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So what is the right choice? What can we do?The answer is to Read the labels on any product you are going
to purchase. and when ever posible choose natural products.
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The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) classifies cosmetics and personal care products, but does not regulate them. In 1938, the FDA granted self-regulation to the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association (CTFA), the self-appointed industry organization.
With The exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients, a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA" ("Prohibited Ingredients", FDA Office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet, Dec. 19, 1994)
What this means is that the industry does not have to account to anyone, not even the FDA. The direct result of industry self-regulation is that many products on the market today that we use constantly--and worse, products that we UNKNOWINGLY use on our children and even babies in the womb -- are TOXIC
Wayne Stevenson of the FDA Cosmetics Registration Section says that "The cosmetic manufacturers aren't required to submit safety data to the FDA, so we don't really know what sorts of tests they run. When they run tests, they keep the results in their own files." ("Smelling Good But Feeling Bad", Franz et al, E Magazine Vol. 11, no 1, Jan-Feb 2000)
The FDA must prove in a court of law that a product may be injurious... before the product can be recalled. The FDA admits they don't have the budget to win in court against the giant cosmetic companies.
The "FDA Consumer Complaints About Cosmetic Products 1999 Annual Report" lists complaints of adverse reactions to brand-name cosmetics and personal care products. The FDA admits they probably receive only a very small percentage of actual complaints. 58% of these adverse reactions were in the dermatitis/pain/tissue damage categories, and 17% in the nervous system reactions category. All of the named products were topical (lotions, shaving creams, toothpastes, etc (FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Cosmetics and Colors; "Consumer Complaints for Cosmetics Products 1999 Annual Report" http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/costop99.html )
S List (Generally Recognized As Safe") is that no one has shown it to be UNSAFE.
* Alcohol: Implicated in oral, tongue and throat
cancer.
* Aluminum: Skin irritant. May be related to nerve
damage and brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.
* Colors (coal tar dyes): Carcinogens, often contaminated
with lead and arsenic. May cause eye damage.
* Bentonite or Kaolin: Used to suffocate forest
fires. May provide a suffocating barrier to the skin.
* Benzoic or Benzyl: Contains enzene rings and
toluene, potential cancer causing agents, endocrine disrupters, and may also
cause birth defects.
* Coal Tar Dyes: Do you eat crude oil? If you eat
foods which contain synthetic dyes ("food color") then the answer
is yes. These artificial colorings - which are found in familiar supermarket
foods, medications, and some non-foods such as toothpaste and mouthwash - are
synthesized from petroleum. They were originally made from coal tar oil, and
are still referred to in the industry as "coal tar dyes." (Source:
U.S. Food & Drug Administration)
What's wrong with a little petrol in my diet?
Scientists have found that these chemicals can trigger a wide number of behavior,
learning and health problems. FD&C color or D&C color, may cause potentially
severe allergic reactions, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, fatigue, nervousness,
lack of concentration, and cancer.
* DEA or TEA (Diethanolamine): Foam-boosting surfactant.
A potential carcinogen that may form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
* Dioxins: A by-product that results from the process
used to bleach paper at paper mills. Dioxin-treated containers sometimes transfer
dioxins to the product itself. Recently in the news because it has been added
to the list of known carcinogens.
* Flavoring or Fragrance (Artificial): Some can
be potentially carcinogenic and may cause brain damage.
* Fluoride: Poison. Merck's index, the main reference
book of the pharmaceutical profession, lists the industrial uses of fluoride
compounds as "an insecticide, particularly for ants and roaches."
Under the heading "Human Toxicity", the index says "Severe symptoms
result from ingestion of 0.25 to 0.45 grams and death results from ingestion
of 4 grams.
* Formaldehyde: Poison. A toxic, colorless gas
that is an irritant and a carcinogen. When combined with water, formaldehyde
is used as a disinfectant, fixative, or preservative. Formaldehyde is found
in many cosmetic products and conventional nail care systems.
* Hair Color: Studies have linked hair coloring
with certain cancers. Hair colorings made from coal-tar were given special exemption
from bans when the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was passed in 1938. The FDA can't
order these removed even if they are proven harmful.
* Laureth (ethoxylated), or PEG: May contain dioxane,
a potential cancer-causing agent, estrogen mimic, and endocrine disrupter.
* Lye: Mixed with animal fat in soaps. Serious
burns result if contact is made with skin before it is diluted. Very drying
to skin and bar soap breeds germs.
* Propylene Glycol: Shown to cause dermatitis,
kidney and liver abnormalities in animal studies. May inhibit skin cell growth
and be irritating to the skin.
* Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate (SLES/SLS): Could
contain nitrosamines and dioxane (potential carcinogens). May damage children’s
teeth; contain endocrine disrupters, estrogen mimics; and possibly cause hair
loss. Builds up in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain. Could retard healing,
cause cataracts, roughen skin, and lead to improper eye development in children
under 6 years. May cause mouth ulcers.
* Sodium Fluoride: Has been shown to be a potential
carcinogen.
* Talc: A carcinogen that causes ovarian cancer
in mammals.
* Toluene: May be an endocrine disrupter, potential
cancer-causing agent, and also may cause birth defects.