Not My Breasts

Cancer from the kitchen? (NY Times, 12/5/09)

Another excellent op-ed from New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof, this time focusing on the endocrine disruptors in plastics, cosmetics and more that can put us at greater risk for diseases like breast cancer:

The battle over health care focuses on access to insurance, or tempests like the one that erupted over new mammogram guidelines.

But what about broader public health challenges? What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and more to do with contaminants in our water or air -- or in certain plastic containers in our kitchens? What if the surge in asthma and childhood leukemia reflect, in part, the poisons we impose upon ourselves? (Read complete article.)

Ask Janet!

On the next few Fridays (and perhaps beyond), Breast Cancer Fund Science Advisor Janet Gray, Ph.D., of Vassar College, will lend her scientific expertise in environmental health to answering burning questions around the link between breast cancer and environmental exposures.

Question from Ariane, California:
I recently noticed that some of our office supplies promise antimicrobial protection. With H1N1 and the start of the flu season, it seems that everyone is crazy for antimicrobial products, but I have heard some concerns about what’s in these products. Do we have anything to be worried about?

Dear Ariane,
Antimicrobials are currently present in a wide array of consumer products, from household cleaners to mouse pads, and scientists have expressed growing concern over the presence of the chemical triclosan, which is prevalent in many of these disinfectants—especially liquid soaps. Studies have linked the chemical to a range of health and environmental issues, including skin irritation and thyroid disorders (a risk factor for breast cancer). The Environmental Protection Agency recently reapproved triclosan, but only for another five years. The agency’s concerns about the chemical convinced them to move the next review date to 2013, 10 years ahead of schedule.

Another concern with popular hand sanitizers is synthetic fragrance, found in most personal care products. Fragrance is considered a trade secret, which allows companies to avoid disclosing what it contains, but it’s often made up of dozens or even hundreds of synthetic chemicals. Some of the hazards of synthetic fragrance include allergens, phthalates, sensitizers, neurotoxins and synthetic musks.

Don’t despair! Thanks in large part to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (the Breast Cancer Fund is a founding member and leading partner), an increasing number of responsible companies are signing the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and setting a high bar in the marketplace by agreeing not to use toxic chemicals in their products. Several companies are producing hand soaps and sanitizers free of fragrance and triclosan. Two of these with known efficacy are CleanWell, whose effective ingredient is based upon thyme oil, and EO Products, whose germ-killing ingredient is 62% alcohol.

But really, the best thing to do on a regular basis is to wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and mild, non-toxic soap. It’s the safest and most effective route for staying clean and healthy. But when you feel you need to use disinfectants to get you through the winter season, look for safer choices—ones without triclosan or synthetic fragrance. 

Send your questions to Ask Janet! askjanet@breastcancerfund.org

Study: Chemicals, pollutants found in newborns (San Francisco Chronicle, 12/3/09)

Besides BPA, umbilical cord blood of American infants may be contaminated with synthetic musks, according to yesterday's EWG study. These musks are chemicals commonly used in "fragrance," that mystery ingredient in shampoo, lotion, spray cleaner and, yes, perfume.

Fragrance can contain dozens or even hundreds of ingredients, none of which appear on labels, some of which may be toxic and most of which have never been tested for long-term safety. This fragrance loophole is one of the reasons the Breast Cancer Fund, EWG and colleague organizations launched the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics five years ago, and why we continue to push for smarter laws and safer cosmetics for everyone.

The story about musks was picked up by the San Francisco Chronicle:

Chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino infants in the United States, according to a national study released Wednesday....

Seven of the 10 babies had in their umbilical cord blood synthetic musks known as Galaxolide and Tonalide, which are toxic to aquatic life and have been shown in preliminary studies to cause hormonal changes.

The musk is used in scented soaps, perfumes and colognes, indicating the infants were contaminated by cosmetics their mothers used. (Read complete article.)

Weekly roundup: Tips for breast cancer prevention

We’ve finished another week of everyday tips to help you reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer. Thank you again to Dr. Gray and The Daily Green for making this possible. You can access all of the October tips on our Not My Breasts blog and find occasional tips throughout the year, as well as the latest news and conversations about prevention, on our Facebook page.

 1. Cook with stainless steel rather than aluminum and be cautious of aluminum-based deodorants.

2. Recycle cadmium batteries and keep any products containing cadmium away from kids.

3. Choose fish carefully, especially when pregnant, to avoid PCBs and dioxins.

4. Be wary of dry cleaning chemicals –- and look for alternatives to dry cleaning whenever possible. 

 5. Use natural sunscreens that don’t come with chemicals of concern.

With one week of October remaining, please continue helping us make prevention part of the conversation during Breast Cancer Awareness Month by joining our Prevention Matters campaign, where you can write a letter to the editor about prevention or send a message to Congress to support public policies that eliminate the environmental causes of the disease. Also, stay tuned for one more week of tips!

Weekly roundup: Tips for breast cancer prevention

We took Monday off for the holiday, so we have four tips in this week's roundup of breast cancer prevention tips, courtesy Dr. Janet Gray and the Daily Green. If you missed them on Facebook, find them now, right here!

1. Avoid weed killers -- on your lawn, around the house and in kids' play areas.
2. Use natural pesticides. Chemicals meant to kill bugs can harm us, too.
3. Avoid bleach and chlorine, including bleached paper and personal care products.
4. Use safe cosmetics -- and ditch the toxic chemicals in products from shampoo to lotion to lipgloss. 

We'll be back on Facebook Monday to bring you another week of tips you can use to protect your family and yourself from everyday exposures to chemicals linked to breast cancer.

These are small changes, but they're part of a bigger effort to get toxic chemicals out of our environment -- at home, at school, at work and out in the world. Help us make these tips obsolete for future generations: Ask your elected officials in Congress to sign on to our Prevention Platform for big change and better health for everyone.

California's new edge: Choosing safe cosmetics

This week the California Department of Public Health opened the gates on a new database that will allow people -- and not just Californians -- to know if the personal care products they buy contain toxic ingredients. This database is the centerpiece of the California Safe Cosmetics Program, the product of a law the Breast Cancer Fund championed in 2005.

Was the wait worth it? Absolutely. The program requires cosmetics manufacturers to report to the state any ingredient that causes cancer or birth defects for products sold in California. Consumers will be able to access this data and decide for themselves if they want to wash their hair with carcinogens or soften their elbows with reproductive toxicants (and really, who would?).

There's more good news here: Did you know that "fragrance" on a label can actually contain dozens -- if not hundreds -- of ingredients? Some are harmful, some are not, but they don't have to be listed on the product so you can't know. But the database will know, because the law specifies that toxic components of "fragrance" must be flagged, too. Does the vanilla scent in your hand lotion include a carcinogen? Now you'll know.

Manufacturers have until October 15, 2009 to report toxic ingredients to the state. Consumers can look forward to viewing the data a few months from now (date TBA).

Getting a law passed is great, but seeing it through to fruition is the real prize. We've been stakeholders during the implementation process, and we'll be watching as the data flows in. In the meantime, you can help us continue to make sure all the laws we've supported fulfill their public health potential by making a donation.

J&J in hot water over baby shampoo

Today the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (the Breast Cancer Fund is a founding member) sent a letter - signed by more than 40 organizations representing 1.7 million medical professionals, moms and environmental health advocates - to that iconic bathtub brand, Johnson & Johnson. It wasn't a fan letter.

It turns out that the baby shampoo we all grew up with (at least I did), Johnson's Baby Shampoo, contains two cancer-causing chemicals (1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde), neither of which are on the product's ingredient list. We know they're in there because we tested dozens of kids' personal care products for a report, "No More Toxic Tub," released back in March.

When the news broke, parents were not happy. Several Asian governments were not happy. A U.S. senator wasn't happy. But J&J stuck to their talking point that it was just a little bit of carcinogen.

Today's letter asked J&J to remove toxic ingredients from its products because little bit is still too much. And not necessary, it turns out: formaldehyde is not allowed in personal care products sold in Japan, for example, so J&J sells a different formulation there.

For now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is doing nothing. So what can you do?

1. Jettison the Johnson's Baby Shampoo for a safer alternative.
2. Read our letter to J&J.
3. Write to J&J and tell them you want safe products.

What Goes On Baby Goes In Baby, Too

On Monday, the respected medical journal Pediatrics published a study that could (should) change the way parents use and think about the lotions, powders and shampoos they rub on their babies.

The study showed a correlation between exposure to these typical personal care products and the levels of phthalates in the babies' urine. In other words, the babies who got the most lotion, powder and shampoo on their skin also had the highest levels of these toxic chemicals in their little bodies.

Phthalates, unfortunately for us and our kids, are not harmless. They've been linked to breast cancer, early puberty in girls, reduced testosterone levels, lowered sperm counts, genital defects in baby boys and testicular cancer.

Phthalates are often hidden in the ingredient "fragrance" because a loophole in U.S. law allows manufacturers to avoid disclosing the components of fragrance or perfume in products. The chemicals are also used to keep plastics soft and pliable--for use in products like baby toys and teethers, among other plastics.

In fact, phthalate exposure among kids is of such high concern that California recently banned them from toys intended for children 3 and younger (this bill was co-sponsored by the Breast Cancer Fund and Environment California in 2007), Congress has introduced a similar bill (the Children's Chemical Risk Reduction Act of 2007) and the state of Washington is considering a broader ban that would include phthalates, lead and cadmium in toys as well as personal care products for kids 12 and under.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, of which the Breast Cancer Fund is a part, expressed concern for both babies and women of childbearing age--baby's first environment. But this groundbreaking study proves what we already knew: what goes on our skin goes in our bodies. With that in mind, it's time we closed the loopholes on cosmetic safety in the U.S.

Teens for Safe Cosmetics take Union Square

On Tuesday, dozens of Bay Area high-schoolers took to Union Square in downtown San Francisco to protest the use of toxic chemicals in cosmetics products. They wore prom dresses and combat boots.

Teens for Safe Cosmetics is yet another example of concerned women across the country who are pressuring cosmetics companies to remove ingredients linked to cancer or birth defects from products.

Learn more about the problem and check out the video from Tuesday's "ProjectPROM" event below.

Perfume, perfume everywhere

Synthetic musk fragrances are added to countless consumer items. A decade ago, musks were found in human breast milk in Europe, raising a red flag. Now, even higher levels of polycyclic musks have been found in breast milk from U.S. mothers.

To check out the ingredients of your cosmetics products, visit the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database. And visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to get involved and take action for safer cosmetics.