The Dangers of Triclosan: A Common Anti-Bacterial Ingredient

Linda — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:04:38 +0000

Linda’s Comment: I know some of you get tired of my preaching about learning to read labels, but this is a very good example of how important it is….!!! This is just “one” example of the toxins they are finding in our bodies it has EVEN been identified as a contaminant in umbilical cord. I talk all the time about the moms unborn babies being the toxic dump for the mom. This article explains this very well. It is disgusting how our government allows industry to continue to dump these products into our cosmetics and personal-care products. “A team of researchers in April 2005 reported that some toothpastes and soaps create a chloroform gas when the triclosan in these products reacts with chlorinated tap water.” Good Lord our children are swallowing this….it is no wonder there is a rise in Cancers.

While this appears dismal, we CAN do something about this. WE CAN STOP purchasing products with Triclosan in them and start making LOUD noises, to our elected officials to get more control on the industry.

Excerpt:

Water testing studies by the U.S. Geological Survey have found that triclosan is among the top 10 persistent contaminants in U.S. rivers, streams, lakes, and underground aquifers. Of related concern, triclosan persists in the environment, accumulating as it passes up the food chain to our bodies, and contributes to reduced resistance to antibiotics.

Unexpected volatility has been documented when the triclosan in liquid soaps and other household products comes into contact with water, as would happen during common use. At Virginia Tech University, a team of researchers in April 2005 reported that some toothpastes and soaps create a chloroform gas when the triclosan in these products reacts with chlorinated tap water. Triclosan also interacts with free chlorine in tap water and degrades under sunlight to produce chloroform, which is both toxic and carcinogenic following inhalation or skin absorption, particularly while bathing in warm water.

Triclosan, has been shown to produce toxic hormonal effects, known as endocrine disruption, on the development of the thyroid gland in tadpoles, and on sex ratios and fin length in fish. Lab studies on rats have shown that triclosan is toxic to normal liver enzymes. In humans, this preservative has been linked to allergies, asthma, and eczema.

Of further concern, triclosan has been identified as a contaminant in umbilical cord samples collected by Greenpeace International and Britain’s World Wifeline Fund. Furthermore, surveys in Sweden have also identified triclosan in the breast milk of 60 percent of women tested.

http://www.preventcancer.com/

Formaldehyde Facts

Linda — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:56:10 +0000

Formaldehyde Facts

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Angel P. wrote:

DOn’t forget …from the Formaldehyde Institute other names it is known

as:

“…. Ivalon, Quaternium-15, Lysoform,

Formalith, BVF, Methylene oxide, Formalin, Morbicid, Methanal, Methyl

aldehyde, Oxomethane, Formic aldehyde, Fannoform, Fyde, Lofol,

Oxymethylene, Formol, and Superlysoform…”

Quaternium-15 is in almost EVERY cosmetic and hair care product

When we pick up a product at the local grocery store, most of us like to think we are getting something that has been tested and proven to be safe. After all, we have laws to protect our health and safety, don’t we? Actually, the government has very limited power to regulate manufacturers, or require testing of their products.

Here are some disturbing facts:

A product that kills 5-% of lab animals through ingestion or inhalation can still receive the federal regulatory designation non-toxic . Of the 17,000 chemicals that appear in common household products, only 30% have been adequately tested for their negative effects on our health; less than 10% have been tested for their effect on the nervous system; and nothing is known about the combined effects of these chemicals when mixed within our bodies. No law requires manufacturers to list the exact ingredients on the package label.

Personal care product refers to just about anything we use to clean our bodies or make ourselves look or smell good. The closest thing to a regulatory agency for the personal care industry is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and their power is extremely limited.

Here are more unsettling facts regarding personal care products:

The FDA cannot regulate a personal care product until after it is released into the marketplace. Neither personal care products nor their ingredients are reviewed or approved before they are sold to the public.

The FDA cannot require companies to do safety testing on their personal products before they are sold to the public.

The FDA cannot require recalls of harmful personal care products from the marketplace.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and health (NIOSH) analyzed 2983 chemicals used in personal care products. The results were as follows:

884 of the chemicals were toxic

314 caused biological mutation

218 caused reproductive complications

778 caused acute toxicity

148 caused tumors

376 caused skin and eye irritations.

Warning: You Can’t Trust Warning Labels!

You may think you know what is in a product and its potential harms by reading ingredient and warning labels. Think again. Manufacturers are not required to list the exact ingredients on the label. Also, chemical names are often disguised by using innocuous trade names.

So, even if the chemical is listed on the label, you may not recognize it for what it is. Even if the harsh and dangerous active ingredients are listed on a package, often time the remainder of ingredients are lumped into a category known as inert (not active) ingredients.

This term may lead you to believe that these chemicals are not toxic or hazardous. In fact, many of the 1,000 different chemicals used as inert ingredients are more harmful than the active ingredients. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require manufacturers to identify most inert chemicals, or disclose their potential harmful effects. Even suspected carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) are used as inert ingredients in household products.

Regarding warning labels. One New York study found that 85% of products they examined had incorrect warning labels. Some were labeled poisonous, but weren’t; others were poisonous but weren’t labeled as such; others gave incorrect first aid information. And there are absolutely no warnings on products about possible negative effects of long-term exposure. This is unfortunate because most diseases linked to chemical exposure are the result of long-term exposure.

If we don’t know what is in it, and we don’t know if it can hurt us, how are we supposed to make an intelligent decision about whether or not to bring this product into our home?

Cleaning products (just a few that I know are used in house cleaning)

Air freshener- toxic; may cause cancer; irritates, nose, throat, and lungs.

Disinfectant- very toxic; causes skin, throat, and lung burns; causes coma.

Drain cleaner- toxic; causes skin burns; causes liver and kidney damage.

Oven cleaner – toxic; causes skin, throat and lung burns.

Window Cleaner- toxic; causes cns disorders; causes liver and kidney disorders.

Floor/Furniture polish – toxic causes cns disorders, may cause lung cancer Spot remover- toxic; may cause cancer, may cause liver damage.

All Purpose Cleaner – causes eye damage; irritates nose, throat and lungs.

Toilet bowl cleaner – very toxic; causes skin, nose, throat and lung burns.

Chlorinated scouring powder- toxic; highly irritating to nose, throat and lungs.

Dishwasher Detergent – toxic; causes eye injuries, damage to mucous membranes and throat.

As I said just a few.

One Common Ingredient Although it would take a second book to cover all the ingredients commonly used in the products above, I want to let you know about one, formaldehyde, as an example. Formaldehyde is used frequently in both cleaning and personal care products because it is a cheap preservative. The following information is taken from a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which , by law, must be supplied to anyone who uses any chemical product in the workplace. The MSDS for formaldehyde warns: Suspected carcinogen; may be fatal if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin; causes burns; inhalation can cause spasms; edema (fluid buildup) of the larynx and bronchi, and chemical pneumonitis, extremely destructive to the tissue of the mucous membrane. All these symptoms and more are caused by formaldehyde. Yet manufacturers can put formaldehyde in shampoo and not list it as an ingredient! You will be shocked to learn that formaldehyde is a common ingredient in baby shampoo, bubble bath, deodorants, perfume, cologne, hair dye, mouthwash, toothpaste, hair spray and many other personal care items.

Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen. If all cancers start with the abnormal growth of just one cell, then why allow any amount into or onto your body?

Toxic Chemicals and the Human Body Your body is a very complex, very fragile system of chemical reactions and electrical impulses. When you consider a single cell breathes, uses energy, and releases waste much like your whole body does, you can begin to understand how even small amounts of harmful chemicals can affect the performance of the body’s processes. Chemicals enter the human body in three ways: ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.

Ingestion brings to mind the image of a young child opening the cabinet under the sink and drinking something deadly. Well, each year nearly 1.5 million accidental ingestion’s of poisons are reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers. The majority of the victims are under the age of twelve and have swallowed a cleaning or personal care product.

It amazes me how many deadly chemicals are stored under sinks or on bathroom counters and bathtubs within easy reach of young children.

Inhalation It may surprise you to learn that poisoning by inhalation is more common and can be much more harmful, than ingestion. When something harmful is swallowed, the stomach actually begins breaking down and neutralizing the poison before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

However, when you inhale toxic fumes, the poisons go directly into the bloodstream and quickly travel to organs like the brain, heart, liver and kidneys. Many products give off toxic vapors which can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and give you headaches, muscle aches, and sinus infections. The process of releasing vapors into the air is called out gassing. Out gassing occurs even when a chemical is tightly sealed in its container. If you doubt this, simply walk down the cleaning aisle at your local grocery store, and notice how strongly it smells of toxic vapors, even though the containers are sealed tight.

Absorption Most people never guess this.

Finally, you need to realize the potential threat absorption poses.

One square centimeter of skin (less than the size of a dime), contains 3 million cells, four yards of nerves, one yard of blood vessels, and one hundred sweat glands. We’ve all heard the ads for nicotine patches and analgesic creams. These medicines work by being absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. Even some heart medicines are administered through transdermal (through the skin) patches. Any chemical that touches the skin can be absorbed and spread throughout the body. This can even happen when you come in contact with a surface that was treated with a chemical days or even weeks earlier. I had no idea that my children could be harmed by crawling across the kitchen floor we had just cleaned. I thought that we were being conscientious, not reckless.

Helping One Family at a Time…=)

Thank you Angel Para for your outstanding comments.

Nina Beinhorn “If you want something you’ve never had- you’ve got to do something you’ve never done!”

What Is Formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is a colorless gas compound (HCHO) that can irritate eyes, mucous membranes and the upper respiratory system. It can be inhaled or absorbed by the skin. Formaldehyde is also a metabolic product of normal living cells. Formaldehyde is an excellent resin and binding agent and is very inexpensive to produce which contributes to it’s wide usage (approximately 6 billion pounds are produced each year). The only way for you to know how much formaldehyde may be in your home is to test.

Where Can Formaldehyde Be Found?

Formaldehyde is found virtually everywhere, indoors and out, naturally occurring and man-made. It is a combustion product found in cigarette and wood smoke, natural gas, kerosene, exhaust from automobiles, incinerators and power plants. It is also widely used in building materials especially glue, Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation and pressed-wood products such as plywood, particle board, paneling and wood finishes. Many floor coverings contain formaldehyde such as carpet as well as furnishings. Also used in paper products, cosmetics, deodorants, shampoos, fabric dyes and permanent-press fabrics, inks, and disinfectants. Another common place to find formaldehyde that seems out of place is in products that are supposed to make our homes smell better such as air and carpet deodorizers. Mobile homes, motor homes, and travel trailers are known for high amounts of formaldehyde since so many of their components may be made from particle board or pressed-wood products. The number of products that contain formaldehyde are as astounding as it is depressing.

Why Is Formaldehyde Dangerous?

Even in small amounts formaldehyde can cause serious health problems and unfortunately takes years to finally dissipate after being used in manufactured products. In some cases, exposure to formaldehyde can increase a persons sensitivity to other irritants or chemicals that were never a problem in the past, making them allergic to almost anything. For some people, past exposure to formaldehyde has permanently impaired their health and well being for the rest of their lives.

What Are The Health Effects Of Formaldehyde?

Symptoms of low-level exposure include; runny nose, sore throat, cough, dermatitis, sleeping difficulties, headache, fatigue, breathing difficulties, sinus irritation, chest pain, frequent nausea, bronchitis, and decreased lung capacity. Signs of acute exposure include; abdominal pain, anxiety, coma, convulsions, diarrhea, and respiratory problems such as bronchitis, pneumonia or pulmonary edema.

How Do I Test For Formaldehyde?

A Do-It-Yourself Test Kit is available from Professional House Doctors, Inc. that measures concentrations as low as 0.02 ppm, is easy to use, with complete instructions, and contains enough solution to run 3 separate tests.

If There Is A Problem How Do I Fix It?

Finding and removing the source is the most effective, but can be costly. Reducing the temperature and lowering the humidity level to approximately 35 percent can also help to diminish the effects. Formaldehyde tends to double its level of outgassing for every 10°F increase in temperature. There are also some surface barriers available to cover and reduce the formaldehyde outgassing from some components. Many other methods are available depending upon the source and amount of formaldehyde present. Further details are included with each test kit.

For more information on formaldehyde problems and how to deal with them, or other indoor environmental/building science concerns, testing or consulting services, E-Mail us at info@prhousedr.com Professional House Doctors, Inc., Environmental & Building Science Specialists, providing scientific solutions to today’s most challenging problems.

mouthwash – F.I.G.H.T for your health!

The Dangers of Triclosan: A Common Anti-Bacterial Ingredient

Formaldehyde Facts