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Santé Magazine
Salute Magazine
The "natural" and "organic" products industry is booming. In a world which seems increasingly full of chemicals, many people are turning to "green" products, expecting them to be safer and healthier for their bodies than traditional ones. However, independent lab tests have uncovered that major brands of personal care products such as shampoo, shower gel, and dish soap marketed as natural or organic in fact contain a potentially dangerous chemical.
A report recently released by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), a consumer advocacy group, said that 46 of the 100 "natural" and "organic" products they tested contained 1,4-dioxane, a petroleum-based solvent which the Environmental Protection Agency has declared a probable human carcinogen (known to cause cancer in lab animals). Among other things, it could also be a kidney neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant.
This carcinogen is not intentionally added to the products, but is a byproduct of the petrochemical Ethylene Oxide. While this substance is commonly found in traditional soaps and shampoos, the presence of the chemical in personal care and housecleaning products which are marketed as being natural, organic, or green is, to say the least, surprising. And according to the study, use of the chemical is not certified under the USDA National Organic Program for use in products labeled "natural" or "organic."
These new findings add more fuel to a five-year battle over marketing claims which has divided the natural-products industry. The OCA said that the presence of 1,4-dioxane not only poses a health risk but undermines natural and organic claims by some manufacturers. “For companies to knowingly or even carelessly put a carcinogen into commerce in this day and age is barbaric, I think, particularly products that have the moniker of natural or self-proclaimed ‘organic,’” said David Steinberg, author, consumer advocate and director of the study. “We need standards,” he added.
Some organic company owners agree and say that it is deceptive for many products to be called natural when the carcinogenic compound indicates that petrochemicals are used in their manufacture. But government regulators disagree. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates personal-care products, claims the amount of 1,4-dioxane typically found in cosmetics “doesn’t pose a risk to consumers.”
And according its spokesman Scott Wolfson, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates household cleaners, does not identify a danger limit for 1,4-dioxane and evaluates the safety of products on a case-by-case basis.
The State of California requires products that contain more than 30 parts per million of 1,4-dioxane to carry a warning label indicating that the contents may cause cancer. One of the liquid dishwashing detergents tested contained levels as high as 97.1 parts per million.
According to Josef Koester of Cognis Corp., most companies can avoid 1,4-dioxane but that it “typically requires a higher price point and sometimes performance restrictions for the product. How green the formulators want to go is their choice.” Cognis Corp. is a Cincinnati-based chemical company that caters to manufacturers seeking "green" compounds.
Even though no standards govern the words "natural" or "organic" for personal care products, a few companies, including Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, TerrEssentials, and Sensibility Soaps, Inc., which makes the Nourish brand, have taken the high road and certified their products as organic under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food standards.
Personal care products with the USDA organic seal must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. Misuse of the USDA organic seal carries penalties of $11,000 per violation and a ban on using the seal for several years.
Because the majority of shampoos, soaps and other consumer goods do not carry the USDA organic seal, it is nearly impossible for buyers to know whether the ones they use contain 1,4-dioxane, since the chemical is not listed on ingredient labels.
Diana Kaye, co-founder of TerrEssentials said, “It makes it really difficult for us to communicate real organic when our little voice gets lost in this sea of products that are all claiming to meet the USDA organic standard when, in fact, they don’t.” Six TerrEssential soaps and other products were among those tested; all were free of 1,4-dioxane. Other products that tested negative included Burt’s Bees Body Wash, Dr. Bronner’s and Sundog’s Magic Orange Lavender Organic Lotion, Dr. Hauschka Body Wash Fresh, and Clorox Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner.
Products testing positive for 1,4-dioxane include Jason Fragrance Free Satin Soap, Alba Botanical Passion Fruit Body Wash, Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel, and Citrus Magic 100 Percent Natural Dish Liquid.
Some of the companies named in the report seemed surprised at the results. “It’s the first we’ve even heard of that,” said John Howell, technical director of Beaumont Products, makers of Citrus Magic 100 Percent Natural Dish Liquid. “We’ll look into both our raw materials and anything we can think of.”
Hain Celestial Group, owner of Alba, Jason, Avalon Organics, and Zia Natural Skincare (four of the tested companies), said that it would reevaluate all of its products. Two Alba and three Jason products contained the chemical, while Avalon and Zia products tested negative. Lisa Lehndorff, director of corporate consumer relations for Hain Celestial said, “We are committed to selling products without detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane and will review all formulations accordingly.”
Three of four products tested in Whole Foods’ 365 Everyday Value line contained 1,4-dioxane. Spokeswoman Cathy Cochran-Lewis said the company plans to investigate the report’s findings, but declined to say whether the test results would prompt any changes in products sold at its stores.
Scientists are unsure exactly what amount of 1,4-dioxane may be unsafe. In studies, lab animals that were fed the compound for many weeks developed nasal, liver and gall bladder cancers. But it is unclear what cancer risk humans face from long-term use of products containing the chemical.
Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the OCA said, “When it comes to misbranding organic personal care products in the U.S., it’s almost complete anarchy and buyer beware unless the product is certified under the USDA National Organic Program.”
To help consumers identify ingredients that they should be wary of, the OCA has provided this list : myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other “eth”, PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol.
