"Baby lotions, powders and shampoos can lead to increased exposure in infants to phthalates, chemicals which have been linked with reproductive problems, a US-based study released on Monday said.
Urinary concentrations of phthalates were found to increase with the number of products used, said the study in the Official Journal of American Pediatrics." The rest of the article can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2jfaru
The actual study is here: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/2/e260
Mothers were asked to choose which product categories they had used, including "infant powder/talc/cornstarch, Desitin/diaper creams, infant wipes, infant shampoo, and infant lotion. To estimate plastic toy use, we used the following question: 'How many hours per day does your infant usually spend playing with or using the following?' Categories listed were soft plastic toys/teething rings and pacifiers."
Results? "All samples contained at least 1 phthalate above the limit of detection, and ≥7 urinary phthalate metabolites were above the limit of detection in >80% of infants."
What did they find? "We observed that reported use of infant lotion, infant powder, and infant shampoo were associated with increased infant urine concentrations of MEP, MMP, and MiBP, and this association is strongest in younger infants. These findings suggest that dermal exposures may contribute significantly to phthalate body burden in this population. Young infants are more vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of phthalates given their increased dosage per unit body surface area, metabolic capabilities, and developing endocrine and reproductive systems. In 2006, the European Union banned the use of 6 phthalate softeners in polyvinyl chloride toys designed to be placed in the mouth by children who are younger than 3. The ban covers 6 phthalates: DiNP, DEHP, DBP, di-isodecyl phthalate, DnOP, and BBzP."
I've quoted a lot of the article here, but you should have a look at it yourself at the second link I've provided.
I feel like the struggle against harmful chemicals is such an upward battle that the only way to prevail is to unplug and go back to nature....the whole acre and a mule thing. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can find an acre of soil that isn't contaminated, and after hearing the article last night on the woman who got sued because she had a noisy donkey on NPR, I would probably have to rethink that idea, too.
Friday, February 29, 2008
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2 comments:
I feel that way too sometimes - like I want to just move to a farm and live off of the land. Sadly, that's not really feasible (and I wouldn't have much of a clue how to do it!).
For now I'm trying to just simplify my life (in terms of consumption and product usage) as much as I can (within reason). I'm trying to reduce my plastic usage, use the microwave as little as possible, etc.
I just re-read My Year of Meats, which is a great novel about a TV documentarian who learns about the horrible underbelly of the American meat industry while working on a weekly television series funded by the beef export industry. That description makes it sound really cheesy and propaganda-ish, but it's actually a really well-written book.
Thanks for your post!
Wow, that is simply frightening!
What have we done? At what cost?
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