The cosmetic and body products women use every day can be contaminated with chemicals, and their effects could be especially harmful for teens. The Environmental Working Group (EW) tested 20 teenaged girls between the ages of 14 and 19 and found 16 chemicals in their blood and urine. The chemicals involved have been linked to hormone disruption and even cancer.
Teens are especially vulnerable in two ways. First, they use more personal care products than adult women, using an average of 17 each day with a total of 174 ingredients compared to the average adult woman’s usage of 12. Second, the large number of products containing damaging ingredients comes at a time when girls’ bodies are developing rapidly, and reproductive, immune, blood, and other systems are maturing.
Some of the sex hormones that guide the body’s changes are present in miniscule amounts as low as one part per trillion (ppt) and girls’ bodies may be particularly sensitive to chemicals that disrupt hormones.
The group advises that consumers avoid the following ingredients found in cosmetics and other personal care products:
• parbens (or ingredients that have “parben” as a part of their name). Linked to hormone disruption.
• Sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate. May cause skin damage.
• Fragrances and dyes. Tied to allergies, cancer, and difficulty with the nervous system
• “PEG” and “-eth.” Toxic contaminants.
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. Linked to allergies and difficulties with the nervous system.
• Triclosan and triclocarban. May cause thyroid problems.
• DMDM hydantoin and imidanzolidinyl urea. Toxic contaminants
• Triehanolamine (TEA). Contain toxic contaminants and also linked to allergies.
Some specific types of products the EWG also advises consumers to avoid include:
• Anti-aging creams that contain lactic, glycolia, AHA and BHA acid
• Nail polishes and nail polish removers that contain formaldehyde
• All dark permanent hair dyes and dyes containing peroxide, ammonia, p-phenylenediamine, and diaminobenzene.
The EWG recommends that the federal government set safety standards for cosmetic and other personal care products and reformulate products, removing potentially harmful ingredients.
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