Hidden
Health hazards in body care products. Sodium lauryl sulfate,
a known
toxin, lurks in most shampoos.
We shouldn’t be surprised to
find out that some of the chemicals in body care
products are subtle toxins that can, over the years,
cause us harm. After all, very little effort goes into
investigating the long term effects of these products
or the chemicals they contain. In fact, the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t even regulate the
cosmetic/body industry for safety.
One
particularly suspect body-care ingredient is sodium
lauryl sulfate (SLS) also called sodium laureth
sulfate, or sodium laurel sulfate. This detergent is
present in about 90% of the commercial shampoos, most
commercial toothpastes, as well as some products sold
in health food stores. Research has shown a number of
health problems associated with it:
- SLS
can react with other chemicals to form
carcinogenic nitrosamines. Using a shampoo in
which nitrosamines have formed can result in
absorption of these toxins at a much higher rate
that eating foods with nitrates – one
shampooing is the equivalent of eating a pound of
bacon.
- SLS
is known to cause serious eye damage to young
animals by interfering with protein formation.
Exposure may lead to ocular tissue malformation,
blindness, cataracts, as well as retarded healing
of eye tissue. Contact with the eyes is not
necessary for a problem to occur, since SLS can be
absorbed by the skin and travel through the body
to the eyes.
- SLS
is known as a skin irritant, and by penetrating
and damaging the skin barrier, it can cause rough
skin as well as magnify the skin’s allergic
response to other toxins. Hair follicles
deteriorate with exposure to SLS. This impairs the
hair growth cycle and prolongs the hair loss phase
from the normal 3 months up to 24. The result
– thinning hair.
Another
product commonly found in body care products is
propylene glycol, which is known to age skin
prematurely.
What
about those high-priced cosmetics with
“special” ingredients? According to one
dermatologist, many of the highly touted additives
have molecules too large to be absorbed by the skin,
such as biotin, collagen, and elastin, so their
benefit is nill.
Propylene
glycol t-butyl ether – shampoos / bubble bath
ingredient
*
Hazards:
3 Moderate Poisons
15 Subject carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive hazard
16 Combustible
23 Unstable with age
28 Skin irritant
36 Blood and hemapoetic system toxin
38 Eye irritant
41 Skin-absorbable poison
56
AB 2588 toxic hot spots A-I
Reprinted from Spectrum, The Wholistic News
Magazine (July/August 1994 Issue, Page 37)
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