Contaminants Present in Many Children’s Personal Care Products

Recent lab tests warranted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have found that more than half of tested children’s personal care products contain both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, chemicals that have been associated with cancer and skin allergies. Samples of these common children’s products, which included lotions, shampoos, soaps and other bath products, were sent to Analytical Sciences, a lab in California where the tests were conducted. Results of the lab tests showed that of the 28 products tested for both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, 23 of these products, or 82 percent, contained formaldehyde and 17 products, or 61 percent, contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. The lab tested 48 child bath products for 1,4-dioxane, finding that 32 of these products, or 67 percent, contained the chemical.

In their report, the CDC noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does consider both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane to be possible carcinogens, meaning they are chemicals that may induce cancer. In addition, manufacturers are not required to list these chemicals on product labels because they are byproducts and not ingredients, making it impossible for consumers to avoid purchasing products containing these chemicals. Byproducts are products that are produced in the manufacture of the intended product, so the only way to eliminate these chemicals from products would be to stop using certain ingredients that create these byproducts. Formaldehyde is produced when preservatives break down, causing the chemical to accumulate in the container of the product. 1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of the ethoxylation process, which uses ethylene oxide to produce some of these child care products. In addition, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that this chemical is a cause for concern, even as a trace contaminant.

These two chemicals are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because they cannot require manufacturers to test products for safety before they are placed on store shelves and have no control over the amounts of unsafe chemicals used in products. So, although these chemicals can be easily eliminated from products by using different ingredients and methods, manufacturers are not required to do so by law, making it likely that many of these manufacturers will continue to sell children’s products containing these harmful chemicals. If your child or someone you love has been seriously injured by a defective or dangerous product, contact the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We offer free consultations to clients with Bronx product liability, Brooklyn product liability, Queens product liability, Manhattan product liability, Nassau product liability and Suffolk product liability cases.

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