Time to throw out more cosmetics...
Now there's another chemical we have to worry about in shampoos and packaging, a yucky sounding stabilizer called phthalates.
A new study shows more than 80 percent of infants have been exposed to phthalates (pronounced THA-lates), which have been linked with male reproductive problems. Phthalates are also found in cosmetics, children's toys, vinyl flooring and food packaging.
I don't have boys, but I am confident that anything connected with reproductive problems in one sex applies to us all. And I know the FDA "has no compelling evidence that phthalates pose a safety risk when used in cosmetics," according to one of their spokesmen, but I am not going to wait 10 years for them to announce that yes, it was true.
A couple of weeks ago, I went through all the shampoos and lotions in our house looking for parabens, which some studies have linked with breast cancer. Now I am going to scan the microscopic ingredient lists to look for phthalates, which are labeled DEP and DEHP, when they are labeled at all.
Comments
Phthalates are also the culprit in the teething ring and baby toy freak-out of a few years ago. Phthalates are used to make plastics soft; the European Union banned them years and years ago from use.
Posted by: Gail | February 8, 2008 1:08 PM