Clean Up the Toxic Tub: Carcinogens Don't Belong in Bath Products for Kids

Clean Up the Toxic Tub

Baby's "pure" and "gentle" bath products might be exposing little ones to known carcinogens, according to a new report – and it's totally legal.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, of which the Breast Cancer Fund is a founding member, tested popular brands of shampoos, baby wash, bubble bath, lotion and other products for two carcinogens, formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. Tests came back positive for many of the products, but none listed the toxicants as ingredients because they're actually contaminants – bad news for label-readers.

Babies and young children are more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of small, repeated doses of toxic chemicals, so we want to make sure they're protected! Ask Congress to protect children and future generations by requiring that cosmetics ingredients are safe for long-term use before they show up in everyday products.

Read the report, "No More Toxic Tub" after you send your letter.

Complete the form below to send a letter to your U.S. Representative and Senators. Your letter is more meaningful if you customize the subject and message.

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Dear (recipient name),

As someone who has been touched by breast cancer, I am very concerned about a recent report that found carcinogenic contaminants in bath products, lotions and other cosmetics made for babies and children. I am writing to ask that you support legislation to strengthen FDA oversight and regulation of the $50 billion cosmetics industry to ensure that cosmetics do not contain ingredients or contaminants linked to cancer and other diseases.

Laboratory tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (www.safecosmetics.org) found that personal care products used daily on children and babies are commonly contaminated with formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane – and, in many cases, both.

Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known to cause cancer in animals, and are listed as probable human carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency. Both chemicals are listed under California’s Proposition 65 list as “known to cause cancer.”

A total of 48 products were tested for the presence of 1,4-dioxane and 28 products were tested for the presence of formaldehyde. Sixty-seven percent of the products tested positive for 1,4-dioxane, 82 percent tested positive for formaldehyde and 17 of the products tested contained both contaminants.

Due to gaping holes in federal law, it’s perfectly legal for cosmetics companies to use unlimited amounts of virtually any ingredient – including chemicals linked to cancer and ingredients known to be frequently contaminated with toxic impurities – with no premarket safety assessment. As a result, cosmetics sold in the U.S. contain ingredients and impurities with known health hazards.

The emerging evidence linking toxic chemicals to increasing rates of disease, as well as the new science regarding the harmful cumulative effects of small exposures as well as the special vulnerability of infants and children, clearly point to the need for FDA oversight and regulation of the cosmetics industry to protect consumers from unnecessary toxic chemical exposures.

Other nations have stricter standards. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden. The European Union bans 1,4-dioxane from personal care products and has recalled products found to contain the chemical. The products that I buy for my family in the United States should be as safe as anywhere else in the world.

I urge Congress to  protect children and future generations by requiring that all cosmetics ingredients are safe for long-term use before they show up in everyday products.

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