Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook today sent a UV-protective umbrella and letter to Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the agency to issue safety standards for sunscreens.

A while back, EWG staff scientist Olga Naidenko wrote here about the need to focus breast cancer research on prevention - with an emphasis on the role of carcinogens.

Baby products should not contain toxic ingredients, according to common sense as well as 40 + organizations lead by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) co-founded Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Here at EWG we spend a lot of time investigating the failure of the Federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to keep our food, water and consumer goods safe. We focus on toxic chemicals, but, as it turns out, the FDA works pretty much the same no matter what "innovation" is getting pushed onto the market without labeling or testing.

Last week was particularly exciting to be at EWG and part of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The new report shed even more light on an old danger we all know about-- personal care products that our youngest use are loaded with a cocktail of toxic chemicals, including known and probable carcinogens. The U.S. government has not established any safety standards formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane in personal care products.

Being a parent should not be a scary thing. It is supposed to be the time of joy, fun and reward. Ok, and a few boo-boos. But trying to keep your child clean and healthy is serious business. Especially when you read the new report, released today, by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Despite marketing claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, according to product test results released today by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The chemicals were not disclosed on product labels because contaminants are exempt from labeling laws.

This fall, EPA approved re-registration of antibacterial soap ingredient triclosan for yet another five years of use in consumer products, potentially leaving human and environmental health at great risk.

It’s nearly ubiquitous in liquid hand soap and dishwashing detergent, but those aren’t the only products it’s in. Triclosan is also a common ingredient in toothpaste, facewash, deodorant, a host of personal care products, and even mattresses, toothbrushes and shoe insoles. A U.S. FDA advisory committee has found that household use of antibacterial products provides no benefits over plain soap and water, and the American Medical Association recommends that triclosan not be used in the home, as it may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics.