Green Products Test Positive for Toxin

In the words of Will Ferrel in Anchor Man, I have an urgent and horrifying news story: A specific carcinogen has been found in a number of "green" products that I use. I bought these products thinking that I was doing myself and the environment a favor. According to the LA Times,

Many items that tested positive for the carcinogen are well-known brands, including Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature's Gate products, sold in retail stores across the nation... Of the 100 products tested, 47 had detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane, which the Environmental Protection Agency has declared a probable human carcinogen because it causes cancer in lab animals.

It turns out that the carcinogen is a by-product created during the manufacturing process when two different chemicals are combined -- It is not intentionally added to the product. Here is what the article says to look out for:

... because the vast majority of shampoos, soaps and other consumer goods do not carry the USDA organic seal, it's nearly impossible for buyers to know whether the ones they use contain 1,4-dioxane because the chemical is not listed on ingredient labels. Products most likely to contain the compound usually list polyethylene glycol or compounds with the syllables PEG, short for polyethylene glycol, -eth or -oxynol-,according to the FDA.

One thing to keep in mind is that regular soaps, detergent, etc probably contain more harmful ingredients than these natural/organic products... So in away you might still be harming yourself LESS with the natural products... Hopefully the USDA will eventually regulate on all natural products so we will know that the USDA sticker = good. To read the full article, click here.

Hat Tip: Davin O'Regan