthalates?

A. Phthalates are a problem. But so are other chemicals.

For example, acrylamide – found in Maybelline True Illusion Foundation, Neutrogena Men's Razor Defense Face Lotion and L'Oreal Expertise Age Perfect Hand Cream – has been linked to mammary tumors in laboratory research.  

Formaldehyde – found in Sally Hansen Tefflon Tuff Nails line and Cover Girl Cheekers Fashion Blush – has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA.

Lead acetate, a known carcinogen and reproductive toxin, can be purchased at the local drugstore in Grecian Formula 16.

And then there's phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals used in many popular brands of hair spray, deodorant and other products . Phthalates cause reproductive birth defects in laboratory animals, particularly males. The same health effects found in the lab studies, including undescended testes and testicular cancer, are on the rise in the human population.

Q. I feel fine. How can you say that there's something wrong with the products I use every day?

A. We're glad you feel good, and we hope you stay healthy. But we're worried because so many chronic diseases are on the rise: asthma, learning disabilities, infertility, birth defects, testicular cancer, breast cancer and other types of cancer. In the 1940s, a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer was 1 in 22; today, it is 1 in 7.  In recent years, an expanding body of evidence has linked the pollutants and man-made chemicals that are in our environment and in products to cancer and other diseases.

Q.Doesn't the government certify that personal care products are safe and healthy before they can be sold to consumers?

A. No. Major loopholes in federal law allow the $35 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no required monitoring of health effects, and no inadequate labeling requirements.

Neither cosmetic products nor cosmetic ingredients are reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) before they are sold to the public.  FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing of their cosmetic products before marketing. If FDA wishes to remove a cosmetic product from the market, it must first prove in a court of law that the product may be injurious to users, improperly labeled or otherwise violates the law.

Q. Are you just talking about make-up?

A. No we're talking about deodorant, toothpaste, hair gels, shampoos and all the other grooming products men, women and children use.

Q. What about nail polish?

A. According to Skin Deep, the interactive product safety database developed by Campaign partner Environmental Working Group, nail polish is among the highest-concern product categories in terms of serious health effects. OPI Products, Inc. in fact, is still using toluene, a possible human reproductive or developmental toxin , and formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, in its U.S. products.

Recently OPI and two major nail polish manufacturers, Orly International, Inc., and Del Laboratories, Inc., which makes the Sally Hansen brand, said they would remove dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, from their products. DBP has been linked to testicular problems in rats and humans.

Sally Hansen has gone a step further, saying they would also remove toluene and formaldehyde. The U.S. National Toxixcology Program says formaldehyde is "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen. Meanwhile the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restricts toluene in drinking water because it can cause nervous system disorders and damage the liver and kidneys. You can read about these developments in our  Newsroom.

Q. Who's making safe nail polish then?

A. Several companies who have signed our Compact make nail polishes, treatments and removers without harmful chemicals, including Anise Nail Care, Honeybee Gardens, NAIL-AID Treatments and PeaceKeeper. So you don't have to give up your mani-pedi visits, just BYOP (Bring Your Own Polish) the next time you go! And it won't hurt to let your salon know about the health effects associated with polishes and treatments and how they can swap toxic products with safer alternatives to protect their own health too.

Q. So I should buy products labeled all natural?

A. Looking for the words "natural" or "safe" won't guarantee that the product you buy really is safe. That's why we're asking all manufacturers to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and pledge to not use chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other health harms and replace them with safer alternatives.

Q. What is the Compact for Safe Cosmetics?

A. Some companies are making safer products today and striving to make even safer products in the future.  More than 450 companies have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a pledge to remove hazardous chemicals and replace them with safe alternatives within three years.   Click here for the most recent list of Compact signers.

Q. So what can I do?

A. From the personal the political, here's what you can do:

• Join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics! Sign up for updates, write to companies and join our action network. Together we can makeover the cosmetics industry and make ourselves and our families safer.
  
  
• Choose safer products now. Visit our partner Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, the world's largest searchable database of ingredients in cosmetics. Find out if your favorite products contain hazardous chemicals and find safer alternatives here.
  
  
• Tell your cosmetics companies you want safe products. Contact the companies that have not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Call them, write them, email them to let them know you want safe products now! Look on product packaging for a customer service hotline or website. For a list of the customer support phone number for OPI, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Procter & Gamble (which owns Clairol, Cover Girl and Olay), Revlon and Avon,  read our brochure Unmasked.