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.
The report was widely covered in the media which triggered action by a major supermarket chain in China that pulled some Johnson and Johnson products from its shelves. While we here at EWG are not advocating that U.S. retailers take similar action and make wholesale inventory dumps of all children's personal care products, we do believe toxic cancer-causing chemicals should not be in a baby's bubble bath or lotion, and urge manufacturers to test products for these and other toxins and remove them before they end up on store shelves.
The U.S. is at risk of falling behind other countries in addressing safety and public health concerns. If the U.S. wants to maintain its competitiveness in the world market, it needs to stop producing products that contain toxic chemicals. As Michael Wright, the Director of Health, Safety and Environment of the United Steelworkers union said during a hearing reforming federal toxics laws, "Made in USA should be a guarantee, not a warning."
