Updated Feb 16, 2007
EWG (The Environmental Working Group) latest study indicates that there is a cancer-risk associated with many cosmetics and personal care items made using petroleum-based ingredients. The study fingered
1,4-dioxane
as the guilty cancer-causing ingredient, and reveals that this impurity is easily absorbed into the skin. The EPA (The Environmental Protection Agency) refers to
1,4-dioxane as “a probable carcinogen” and a “contaminant that poses a human health and environmental risk”.
The lobby group noted that of 15,000 cosmetic products tested, 22% may be contaminated with the cancer-causing agent. EWG noted that hair relaxers posed the biggest risks with 97% of all such products testing positive for 1,4-dioxane.
Other products with high levels of
1,4-dioxane are hair dyes and bleaches with 82%, baby soap with 57%, and anti-aging products with 35%.
Written by the CareFair.com Editorial Team.
