OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 1 (AScribe Newswire) -- From baby shampoo to diaper wipes, children use products every day containing chemicals that have not been assessed for their hazards to children, according to an investigation by Environmental Working Group (EWG) that exposes the lack of federal safety protections for children's personal care products. In an online survey of more than 3,300 parents, EWG found that the average child is exposed through body care products to 27 chemicals a day that have not been found safe for children, including some associated with brain and nervous system damage, hormone disruption, allergies and cancer. These chemicals are common ingredients in baby shampoo, lotion, diaper cream, sunscreen, and a number of other children's body care products.
Included in EWG's analysis is a comprehensive parent's buying guide, No More Fears, to help concerned parents decide which products are best for their children, and which ones to avoid, available free at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.
"Just because a shampoo or sunscreen is labeled 'children's' doesn't mean it's been tested and found safe for kids," said Dr. Becky Sutton, EWG staff scientist and author of the report. "Children are more at risk than adults from many chemical hazards, but we have no special standards to protect them." A child's skin is 30 percent thinner than an adult's, and can absorb greater amounts of chemicals from the skin surface. They breathe in more air (and air pollution) relative to their weight than adults, and the blood-brain barrier that helps block chemicals from penetrating brain tissue is not fully formed until a baby is six months old. Even then, many chemicals cross this barrier and target developing brain tissue, with potential life-long harmful effects.
EWG found:
- 82 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients with the potential to harm the brain and nervous system.
- 69 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients that may disrupt the hormone system.
- 80 percent of children's products marked as gentle or non-irritating contain ingredients linked to allergies and skin or eye irritation.
The safety of baby products falls under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but unlike for drugs and food additives, the FDA has no power to require that cosmetics are tested for safety before they are sold. And due to other loopholes in the law, manufacturers are free to use any claim they wish, such as "safe" or "mild," without proof - and many do just that.
"In the absence of adequate regulation, the manufacturers of children's products should take responsibility to inform and protect their customers," said Michael Passoff, associate director of the As You Sow Foundation, which supported the study. As You Sow, a corporate social responsibility organization based in San Francisco, represents shareholders in engaging publicly held companies to adopt more progressive social and environmental policies "Something shouldn't be marketed to kids if it's not been proven safe for them."
EWG is a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of women's, public health, labor, environmental health organizations advocating for safer products and smarter laws that protect consumers against unsafe chemical exposures in the personal care products they use every day.
"We are very concerned about childhood exposures to unsafe ingredients in body care products because the scientific evidence indicates that timing of exposure matters," said Janet Nudelman, coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. "EWG's investigation helps us better understand the extent to which kids are being exposed to chemicals linked to hormone disruption, nervous system problems, cancer, reproductive risks, and allergies."
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CONTACT: EWG Public Affairs, 202-667-6982; Bill Walker, 510-444-0973 x301
Michael Passoff, As You Sow, 646-510-2151
Media Contact: See above.
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