Women use more than 160 chemicals each day, group warns

Authorities should review five chemicals commonly used in
personal care products, two senators say.

American women put an average of 168 chemicals on their bodies each day, according to a nonprofit group, but two senators say federal regulations on personal care products have barely changed since the 1930s.

Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, introduced an amendment to the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that would give the Food and Drug Administration more power and oversight to regulate the chemicals men and women slather on their bodies every day.

They're calling it the Personal Care Products Safety Act.

"From shampoo to lotion, the use of personal care products is widespread, however, there are very few protections in place to ensure their safety," Feinstein said in a statement.

The 98-page bill includes a system of registering personal care companies, their products and their ingredients, and it would require the FDA to review five chemicals that appear generally in personal care products each year to evaluate their safety.

The first set of chemicals will likely be diazolidinyl urea, lead acetate, methylene glycol/formaldehyde, propyl paraben, quaternium-15, according to Feinstein’s office.

The senators worked with the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer health advocacy group that started the Skin Deep database about a decade ago.

Personal care products are not
regulated to ensure safety: Experts

The Skin Deep database allows consumers to look up personal care products to learn what chemicals they contain, and whether those chemicals are associated with any health risks.

"These are basic tools that should have been granted to the FDA decades ago, but are only now being provided in the Feinstein-Collins bill," said Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group's vice president of government affairs.

"Cosmetics are sort of the last unregulated area of consumer products law. I can't overstate how little law is now on the books. The FDA virtually has no power to regulate the products we use everyday."

According to the Environmental Working Group, women use an average of 12 products a day, containing 168 different chemicals.

Men use fewer products, but still put 85 chemicals on their bodies. Teens on average use 17 personal care products a day, according to the group, which tested 20 teens' blood and urine seven years ago to find out which chemicals from these products were ending up in their bodies.

They said they found 16 hormone-altering chemicals, including parabens and phthalates.

"Many if not most of these chemicals are probably safe," Faber said. "We can't know for sure because they haven't been subject to any kind of review by a third party."

Faber said attempts to give the FDA more authority over cosmetics date back to the Eisenhower administration, but they were unsuccessful.

This time, industry leaders including Johnson and Johnson, Revlon and Personal Care Products Council, the industry trade group, have come out to say they support the bill.

"While we believe our products are the safest category that FDA regulates, we also believe well-crafted, science-based reforms will enhance industry's ability to innovate and further strengthen consumer confidence in the products they trust and use every day," the Personal Care Products Council said in a statement.

"The current patchwork regulatory approach with varying state bills does not achieve this goal."

The FDA said it cannot comment on proposed legislation.

Source: ABC News

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No tan is a good tan

Sun-bathing is actually better for you
than tanning substitutes

First we were told that sun-bathing was bad for our skin, so people starting using tanning salons. Then we were told that tanning beds caused more harmful UV rays than did the sun at high noon, so people turned to tanning lotions.

Now studies tell us to stop that too.

Though there is no evidence that these self-tanning products lead to melanoma, research has shown  that the chemicals absorbed by the skin and inhaled from the spray and fumes can in fact have long-term effects.

Tanning lotions are composed of several types of chemicals including the carcinogen formaldehyde, nitrosamines (also considered cancer-causing) and tartrazine (a synthetic yellow dye that is known to cause skin irritations).

Side effects may include reduced fertility, diabetes, cancer and obesity. Pregnant women also expose their children to these chemicals, which can result in birth defects.

Source: The MedGuru

Sunbathing is the better option

If you’re afraid you’re turning pasty and the prospect of tanning is just too good to pass up, your best bet is to get some real sun. Though extended exposure will still have negative consequences, it is still the safer option.

 How to protect your home from chemical toxins

Though it would be easy to just go home and throw out your tanning lotions, there are many other cosmetics and cleaning products that include some of the ingredients listed above. Some are more difficult to do without than others. 

Take the time to go through the products you use most often, and find greener options to replace them with. It is also a good idea to get an air purifier to clean your home when some of these products are used.

AllerAir's numerical series of air purifiers
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Though many chemicals are diffused outdoors, they tend to hang around indoors. An activated carbon filtered air purifier will adsorb the chemicals, rending your home safer and healthier.

Do you use self-tanning lotions? Will you continue to do so now that you know the side-effects? Tell us what you think!

Show your support for greener and healthier living by becoming a follower of this blog.

For more information on AllerAir’s air purifiers for odor and chemical control, call us toll free at 1-888-852-8247.

Chemical exposure: Why your leftover lotions can be considered hazardous waste

Some personal care products may not belong into
the garbage disposal, experts say.

The next time your body lotion dispenser feels like it’s getting low, think twice before throwing it into the garbage.

Depending on where you live, personal care products with cosmetic content can be considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of properly.

Most people know that personal care products like nail polish, nail polish remover, hairspray and hair dye belong to this category because of the volatile organic compounds they contain and emit.

Among the VOCs that can be hazardous to human health are acetone, toluene, formaldehyde and ammonia.

But even seemingly harmless body lotion leftovers, sunscreen, hair conditioner, cleansers, scrubs and other products may fall into that category and may have to be taken waste depots or recycling centers – along with those collections of old batteries, paint cans, solvents, medications, pesticides and other materials).

The reasoning given is that many of these personal care products are classified as liquid that does not belong into the solid waste garbage disposal destined for landfills, since it could seep into the groundwater.

Empty containers can and should be recycled, of course.

For the best ways to dispose of leftover cosmetics in your region, please call the local authorities.

Source: YourHome.ca

Take care of your indoor air

Personal care products are one source of indoor air pollution, as many of them contain harsh chemicals and VOCs that have been linked to human health conditions.

Using more natural products, safe storage and disposal, ventilation and ambient air cleaning can help reduce exposure to chemicals and harmful substances and provide cleaner and healthier air.

AllerAir offers portable room air purifiers with many pounds of activated carbon, the most effective filter media for the removal of airborne gases, chemicals and odors, a HEPA filter for particle filtration and other filters for dust and larger particles as well as bacteria, viruses and molds.

Contact AllerAir for more information and personalized recommendations.