Oops: Illegal carcinogen found in nearly 100 shampoos

[marmar]

http://grist.org/list/oops-illegal-carcinogen-found-in-nearly-100-shampoos/


You’d think that something you buy at the grocery store and slather on your head would be tested to make sure it won’t kill you. Or at least that it wouldn’t include a suspected carcinogen banned in at least one state.

Unfortunately, you’d be wrong.

Amanda Just of Ecorazzi writes:

The Center for Environmental Health, based in Oakland, California, did some independent laboratory tests on 98 shampoos and soaps to determine if they contained cocamide diethanolamine, also known as cocamide DEA, a chemical that is outlawed in the state of California because it is possibly carcinogenic to humans. The ingredient is a chemically modified form of coconut oil that acts as thickener or foaming agent.

Some of the products that contain high levels of the illegal chemical are sold under well-known companies such as Colgate Palmolive, Paul Mitchell, and Prell. Lab tests also found the carcinogen in children’s products, such as a store brand bubble bath from KMart, and a shampoo/conditioner from Babies R Us. Other store brand products that contain the carcinogen came from Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Kohl’s.

The Center for Environmental Health is holding the companies accountable, suing Walgreens, Lake Consumer Products, Vogue International, and the manufacturer of Prell. Some of the products containing cocamide are marketed to kids, and one even lies that it’s organic.

[pnwmom]

1. Here's the complete list (scroll down):

http://www.ceh.org/making-news/press-releases/29-eliminating-toxics/663-lawsuit-launched-as-testing-finds-cancer-causing-chemical-in-nearly-100-hair-care-and-personal-care-products

[hedgehog]

2. Thank you for the list!

[Arugula Latte]

28. Jeez, even a Trader Joe's hand soap. That one surprises me.

[randome]

33. But I bet they address the problem as soon as possible.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[pnwmom]

43. Me, too. It's disappointing. n/t

[RebelOne]

52. I am relieved that none of the shampoos I use are on the list. n/t

[Jesus Malverde]

56. Found one on the list in my house. Thanks for the post...nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

60. thanks for list - link article has no list - hate articles like that. nt

[MADem]

3. Illegal 'in California'--they're stricter in their definition of "carcinogen" than other states. nt

[onyourleft]

5. Which may...

...be a good thing.

[MADem]

8. I don't argue that point at all--but this is, at this juncture, anyway, a "California" illegality

as opposed to a national one.

It's an important distinction--we wouldn't want any DUers going ballistic at some drugstore in Illinois because they haven't removed the Mane-n-Tail from their shelves.....

[onyourleft]

16. Stricter in...

...their definition was the point to which I was responding.

[FarCenter]

17. It is on the 2B carcinogen list, which means it may possibly be a carcinogen

Usually this is because some study has demonstrated that it can cause cancer in an experimental animal under some circumstance.

Titanium dioxide, which is almost universally present in paints, is on the same list. Apparently, if you make lab rats inhale enough fine dust, it can cause cancer.

[MADem]

23. I think CA is ahead of the curve on this issue. They have been in the past. nt

[FarCenter]

47. Yes, CA was so far ahead on fire protection that they have toxic flame retardants in their furniture

[MADem]

48. And other states do not, is that what you are saying? nt

[FarCenter]

50. Other states do because of CA. Manufacturers do not make different furniture for different states

So manufacturers started to put brominated flame retardants in all their furniture, whether it was required in states outside of CA or not.

Besides, there is very little fire risk for houses where there is no smoking.

[MADem]

64. But not all states have laws as stringent as California's, in all areas of consumer public safety, I

don't think....?

I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong....!

[NickB79]

57. Speaking of titanium dioxide, do you like cottage cheese?

Because it's in cottage cheese as a whitening agent (removing the fat from whole milk makes it turn yellowish in color).

Yum yum!

[hobbit709]

4. I'll stick with my Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap.

Been using it for 40 years.

[onyourleft]

6. Is that sold...

...in most stores? Does it have a peppermint scent? I'm assuming it is shampoo.

[bettyellen]

9. very common brand, many chains and most health food stores will have. it's a body wash and

shampoo, which also comes in unscented, lavender, rose and something else I can't recall. Just saw those in Target. Good, basic stuff.

[onyourleft]

13. Thank you. n/t

[AllyCat]

44. The label is a fascinating read on Dr. Bronner products, especially back in the day

Every square millimeter of the label was covered with philosophical, religious, political stuff that Dr. Bronner put on there. The label also said how to use the stuff for everything from dish soap to toothpaste, and shampoo to contraceptive. Don't know if that last bit is on there anymore, but I do remember one party night in college we called the number on there at about 3 in the morning and talked to him. Surreal conversation.

Love the products though. It is our go-to camping "cleaner".

Hah! Now I see downstream someone has posted a label Have fun!!

[hobbit709]

10. It's liquid soap and I use it both as soap and shampoo.

Around here you can find it at Sprouts, Central Market, most likely Whole Paycheck. It's sold in a lot of natural stores.
http://www.drbronner.com/

[onyourleft]

14. Thanks so much. n/t

[Chan790]

12. No. Very much yes. No, it's an all-purpose liquid castile soap.

It's great soap.



Just don't read the label. I got bored one day and read the label, you'll think you've lost your mind. Dr. Bronner was a brilliant chemist but he was also an utter loon who thought his soap could bring world peace, universal collective consciousness and the coming of the Messiah and ranted about it in very small type on the labels of his products.

[onyourleft]

15. Thanks for...

...the warning.

[handmade34]

46. DO read the label!!

so much fun... I have been using Bronner's for over 40 years... (it used to be very affordable )

[avaistheone1]

20. I like and use Dr Bonner soaps too.

[MADem]

24. Gee, would the hemp in it produce a false positive on a hair-weed test, I wonder? nt

[jmowreader]

30. Gee, I don't think so

Hair weed tests look for metabolites of THC, not THC itself, and there is so little THC in hemp products (IIRC it's less than one part per million) they'd have a hell of a time finding it anyway.

http://www.testpledge.com

[MADem]

34. The reason I was wondering is because I saw that CNN special on the active ingredients in that

plant (low THC, high something-else) that helped that little kid with her seizures, and I wondered if the newer tests (i.e. other than blood or urine) looked for different active ingredients.

And gee, that link doesn't reassure me much--it's all "good faith" and the companies' "word:"

Disclaimer: TestPledge does not employ a third party audit to enforce pledges hemp companies make on this website, and assumes no responsibility for a company's failure to comply with its pledge. Signatories are solely responsible to honor their pledges on their own integrity.

[jmowreader]

53. The tests all look for the same things

THC is the primary substance. It's what gets you high.

It is very rapidly metabolized to 11-OH-THC. This is also psychoactive but it works primarily on your appetite center - IOW this is what gives you the munchies. (I wonder...is this the shit that has the pharmacological effects?)

11-OH-THC is further metabolized to THC-COOH, which is what lodges in your fat cells for 10-30 days. This is what they test for, and it can't form while it's wrapped around the outside of your hair follicles.

I just grabbed that link because I needed one, sorry.

[LiberalFighter]

35. You were able to read it?

[TalkingDog]

25. Dr. Bronners is an EVERYTHING soap.

Best shaving creme ever according to the spousal unit. Good all purpose cleaning product. You can even brush your teeth with it.

We buy it by the gallon and use it for everything. You can thin it down for cleaning and soap and it lasts forever.

[Autumn Colors]

55. And a great company to support

My bf watched a documentary about Dr. Bronner recently and we learned that the company has a cap on executive pay, that it can be no more than 5x what the lowest-paid employees make.

From their website's Fair Trade info page:

For our 60th anniversary, we are pleased to announce that we are now certified Fair Trade! We take care of our employees with generous salaries and benefits (no-deductible PPO health insurance and a great profit-sharing/retirement plan that we fully fund), we cap executive pay at five times the lowest-paid position, and we give all profits not needed for business development to support progressive charities and causes.

Now we have extended this philosophy to the farmers and workers around the world who produce our major raw materials (representing over 95% of our annual agricultural volume). Along with their families and communities, they benefit from fair prices, living wages and funding for local development projects. Shifting our supply chains to certified Fair Trade ingredients makes a big difference in the lives of several thousand farmers and workers — and is money well spent.

Look for the Fair For Life logo on our products. We worked with the respected Swiss certifier IMO’s Fair for Life program to coordinate and certify the following projects around the world.

Organic Olive Oil from the Holy Land
Organic Coconut Oil from Sri Lanka
Organic Palm Oil from Ghana
Domestic Fair Trade and Hemp
IMO’s ‘Fair for Life’ Program

So, in addition to a great soap -- we use the almond-scented version here -- they are a great progressive company to support!

[bunnies]

7. LOVE that stuff.

Best soap in the world.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

37. Just keep it away from your eyes.

[randome]

39. And yet you're still a hobbit. Sorry, no soap.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[joeybee12]

11. I guess the only safe thing to do is to never bathe!

[Bunnahabhain]

18. Before people get all worked up is it carcinogenic through skin contact or ingestion?

Did not find that in the article or the links in the article. Also, at what levels of concentration and level of exposure? I mean, it's worth paying attention to but not sure it's worth torches and pitch forks yet.

[TalkingDog]

26. Skin is porous. Hair dyes linked to all sorts of nasty things.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/cancer-questions/does-hair-dye-cause-cancer

If you shampoo every day there is the potential for problems.

[jmowreader]

32. I noticed this one...

In 2008, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that there is some evidence that hair dyes can increase the risk of bladder cancer for male hairdressers and barbers. This is because they are working with these chemicals all the time.

This is also because the products sold for men to cover up their gray hair contain lead acetate, which is a carcinogen. No one should use this stuff...if you want your gray hair fixed, guys, go to a beauty shop and have it done.

[hfojvt]

49. you mean to say that some people

shampoo every day?

How bizarre.

[TalkingDog]

61. Not sure if sarcasm, but yes, some people do

Others, like me, every few weeks. People with different skin dryness or hair texture (African-American for instance) can damage their hair with too much soap.

[Bunnahabhain]

51. Thanks for the info on skin being pourous

Because I had no idea....

Think I'll stick by what I said. Contact vs. ingestion, levels, length of exposure. You should also realize the exposure someone that dyes hair for a living will be greatly increased vs. that of a person that has their hair dyed (as per your link).

As I also said, I'm not saying to dismiss the claims, I'm just saying let's have a little more info before the villagers light the torches and get the pitch forks out. I know that's an unpopular position but I'm good with that.

[TalkingDog]

62. You'd be surprised at how few people realize that what goes on their skin, can go through their skin

I deal with them on a regular basis.

The FDA does not regulate externally applied non-medicine, so anything could be in there.

Your snark aside, I don't see anybody calling for a shampoo ban, only more information.

[Bunnahabhain]

65. My snark said to seek more info

Before jumping to conclusions...and people were jumping quite well.

[TalkingDog]

67. No, your snark was to be condescending to me regarding my understanding of your knowledge base.

But I'm only highly intelligent, not psychic.

The rest we pretty much agree on.

[Matariki]

63. You realize that the info at your link shows little risk of cancer from modern hair dye?

quote:
This found that there is unlikely to be any link between dyeing your hair and bladder cancer.

There is no definite evidence of a link between the use of any type of hair dye and non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), leukaemia or myeloma. Some studies have shown an increased risk of non Hodgkin lymphoma in women who use hair dye but other studies have not shown an increased risk.

A recent large international study reported in 2008 that women who began using hair dye before 1980 had a slightly increased risk of some types of non Hodgkin lymphoma

A lot of hair dyes made before 1980 contained chemicals that were known to cause cancer in mice. Since 1980, hair dyes have changed dramatically and many no longer contain these cancer causing chemicals (carcinogens).

[TalkingDog]

66. I am aware of that. But the question was about internal vs external exposure.

Not about the degree to which it was show to cause cancer.

(on edit: also note that I originally said LINKED TO, not CAUSED)

[surrealAmerican]

19. "possibly carcinogenic" under what circumstances?

Just because it's not safe to eat, doesn't mean it's not safe to wash your hair with.

[hunter]

21. No need for shampoo these days. I don't have enough hair.

I remember when they put formaldehyde in shampoos. Using them was an instant asthma attack for me, back before modern asthma meds.

[avaistheone1]

22. k&r

marmar, thanks for posting this important info.

[UtahLib]

27. Bookmarked for valuable info in this thread. nt

[ismnotwasm]

29. I use a rosemary rinse anyway

Because shampoo sucks in general to me.

I take fresh rosemary, make a tea, add baking soda and voilà, a great cheap cleansing for hair and scalp

[CabalPowered]

31. I wouldn't touch any of those with a 10' loofah

Say Yes to Carrots! or Nature's Gate are the only brands I would consider.

[rbnyc]

36. Those lawsuit-happy...

...anti-free-market liberals! Don't they know that lawyers are what's wrong with this country and that if people don't want cancer-causing chemicals in their kids' bubble bath, they will stop buying those products? The market will regulate itself.


(I don't need a sarcasm sign,, do I?)

[LittleGirl]

38. thank you for the post

very useful info there. cheers

[Wolf Frankula]

40. You Should Never Use Shampoo

You should only use real poo.

Thanks for the list, I'm glad the stuffs we use aren't on the list.

Wolf

[benld74]

41. Don't Forget! Lather, Rinse REPEAT,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[blkmusclmachine]

42. .

.

[underpants]

45. I'm gonna wash that poison right INto my hair...

I'm sure the manufacturers will just pay a fine and admit no guilt

[DevonRex]

54. NOTE: It's cocamide ***DEA***. Cocamide MEA is safe.

Just so people don't throw out good products. Chemistry matters.

[L0oniX]

58. They are trying to kill us!

[Silent3]

59. It's a good think I've cut back on how much I drink.

No more than a half cup with breakfast these days.