Formaldehyde in cosmetics

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Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical used in industry in the
manufacture of glues and is also used as a preservative in
cosmetics, vaccines and for embalming bodies. Formaldehyde
mixes easily with water but will not mix with oil or grease. It
is common to find formaldehyde in aqueous cosmetic formulations
such as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, liquid hand wash and
bubble bath, even products designed for children such as bubble
bath and baby shampoo have formaldehyde in them!

Would you knowingly put formaldehyde on your skin or allow your
loved ones to if you knew the full facts?


Formaldehyde Fact Sheet

Health Effects of Formaldehyde Formaldehyde, a colourless,
pungent-smelling gas, can cause watery eyes, burning sensations
in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in
some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per
million). High concentrations of formaldehyde may trigger asthma
attacks in susceptible people. There is evidence that some
people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde
has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and is a known
carcinogen (may cause cancer in humans). Health effects from
exposure to formaldehyde include eye, nose, and throat
irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe
allergic reactions. May also cause other effects listed under
"organic gases." EPA's Integrated Risk Information System
profile - http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0419.htm

How Formaldehyde Affects Your Body: Fact Sheet

Formaldehyde can affect you when you breathe its vapours and/or
touch the liquid. Because formaldehyde reacts quickly with body
tissues, it mainly affects sites of direct contact, such as the
lungs and eyes and skin. The most common effect of mild
overexposure is irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin,
as described below.

Eyes, Nose, and Throat: The eyes, nose, and throat are
irritated by formaldehyde vapours at levels as low as 1 part
formaldehyde per million parts of air (1 part per million, or 1
"ppm" - see "Legal Exposure Limits"). Low-level exposure can
cause teariness, redness, and burning of the eyes, sneezing and
coughing, and sore throat. Liquid formaldehyde solutions
contacting the eyes can damage the cornea, possibly causing
blindness.


Exposure to formaldehyde vapours produces varied effects; some
people have irritant symptoms at very low levels, while others
can tolerate higher levels with little or no reaction. Some
common effects of formaldehyde vapours on the eyes, nose, and
throat are described below:


Lungs: High levels (5-30 ppm and higher) can severely irritate
the lungs, causing chest pain and shortness of breath.


Repeated exposure to formaldehyde can cause asthma. Symptoms of
asthma include chest tightness, shortness of breath, wheezing,
and coughing. Repeated exposure to formaldehyde and/or other
respiratory irritants may also increase your chances of
contracting pneumonia or bronchitis. Formaldehyde's long-term
effects on the lungs are not fully understood but may cause
permanent damage.


Skin: Formaldehyde solutions can destroy your skin's natural
protective oils. Frequent or prolonged skin contact with
formaldehyde solutions can cause dryness, flaking, cracking, and
dermatitis (skin rash). Skin contact can also cause an allergic
reaction (redness, itching, hives, and blisters). Studies show
that as many as one in twenty workers who are regularly exposed
to formaldehyde develop an allergic skin reaction.


Cancer: Formaldehyde causes cancer in test animals.
Some studies have suggested that formaldehyde exposure can
cause cancer of the lungs and respiratory tract in humans.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers
formaldehyde a probable human carcinogen.
Formaldehyde is classed as a carcinogen under California's Prop 65.


Reproductive System: The effects of formaldehyde on the
reproductive system have not been well studied. In limited
studies, formaldehyde did not harm pregnancy in female animals
or affect the reproductive function of male animals. We do not
know whether formaldehyde can affect pregnancy or reproductive
function in humans; however, exposures that do not cause other
symptoms probably will not affect pregnancy or reproductive
function. [/color]


Just what are the safe levels of these contaminants? The truth
is, no one knows. Many of the ingredients commonly used in the
cosmetics and toiletries we use every day are increasingly
coming under suspicion. For example, the Food and Drug
Administration in the USA are currently assessing the risks of
DEA (diethanolamine) residues in cosmetics following a study
that linked DEA to cancer in laboratory animals.

Many people have had a bad experience with a cosmetic or
toiletry that left them with red, itching skin or a bad hair
day. Perhaps the informed consumer should demand that cosmetics
and toiletries carry labels that say, "Analysis shows that this
product contains no formaldehyde." And a host of other common
contaminants should also be included in the analysis.

If there is a risk, however slight, then these substances should
be removed from our personal care products. The technology to do
this exists so as informed consumers we should insist that it is
used. Twenty years ago the words, "Free from artificial colours
and flavours," was rare on food packaging. Now it is
commonplace. Let's do the same for cosmetics.
_________________
Maree McGoldrick
www.bodiorganic.com