EWG Bulletin - February 2007

FRAGRANCES HIDE TOXIC CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS

Nobody wants to give their sweetheart a Valentine's Day gift laced with toxic chemical fragrances. But many of us may unwittingly do so. That's because a major loophole in federal law allows manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and cancer in animal studies.

Cosmetics companies won't tell you what's in the scents they sell you. So the EWG research team that produced Skin Deep, combed through thousands of gift ideas to pick some that smell great and have no hidden fragrance ingredients.

LINK: www.ewg.org/issues/cosmetics/valentine/

ASK EWG — FEBRUARY EDITION

Last month we invited readers to submit questions, and you did! We only have room here to answer a few, but we'll try to answer more on Enviroblog.org.

Want to submit a question for next month's Bulletin? Use the link below.

Dear EWG: You had an article about nanos in October but you didn't say specifically what the dangers of these particles are. These ingredients are in lots of popular cosmetics so it is important for us to know what the risks really are. Please tell us which of these nanos should be avoided completely and what is the potential harm. Thank you. --Meryl

Dear Meryl: The reason we raised the issue about nanoparticles in October is actually because of what we do NOT know about them. None of the nano-scale materials we identified have been substantiated for safety by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the industry's own Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (CIR).

This lack of information applies to conventional ingredients as well -- 89 percent of those have not been assessed for safety. At EWG, we think you have a right to know more about the ingredients in the personal care products you buy.

Dear EWG: Last year I grew vegetables in a small raised garden built from pressure treated wood. Is it dangerous to consume food from this bed? -- Misty

Dear Misty: It is likely that chemicals from wood pressure-treated with arsenic or chromium compounds will leach into the soil, and it is certainly possible that any plants grown in this bed will be contaminated. Wood companies have switched to safer chemicals over the past two years, so make sure you use the newer ACQ-treated wood (instead of the highly toxic CCA-treated wood) and you should be fine. If you really want to play it safe, use a liner in the garden bed to further separate the wood from the soil.

Want to learn more? Check out EPA's fact sheet on ACQ

Dear EWG: I am concerned about propylene glycol in cosmetics, lotions, soap, deodorant, and other personal care products. Now, I just found it in my kid's cough medicine. Why is it used in so many products? And how dangerous is this to my family? --Karen

Dear Karen: A lot of people confuse propylene glycol with its chemical cousin, ethylene glycol. Propylene glycol is a food and personal care product additive that the FDA says is "generally recognized as safe." Propylene glycol is used to control moisture content and can act as a solvent for color and flavor additives. On the other hand, ethylene glycol is best known as the active ingredient in automotive anti-freeze and can kill you if you accidentally drink it.

Our advice? We don't think you should be too concerned about propylene glycol, especially when used as an additive in personal care products. While we always recommend eating healthier foods with as few additives as possible, you'd probably see more adverse health effects from eating a steady diet of junk food.

Ask us a question! Visit http://www.ewg.org/askewg/