Chemicals and Cancer

Anyone who has paid attention to cancer rates and scientific studies dealing with the everyday toxins we are subjected to knows that, yes, many chemicals are bad for us. Bad, bad, bad. Cancer-causing bad.

The European Union legislates the use of chemicals on the precautionary principle–if there is any doubt about a substance’s safety, ban it until it is proven innocent. But in the United States we have taken the opposite approach–substances are legal until they are proven lethal, and with all of the lobbying in favor of toxic chemicals, many dangerous substances are allowed. Case in point: the EU has a ban on approximately 1,100 ingredients used in cosmetics, the US bans less than a dozen.

So what’s the shocking news? In an op-ed in The New York Times, Nicholas D. Kristof writes about the President’s Cancer Panel, “the Mount Everest of the medical mainstream,” which released a landmark 200-page report warning that “our lackadaisical approach to regulation may have far-reaching consequences for our health.” Someone finally woke up and smelled the BPA.

The report blames weak laws, lax enforcement and fragmented authority, as well as the existing regulatory presumption that chemicals are safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary. Hello precautionary principle! The report notes that “only a few hundred of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety,” adding that “many known or suspected carcinogens are completely unregulated.”

I can already hear the loud, growling roar of the major chemical companies’ PR departments revving up their spin control–it’s not going to be pretty. But for now we have something yet to be seen, a government agency giving legitimacy to what many of us have long known: chemicals cause cancer.

The President’s Cancer Panel suggests taking these steps to reduce your risk of cancer.

• Particularly when pregnant and when children are small, choose foods, toys and garden products with fewer endocrine disruptors or other toxins. Care2 tip: Safe Bath-time Fun.
• For those whose jobs may expose them to chemicals, remove shoes when entering the house and wash work clothes separately from the rest of the laundry. Care2 tip: Please Remove Shoes Before Entering.

• Filter drinking water.

• Store water in glass or stainless steel containers, or in plastics that don’t contain BPA or phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastics). Care2 tip: Eating It? BPA Found in Surprising Places
• Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers. Care2 tip: All About Kitchen Plastic.

• Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Care2 tip: 15 Reasons to Eat Organic Food.
• Avoid meats that are cooked well-done. Care2 tip: Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk

• Check radon levels in your home. Radon is a natural source of radiation linked to cancer. Care2 tip: Cancer-Proof Your House.

Hidden Chemicals in Popular Perfumes

Last week, the President’s Cancer Panel warned that the many hormone-disrupting chemicals in our everyday products could up the risk of getting cancer. This week, a new analysis reports that a whole bunch of hormone-disrupting chemicals can be found in popular fragrances like American Eagle Seventy Seven and Chanel Coco.President’s Cancer Panel warned that the many hormone-disrupting chemicals in our everyday products could up the risk of getting cancer. This week, a new analysis reports that a whole bunch of hormone-disrupting chemicals can be found in popular fragrances like American Eagle Seventy Seven and Chanel Coco.

That finding is based on a study commissioned by an environmental and health coalition called Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which brings attention to the potential dangers in common personal care and beauty products. Dubbed Not So Sexy: Hidden Chemicals in Perfumes and Colognes, this new study reports on lab tests of 17 scented products — which contained an average of 14 chemicals that weren’t even listed on the ingredient list.

Both women’s and men’s products are tainted. American Eagle Seventy Seven, for example, contained a whopping 24 hidden chemicals, while Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio contained 19 sensitizing chemicals associated with allergies and asthma.

How can perfume companies get away with putting secret chemicals in products bought by unsuspecting consumers? Because companies can claim perfumes as a trade secret; a simple word — fragrance — on an ingredient list can mask all manner of questionable chemicals that haven’t been adequately tested for consumer safety.

The fact that “fragrance” is a cover-all for scary chemicals isn’t new news. Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, as well as individual health and environmental nonprofits like Environmental Group, have been warning consumers about scary phthalates and musks in perfumes for years. What the new study shows, unfortunately, is that the government and the industry have yet to take action to make perfumes safer.

To avoid these secret chemicals, avoid personal care products that have “fragrance” on the ingredient list. Don’t worry — you won’t have to resign yourself to wearing patchouli. More perfumes that cater to health conscious and eco-friendly consumers are coming on the market — and they’ll make you smell lovely without strange chemicals.