Hazardous Chemicals Found In Your Personal Care Products
August 12, 2011 by admin
Filed under News Stories
August 12th, 2011
Natural News
By: Shona Botes
These days it seems to be the norm for people to be odour-free and perspiration-free and to boast flawless skin and looks. This is often made possible with the use of a host of so-called personal `care` products. Chemical ingredients found in most of these products have been associated with cancer as well as a host of other illnesses and medical conditions including blindness and even death.
Many people are under the impression that because they are `using it on the outside,` they won’t be absorbing any of the chemicals into their bodies. Unfortunately whatever is applied to our hair or skin will be absorbed into the body and organs.
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulphate is used as a cheap foaming agent in shampoos and many other personal care products. This harsh chemical has been known to affect the protein structure in children’s eyes, leading to incomplete eye development. It is a proven skin irritant and is linked to the formation of cataracts. Because it is absorbed through the skin into the body, it is able to penetrate internal organs such as the brain, liver and heart. The nitrates and nitrites found in SLS are also known carcinogens (cancer-causers). SLS impedes hair growth because of the fact that it damages hair follicles. This can in turn lead to hair loss. It has also been linked to damage of the immune system and may also be responsible for altering genetic information in cells.
Phthalates are another highly toxic chemical found in at least 75% of personal care products. This chemical, also found in plastic products, is able to mimic the role of oestrogen, causing the body to develop symptoms such as PMS, fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. It has also been known to lower sperm count in men and to damage the adrenal glands, kidneys and liver. Musk products also need to be avoided, as they have been linked to female infertility and disruption of the hormonal system.
Triclosan is another ingredient which needs to be avoided. This so-called antibacterial ingredient not only destroys germs and bad bacteria, but it also kills off the good bacteria needed to keep our immune system healthy. The inclusion of this ingredient in many hand wash products and dish detergents has actually led to the formation of highly resistant strains of bacteria, also known as superbugs.
When used externally, Triclosan can lead to skin irritations. Its use has also been reported to temporarily deactivate sensory nerve endings in the body. If taken internally (no matter how small the amount), it can cause convulsions, collapse of the circulatory system, coma, cold sweats and even death. Long-term use of products containing this chemical (which is actually classified as a pesticide product) can lead to liver and kidney damage, hormonal disruption, suppression of the immune system, heart and lung damage, sterility, brain haemorrhaging and even paralysis.
Once absorbed, these hazardous chemical products are extremely difficult to eliminate from the body, so care should be taken to ensure that you do not use any product containing these chemical ingredients.
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Crops Absorb Pharmaceuticals From Sewage Sludge Spread on Farmlands
December 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
December 27th, 2010
Natural News
By: David Gutierrez
Agricultural crops can absorb pharmaceuticals found in the water used to irrigate them or the sewage sludge used to fertilize them, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Toledo-Ohio and published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
When humans consume pharmaceuticals, active traces of those drugs are excreted in their feces and urine. Modern treatment methods for water and sewage do nothing to remove these biologically active chemicals.
Previous studies have shown that crops grown directly in animal manure can absorb veterinary drugs, and that cabbages grown hydroponically can absorb human drugs. To simulate more natural agricultural conditions, researchers grew soybeans — the second most widely planted crop in the United States — in regular soil. Half the crops were fertilized with solid waste, while the other half were irrigated with chemical-spiked water. In order to simulate the reclaimed sewage or wastewater commonly used in industrial agriculture, the researchers spiked water and waste with the drugs carbamazepine (an anticonvulsant), diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and fluoxetine (Prozac), along with the common antimicrobial chemicals triclosan and triclocarban.
Using mass spectrometry, the researchers then analyzed the plants’ tissues just before flowering and after the production of beans. The plants absorbed carbamazepine, triclocarban and triclosan from both soil and water, although absorption from water was greater. All three chemicals accumulated in root tissues, stems and leaves, while the antimicrobial compounds also accumulated in the beans. Diphenhydramine and fluoxetine accumulated in low concentrations in the roots.
The health effects of this absorption remain unknown, but they could be severe. Triclosan, for example, has been shown to build up in the bodies of humans and other animals.
“Triclosan disrupts hormones, can affect sexual function and fertility, and may foster birth defects,” write Frank Lipman and Mollie Doyle in their book Spent: Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Feel Great Again.
“If you find those compounds in the plant, what are they going to do to the plants or to animals that eat the plants?” researcher Chenxi Wu asked.
Click here for the full report from Natural News
Chemicals in Soap Can Harm Children’s Health
December 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
December 2nd, 2010
Daily Mail
Chemicals found in cleaning products may be harming the health of children and adults, new research suggests.
A study shows that young people who are over-exposed to the soap agent triclosan are more likely to suffer allergies.
The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in plastics and to line food cans, may suppress the immune system of adults.
A resin coating containing BPA allows tin cans to be heated to kill off bugs without the metal contaminating food.
The chemical will be banned from baby bottles by mid-2011 under a ruling announced last week by the European Commission.
But according to the new research, it may be most harmful to adults.
Scientists in the US carried out the study by analysing data from a major American health and nutrition survey conducted between 2003 and 2006.
Triclosan and BPA concentrations in the urine were compared with allergy prevalence and numbers of CMV (cytomegalovirus) antibodies, which act as a marker of immune system function.
Lead researcher Dr Erin Rees Clayton, from the University of Michigan, said: ‘We found that people over age 18 with higher levels of BPA exposure had higher CMV antibody levels, which suggests their cell-mediated immune system may not be functioning properly.’
The study also found that children and young people aged 18 and under who were exposed to higher levels of triclosan were more likely to have allergies and hay fever.
Co-author Dr Allison Aiello, also from the University of Michigan, said: ‘The triclosan findings in the younger age groups may support the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ which maintains that living in very clean and hygienic environments may impact our exposure to micro-organisms that are beneficial for development of the immune system.
‘It is possible that a person can be too clean for their own good.’
Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent found in many soaps and household cleaning products.
The research is published online today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Previous animal studies have already indicated that both BPA and triclosan may affect the immune system.
Next, the scientists want to study the long-term effects of the two agents in people.
At present, higher exposures to the chemicals can be seen to be associated with effects on immunity. However, the researchers want to see if there is a causal relationship.
‘It is possible, for example, that individuals who have an allergy are more hygienic because of their condition, and that the relationship we observed is, therefore, not causal or is an example of reverse causation,’ said Dr Aiello.
Click here for the full report from Daily Mail
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Triclosan Can Be Dangerous
July 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
July 1, 2010
Natural News
By Ethan A. Huff
(NaturalNews) The FDA is reevaluating the safety of a popular chemical additive called triclosan, based on recent studies that seem to indicate it causes endocrine disruption in the body and leads to the emergence of drug-resistant “super” bacteria.
Triclosan is commonly found in liquid antibacterial hand soaps and sanitizers, dishwashing detergents, shaving gels, toothpastes, clothing and even children’s toys. It was originally designed as a surgical scrub for people in the medical field, but is now used in pesticides and a variety of different consumer products to ward off pathogens.
It is so common in popular consumer goods that, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traces of triclosan can be found in the urine of about 75 percent of the population.
Click here for the full report.
Antibacterial Soaps Contain Toxic Dioxins
June 16, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
June 16, 2010
Natural News
By S.L. Baker
(NaturalNews) Dioxins are a group of highly toxic compounds that are persistent environmental pollutants. People are exposed to dioxins through the environment and the food chain — the highest levels of these compounds are found in soils, sediments and food such as dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish. And, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), this exposure can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.
So you would never flush dioxins into your water supply, right? If you use antibacterial soaps and other antibacterial products, you could be doing the equivalent of just that.
In 2003 and 2009, University of Minnesota civil engineering professor William Arnold and his colleague Kristopher McNeill published their discovery that the antibacterial agent triclosan, when exposed to sunlight, generates a specific group of four dioxins. Now, in a new study, a team of scientists from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology, Pace Analytical (Minneapolis), the Science Museum of Minnesota and Virginia Tech, have documented how triclosan is transformed into dioxins that are accumulating in the environment. This research, just published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, concludes dioxins originating from triclosan (found in many hand soaps, deodorants and dishwashing liquids) account for a huge increase in total dioxins now polluting Mississippi River sediments.
Click here for the full report.
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FDA Finally Admits Asthma Drugs Cause Asthma Attacks
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Health:
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Triclosan Used in Sanitizers & Soaps Raise Concerns
April 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
April 9, 2010
Reuters
By: Maggie Fox
The agency stressed there are no grounds to recommend any changes in the use of triclosan but said some recent studies merited a closer look.
One member of Congress, Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, called for strict limits.
“Despite the fact that this chemical is found in everything from soaps to socks, there are many troubling questions about triclosan’s effectiveness and potentially harmful effects, especially for children,” Markey said in a statement.
“I call upon the federal government to ban the use of triclosan in consumer soaps and hand-washes, products intended for use by children, and products intended to come into contact with food. In addition, I will soon introduce legislation to speed up the government’s efforts to evaluate and regulate other substances that may pose similar public health concerns.”
The FDA noted that there was no evidence that triclosan could be harmful to people but noted that an animal study showed the chemical may alter hormone regulation and several other lab studies showed that bacteria may be able to evolve resistance to triclosan in a way that can help them also resist antibiotics.
Other studies have shown no evidence this has actually occurred in nature, however. Nonetheless, the Environmental Protection Agency has said it will speed up its planned review of triclosan.
“FDA does not have sufficient safety evidence to recommend changing consumer use of products that contain triclosan at this time,” the agency said in a statement posted here
The Soap and Detergent Association has repeatedly defended the safety of triclosan, which has been in use for about 30 years.
One environmental group welcomed the FDA’s announcement.
“It’s about time FDA has finally stated its concerns about antibacterial chemicals like triclosan,” said Dr. Sarah Janssen of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“The public deserves to know that these so-called antibacterial products are no more effective in preventing infections than regular soap and water and may, in fact, be dangerous to their health in the long run.”
Many experts agree that soap containing triclosan does little or nothing extra to remove bacteria that using soap without the ingredient, as washing the hands physically removes the excess bacteria.
Click here for the full report.
What is Grapefruit Seed Extract
February 17, 2010 by admin
Filed under News Stories
January 27th, 2010
chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com
The big controversy that’s been going on for years with Grapefruit Seed Extract lies in its potential to be contaminated with benzalkonium chloride, parabens, and triclosan. Numerous studies have tested samples of commercially produced GSE and found these contaminants to be present. (See here, here, here and here.) The biggest contaminant found is benzalkonium chloride, a chemical that rates a 7 in the cosmetics database that’s a known immune system toxin, skin toxin, and possible cancer risk.
Some studies have shown that without these contaminants, a truly natural extract of grapefruit seed and pulp in ethanol or glycerin, had no antibacterial properties. However, GSE apologists claim that GSE can be effective without these contaminants. So, what is the truth? Is there such thing as a “pure” GSE, and if so, is it effective?
Grapefruit Seed Extract was first developed in 1972 by a man by the name of Dr. Jacob Harich. Today, there is one main manufacturer of GSE that defenders claim is pure. It is sold under the name Citricidal. This website describes how it is made:
1. Grapefruit pulp and seed is dried and ground into a fine powder.
2. The powder is dissolved in purified water and distilled to remove the fiber and pectin.
3. The distilled slurry is spray dried at low temperatures forming a concentrated flavonoid powder.
4. This concentrated powder is dissolved in vegetable glycerine and heated.
5. Food grade ammonium chloride and ascorbic acid are added, and this mixture is heated under pressure. The amount of ammonium chloride remaining in finished Citricidal is 15-19%; the amount of ascorbic acid remaining is 2.5-3.0%.
6. The ammoniated mixture undergoes catalytic conversion using natural catalysts, including hydrochloric acid and natural enzymes. There is no residue of hydrochloric acid after the reaction.
7. The slurry is cooled, filtered, and treated with ultraviolet light.
As you can see, this isn’t a truly natural process, it being treated with hydrochloric acid and ammonium chloride. After all the chemical reactions occur, the final composition of the extract is made up of about 60% diphenol hydroxybenzene, a chemical classified as a quaternary ammonium chloride–the same as benzethonium chloride. In fact, it is nearly chemically identical to benzethonium chloride. This is one possible reason that lab tests have shown GSE to be “contaminated” with benzethonium chloride–the equipment possibly misread the diphenol hydroxybenzene.
Typically, when a truly natural extract is made, plant matter is let to steep in a solvent such as water (as in making tea), in alcohol (like the vanilla extract you’d use in baking), or in glycerin (like with many herbal supplements you’d find at the health food stores) to extract the plant’s beneficial or desirable compounds, whether it be a flavor, smell, or antioxidant. It’s a one or two step process that doesn’t involve other chemical processing. GSE is clearly not a natural extract, but a synthetic ingredient, considering it goes through 7 steps of processing and the extract doesn’t retain the original compounds present in grapefruit.
