Study: Childrens' Products Deliver Toxic Chemicals

CBS Chicago, Mary Ann Childers
Published November 1, 2007

CHICAGO (CBS) — There are new questions about the safety of personal care products for babies and children. A report from a leading consumer group says youngsters may be exposed to five dozen chemicals every day. Yet nearly half of them have never been assessed for safety by the Food and Drug Administration. As Medical Editor Mary Ann Childers reports, the products range from shampoos to soaps to toothpaste. "What we found was alarming," said Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group, which surveyed 3,300 parents to see what bath and body products they used most often on their children. Kate Mangan Smith uses shampoo, lotion and body wash every day on her 23-month-old son Jack. "They're easier to use than a bar of soap," Mangan Smith said. The EWG found that almost all of the most popular products contain ingredients that could be harmful. "These are things that can disrupt the hormone system, cause allergies, things that are linked to cancer, nervous system problems in laboratory studies," Houlihan said. Mangan Smith tries to pay attention to ingredient lists but they're sometimes difficult to decipher. "I do turn it over, but it doesn't, it's kind of foreign to me," Mangan Smith said. The EWG says claims made on many product labels just aren't true. "We found that 80 percent of products that are labeled as gentle contain ingredients that are linked to allergies and to skin irritation," Houlihan said. The group advises parents to use fewer products to limit exposure. Choose products that are unscented and don't contain artificial dyes and preservatives. And, avoid using baby powder and toothpaste in children under 2 years old. Mangan Smith already does some of those things, but wishes she could trust every product she uses to be safe for Jack and the little one she's expecting in five weeks. "I think that every product that you use on your child should be tested," Mangan Smith said.