Personal care chemophobia

Soaps, makeup and other items contain deadly ingredients, say consumer advocates. We ve seen this sort of headline before, but we re dismayed to see it in the Health & Science section of The Washington Post. Carolyn Butler s article, which reads like a misguided op-ed instead of any kind of fact-based science reporting, warns readers of the numerous toxic chemicals lurking in the cosmetics and personal care products we use every day. That she cites the notoriously alarmist Environmental Working Group makes her claims even less credible.

Butler sounds the usual chemical alarms about hormone disruptors, carcinogens, and neurotoxins contained in the shampoos and toothpastes on our bathroom shelves. She acknowledges that industry officials have stated that the risks of using products with trace amounts of chemicals are insignificant or nonexistent, yet she worries over the dearth of solid, large-scale studies on the effect of such chemicals in conditioner or toothpaste. She then raises the issue of these dangerous additives accumulating in our bodies over decades of use.

Yet as ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom points out, Butler s talking points may sound convincing to the scientifically naïve, but when subject to the slightest bit of scientific rigor, they fold up like a three-dollar lawn chair. For instance, Dr. Bloom wonders if Butler (or any of her sources) can explain why, if these products contain carcinogens, cancer rates in the U.S. continue to decline each year. He also wonders whether Butler is aware that small amounts of formaldehyde, one of the neurotoxins she believes accumulates in our bodies over time, is also present in many fruits and vegetables and that it is gone in about five minutes.

Butler s claims, when subject to scrutiny, says Dr. Bloom, are completely baseless. They re driven by ideology, not sound science. While Butler may not be aware of it, these unfounded fears are taken advantage of by companies concerned not with public health but with marketing products that fly under the banner of green living.

ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, similarly disappointed with The Washington Post, agrees. This is the same story we ve read year after year, she says. Only the names of the products have changed. For a more thorough discussion of the reality behind these common scares, we recommend ACSH's report on the topic.