Toxin Found in 'Natural,' 'Organic' Items

16 years ago

Just ran across this and thought it interesting.

By Annya Shin, Washington Post staff writer.

"Some major brands of shampoo, shower gel and dish soap marketed as "natural" or "organic" contain small amounts of a potentially dangerous chemical, according to a report released yesterday by the Organic Consumers Association.

The OCA, which represents consumers and manufacturers in the natural and organic foods industry, said an independent lab's tests of more than 100 personal-care products sold in natural-food stores found trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane in 46 products. The petroleum-based solvent, which causes cancer in animals, is not added to the items but appears as a byproduct of manufacturing.

Some of the products tested had the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic seal, and none of those contained 1,4-dioxane.

The report is the latest salvo in a five-year battle over marketing claims that has divided the booming natural-products industry. The group said the presence of 1,4-dioxane poses a health risk and undermines natural and organic claims by some manufacturers.

But government regulators disagree on whether trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane in personal-care and household products are dangerous. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates personal-care products, said the amounts typically found in cosmetics "do not present a hazard to consumers."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates household cleaners, has no limit for 1,4-dioxane and evaluates the safety of products on a case-by-case basis, spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

California requires that products that contain more than 0.03 parts per million of 1,4-dioxane carry a warning saying that the contents may cause cancer. The amounts the OCA found were as high as 97.1 parts per million, in a dish liquid.

Products that the OCA said had 1,4-dioxane include Jason Fragrance Free Satin Soap, Citrus Magic 100 Percent Natural Dish Liquid, Alba Botanical Passion Fruit Body Wash and Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Shower Gel. Products that tested negative included Burt's Bees Body Wash, Dr. Bronner's and Sundog's Magic Orange Lavender Organic Lotion, Clorox Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner, and Dr. Hauschka Body Wash Fresh.

The OCA receives 90 percent of its funding from individuals and the rest from grants, some of which are from companies. Two of the group's funders make personal-care products, and the OCA tested the products of one, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, which did not contain 1,4-dioxane. It did not test products from the other funder, Intelligent Nutrients, because they are not widely available.

The results surprised some of the companies named in the report. "It's the first we've even heard of that," said John Howell, technical director of Beaumont Products of Kennesaw, Ga., which produces Citrus Magic 100 Percent Natural Dish Liquid. "We'll look into both our raw materials and anything we can think of."

Whole Foods makes "natural" but no "organic" claims for its 365 Everyday Value products. Spokeswoman Cathy Cochran-Lewis said the company plans to investigate the report's findings.

Lisa Lehndorff, a spokeswoman for Hain Celestial, which owns Jason and Alba, said that the Jason tagline of "pure, natural, and organic" refers only to ingredients and that Alba makes no organic claims. The "natural" claim means "we strive to use ingredients originating from natural sources," she said.

Personal-care products with the USDA organic seal must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients. That policy was the result of a settlement between the USDA and the OCA, which sued the agency three years ago, saying it failed to police organic claims. Misuse of the USDA organic seal carries penalties of $11,000 per violation and a ban on using the seal for several years, spokeswoman Joan Shaffer said.

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Comments (5)

duluthinbloomz4
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
movin' on down...
diggerdee zone 6 CT
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
When I read this article last week, sadly, it came as not much of a surprise to me.

Just about a month ago, I happened to really read the ingredients on a shampoo I had purchased, and realized that it wasn't quite as "natural" as the label touted it to be. (And this was something other than 1,4-dioxane)

At that point, I went on a pretty intensive internet search for shampoo that was truly organic... and was quite disappointed in my search.

Many brands that I had seen previously, and thought were organic, were not completely so. And the one or two that I found were outrageously priced.

The next day, I happened to drive to a natural foods store and was browsing in their health and beauty aids section. I ended up in a discussion with a very helpful employee, and we debated whether it was better to buy the $2 bottle of a popular non-organic brand, since after all, we're not really getting organic stuff anyway, or to pay the $8 a bottle for the shampoo that has fewer chemical ingredients, but still is not completely organic. (Buying the $14 "certified organic" shampoo is completely out of the question for me at this point!)

Her take was that it was better to buy the "more" organic/natural shampoo because it was a step in the right direction, and that since it had fewer chemicals it was better for us and the environment.

While I saw her point and agreed with it to an extent, it angers me that many companies charge and receive $8 or more a bottle and have customers who think they are getting an organic shampoo. So IMO, continuing to buy their product is rewarding them for something they are not doing, and to a point rewarding them for hoodwinking consumers.

It's quite discouraging. I cut corners to spend the $$$ on items that are supposedly natural and organic, etc., both in foods as well as personal care products and cleaning products also. It costs a lot of money to buy with your conscience, and so many people are trying to, and sometimes it makes you wonder why you bother.

Sorry to vent. Actually, duluth, this was one reason why I didn't post to this thread earlier. I'm kind of discouraged and didn't want to be a downer to everyone, lol!

I guess we've just got to really read labels and educate ourselves on what those labels really say.

:)
Dee
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squeeze
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
a "toxin" is a poisonous product of the metabolic activities of a living organism, like the aflatoxin found in grains and oilseeds, or patulin in apple juice ... toxins are the result of microbial activity, bacterial or fungal .... what that report is talking about is a contaminant, and considering that it's a petroleum derivitive, it may simply be a "natural" result of using a plastic container, or from contamination by lubricants at the production facility, not terribly dangerous in a soap product

Bill
gram999
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This subject is one of my pet peeves. I read there are over 2,000 toxic ingredients in cosmetics. I didn't save the website, but you could find it in a search for "toxic chemicals in cosmetics". Below is a website that lists 59 & states what those toxins cause.

I printed out the list & went to a health food store & spent 2 hrs. reading labels to find safe shampoos, skin care, etc. Burts Bee's is one of the brands I found to be safe. They have signed a contract not to use harmful products or harm animals in any way. (Now it's owned by Colgate, so I don't know if that's still the case.) You can buy their products at a discount at Vitacost.com, plus, of course, supplements, food & many other things. Shipping is a flat $4.99. I've ordered from them several times & have been very pleased. Products arrive in 3-4 days.

I was using a shampoo that cost $26 (probably higher now) for 18 oz. The first ingredient is water. The 2nd & 3rd are on the toxic list. The reason they use these products is because they are cheap & they give the suds consumers want. If the first ingredient is basically free & the other 2 are cheap, what was I paying $26 for?

I received an email from a company promoting their product. I read the ingredient list & can't remember what the product was, but it turned into formeldayde or had formelahyde in it (can't remember the particulars). I sent them an email stating I was aware that "whatever it was" was a toxic chemical. I received an email 2 weeks later stating that the form of that product they used didn't do that. I told them if they would make it 100% safe I would be interested. No reply from that email.

We all need to be writing these companies & letting them know we are concerned.

I subscribe to a health newsletter that investigates everything to do with health. I'm new here, so I don't know if I can post it here. It's shocking news. Someone please let me know if it's allowed.

I'm not involved with Vitacost or Burt's Bees. Just angry that companies would put so many lives in danger for profit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Toxic ingredients in cosmetics
isabella__MA
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Interesting... 1,4 Dioxane is not a naturally occuring substance, but is manufactored directly or as an incidental by product in other reactions. My company is in the business of environmental remediations, and we look for 1,4 dioxane in groundwater contaminated with the chlorinated solvent trichloroethane. 1,4 D is added to TCA degreasing solvents as a preservative. 1,4 D is an ether compound just like MTBE. The ether stucture of 1,4 D makes it highly soluble in water, recalitrant to biodegradation, and difficult to treat once pumped out of an aquifer.

Toxin Found in 'Natural,' 'Organic' Items

Comments (5)

duluthinbloomz4
Original Author

diggerdee zone 6 CT

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Toxin Found in 'Natural,' 'Organic' Items

Comments (5)

duluthinbloomz4Original Author

diggerdee zone 6 CT

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squeeze

gram999

isabella__MA

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duluthinbloomz4
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