What could be more healthy than a
refreshing body wash, a nourishing shampoo, a minty fresh toothpaste and a
moisturizing facial cream? Commercials, magazine advertisements and
billboards bombard us with the message that soaping and scrubbing,
exfoliating and moisturizing are only beneficial to our health.
Yet the glossy images
of well scrubbed individuals hide a dangerous secret:
Too many of the toiletries and cosmetics we
use are carcinogenic cocktails of hazardous waste. Most of the chemicals
which go into our toiletries are no different from the harsh toxic
chemicals used in industry. Far from enhancing health they pose a
daily threat to it. For example, propylene glycol (PG) is a wetting
agent and solvent used in make up, hair care products, deodorants
and after shave. Its also the main ingredient in antifreeze and
brake fluid. Similarly, polyethylene glycol (PEG), a related agent
found in most skin cleansers, is a caustic used to dissolve grease... the
same substance you find in oven cleaners. Isopropyl, an alcohol used
in hair rinses, hand lotions and fragrances, is also a solvent found in
shellac.
What to watch out for
When selecting kinder
cosmetics and toiletries, choose products which do not have any
of the following ingredients.
 | DEA, MEA, TEA, Cause allergic
reactions, irritate the eyes and dry the hair and skin. Can be
carcinogenic, especially to the kidneys and liver. |
| Petrolatum, also known as mineral
oil jelly, liquid vaseline, paraffinum, liquidum and baby oil.
Can cause photosensitivity and strips the natural oils from
the skin causing chapping and dryness, also premature ageing.
Prevents elimination of toxins, can cause acne and other
disorders. |
| Imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin.
These formaldehyde-forming preservatives can cause joint pain,
allergies, depression, headaches, chest pain, chronic fatigue,
dizziness, insomnia and asthma. can also weaken the
immune system and even cause cancer. Found in skin body
and hair products, antiperspirants and nail polish. |
| Alcohol, or isopropyl. A
poisonous solvent and denaturant (altering the structure of
other chemicals). Found in hair colour rinses, body rubs, hand
lotions, after shave lotions, fragrances. Can cause nausea,
vomiting headaches, flushing, depression. Also, dries
skin and hair, creates cracks and fissures in the skin which
encourage bacterial growth. |
|
Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) Found in shampoos,
hair conditioners, toothpaste, body washes. Strong
detergent which can cause eye irritation, permanent damage to
the |
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eyes, especially in children,
skin rashes, hair loss, flaking skin and mouth ulceration.
When combined with other ingredients, can form nitrosamines,
which are carcinogenic. Easily penetrates the skin and
can lodge itself in the heart, lungs, liver and brain.
| PVP/VA copolymer, a petroleum
based ingredient used in hair sprays. |
| Padimate-O also known as octyl
dimethyl, PABA is found mostly in sunscreens. Like DEA, a
nitrosamine-forming agent.
There is concern that the energy absorbed by this sunscreen
is then turned into free radicals, which may actually
increase the risk of skin cancer! |
| Methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl
paraben, used to extend a products shelf life and
inhibit microbial growth. Highly toxic. Can cause
rashes and other allergic reactions. |
| Synthetic colours: coal-tar dyes
are generally labelled as FD7C or D4C followed by a number.
CARCINOGENIC! |
| Talc, found in baby powders, face
powders and body powders as well as on some contraceptives
such as condoms. A known carcinogen. A major cause of
ovarian cancer when used in the genital area. Can also
lodge in the lungs, causing respiratory disorders. |
| Fragrance. Usually petroleum
based. Can cause headaches, dizziness, rashes,
respiratory problems vomiting, skin irritation and multiple
chemical sensitivity |
|
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Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) used in
toothpastes, shampoos and just about every personal cleansing solution, is
a harsh detergent commonly used as an engine degreaser. Each of
these ingredients readily penetrates the skin with potentially adverse
consequences (see previous box)
Some of the most
dangerous chemicals we put on our bodies in the name of beauty belong to a
family of hormone-disrupting chemicals, which are water soluble ammonia
derivatives.
DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (Triethanolamine)
are almost always in products that foam: bubble bath, body washes,
shampoos, soaps and facial cleansers. They are used to thicken, wet,
alkalise and clean. While they are irritating to the skin, eyes and
respiratory tract (Rev Environ Contam Toxicol, 1997; 149: 1-86) DEA, MEA
and TEA are not considered particularly toxic in themselves. However
once added to the product these chemicals readily react with any nitrites
present to form potentially carcinogenic nitrosamines, such as NDEA (N-nitrosodiethanolamine).
Of the three, MEA and DEA pose the greatest risk to human health.
Prolonged exposure to these can alter liver and kidney function (J
Am Coll Toxicol, 1983; 2: 183- 235) and even lead to cancer (Rev Environ
Contam Toxicol, 1997; 149: 1-86).
Nitrites get into personal care products
in several ways. They can be added as anticorrosive agents, they can be
released as a result of the degradation of other chemicals, specifically
2-nitro-1,3-propanediol (BNDP), or they can be present as contaminants in
raw materials. Ingredients such as formaldehyde or
formaldehyde-forming chemicals, or 2-bromo-2-nitropropane (also known as
Bronopol) which can break down into formaldehyde.... can also produce
nitrosamines.
The long shelf life of most toiletries
also increases the risk of creating a carcinogenic reaction.
Stored for a long time at elevated temperatures, nitrates will continue to
form in a product, accelerated by the presence of other chemicals, such as
formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, thiocyanate, nitrophenols and certain
metal salts (Science, 1973; 182: 1245-6; J Nat
Cancer Inst, 1977; 58:409;Nature, 1977; 266: 657-8; Fd Cosmet Toxicol,
1983; 21: 607-14)
Inadequate and confusing labelling
means that consumers may never know which products are most likely to be
contaminated. However, in a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
report, approximately 42% of all cosmetics were contaminated with NDEA,
with shampoos having the highest concentrations
(National Toxicology Program, Seventh Annual Report on Carcinogens,
Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1994).
In Europe, where more safeguards are in
place regarding nitrosating agents, the picture is somewhat better.
For instance, in Germany, after the Federal Health Office issued a request
to eliminate all secondary amines (such as DEA) from cosmetics in 1987 a
report confirmed that only 15 per cent of products tested were
contaminated with NDEA (Eisenbrand,
G, et al in O'neill, IK, et al [Eds}; N-Nitrosoalknolamines in cosmetics,
Lyon: IARC, 1991).
Manufactures insist that DEA and its
relatives are "safe" in products designed for brief or
discontinuous use or those which wash off. However there is evidence
from both human and animal studies that NDEA can be quickly absorbed
through the skin (J Nat Cancer Inst, 1981; 66:
125-7; Toxicol Lett, 1979; 4: 217-22).
This argument also doesn't explain why
these chemicals crop up regularly in body lotions and facial moisturisers,
which are of course meant to stay on the skin for long periods of time.
As far back as 1978, the International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that "Although no
epidemiological data were available, nitrosodiethanolamine should
be regarded for practical purposes, as if it were carcinogenic to
humans" (IRAC, 1978;
17: 77-82). This position was reaffirmed
nearly 10 years later.
DYEING or DYING?????
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If you use
permanent or semi-permanent hair colours You are increasing your
risk of developing cancer.
Both animal and human studies show
that the body rapidly absorbs chemicals in permanent and
semi-permanent dyes through the skin during the more than 30 minutes
that dyes remain on the scalp.
In the late 1970s, several studies found links
between the use of hair dyes and breast cancers. A 1976 study
reported that 87 of 100 breast cancer patients had been long-term
dye users (NY State J Med, 1976; 76: 394-6).
In 1979, a US study found a significant
relationship between frequency and duration of hair dye use and
breast cancer (J Nat Cancer Inst, 1979; 62: 277-83). Those at
greatest risk were 50 to 79 year olds, suggesting that cancer takes
years to develop. |
Women who started dyeing their hair at
age 20 had twice the risk of those who'd started at 40.
Another study found women who dye their hair to
change its colour, rather than masking greyness, were at a threefold
risk (J Nat Cancer Inst, 1980; 64: 64: 23-8).
More recently, a jointly funded American Cancer
Society and FDA study admitted a fourfold increase in relatively
uncommon cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple
myeloma in hair-dye users (J Nat Cancer Inst, 1994; 215-310).
The darker the
shades of permanent and semi-permanent
dyes, the higher the risks of
breast cancer; women who use black, dark brown or red dyes are at
the greatest risk! |
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