Johnson & Johnson Refuses to Remove Cancer Causing Chemicals from Baby Products

A letter signed by 50 groups representing about 1.7 million people was sent to William Weldon, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson.

The letter was asking the company to reformulate it’s iconic baby shampoo and other care products to be free of the cancer causing chemicals 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde.  The widespread response it in reaction to a recent study showing many J&J products as containing small amounts of these dangerous chemicals.

The response from Johnson & Johnson response was that they have no immediate plans to take steps toward removing the chemicals and that their are many regulatory agencies in the world that consider the trace levels of these chemicals to be safe.  There are others of course who do not.  The true concern is not that Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo in and of itself has dangerous levels of 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, but that it in combanation with the many other care products from Johnson & Johnson among other companies eventually will add up to dangerous levels.  The chemicals could be removed from the products at additional cost, as in Japan where regulations prevent the use of chemicals that will create formaldehyde.  J&J products do not contain formaldehyde in Japan.

At the very heart of this ordeal is the fact that although cosmetic care products are obsorbed into our bodies they are not regulated for safety in the United States, a fact that cosmetic companies have lobbied hard to maintain.

Dangerous Chemicals in Common Baby Care Products

Here is some rather startling information put fourth recently by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report, “No More Toxic Tubs”.

The CSC commissioned an independent laboratory to analyze the contents of 48 products marketing for use by babies for the two cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.  The real concern is not neccessarily that one product may contain small amounts of these dangerous chemicals but that many of them would and the small amounts would add up and potentially lead to illness.  Both of these chemicals are known carcinogens and are associated with a number of health problems.  Many countries have laws restricting the use of these chemicals in care products, the United States is not one of those countries.  Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are not intenionally added to products.  Formaldahyde is a by-product of many commonly used preservatives.  1,4-dioxane is a by-product of chemical processing and can be removed from the product but manufacturers are not required to do so under current law.  Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20.

source: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

The Cloth Diaper Choice

Some choose to use cloth all the time, others use cloth as the rule, with exceptions made for traveling, outings or nighttime, while others will use disposables all the time. There are important reasons why we chose to use cloth and with the fabulous products that are currently available, it is easy to do so with very little fuss and a much lighter footprint left upon the environmental future of our children.

We used cloth 99.9% of the time. For the first month, as we adjusted to life with Terran, we used a diaper service. While they were fabulous and I would probably go that route again if we were to have a second child (though maybe just 2 weeks next time around), it is far more economical to own and wash one’s own set. We also used one pack of Tushies brand disposables on a two-week trip we took, but we also took our cloths with us, and alternated between the two as convenience and washing opportunities presented themselves.

One point to mention here is that if it is economically viable, you will probably find that the investment in a really good set of diapers is well worth it (and they can always be found at consignment shops for a fraction of the new price). We found some with built-in liners, velcro fastenings, and snaps that allowed the diaper size to grow with our babe. There are many different types on the market and whether you’re investing in or inheriting a set, it may be a good idea to stop by a good diaper store and discuss which type of wraps go with which type of diapers and the liner options available (generally bio-degradable disposable or reusable).

Why Cloth?
Number one factor in our decision to use cloth was quite simply health. There are no chemicals in cloth diapers therefore there aren’t chemicals in constant contact with baby’s bottom. As we hear more and more about the detrimental effects of various chemicals and toxins in our world, I feel strongly about eliminating those we can for our son.

There are a number of chemicals, perfumes, and dyes in disposable diapers that can irritate babies’ bottoms. One chemical in particular, dioxin, though found only in trace amounts in most brands, has been classified by the World Health Organization as a Class 1 Carcinogen (which means it is a known human carcinogen). Dioxin is a by-product of the paper bleaching process and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that skin rashes, liver damage, weight loss, and a reduction in the effectiveness of the immune system have all been attributed to human exposure of dioxins. I just could not bear the thought of exposing our baby to even trace amounts of such a chemical almost constantly for the first 2-3 years of his life (the time in which his immune system is developing rapidly).

Another of the chemicals found in most disposables is called sodium polyacrylate, which is the chemical that was removed from tampons because of its link to TSS (toxic shock syndrome) in 1985. It is used to make diapers more absorbent (it can hold 100 times it’s weight in liquid), but some sources say it can cause bleeding in the perineal and scrotal tissues of some babies and has even been found in the urinary tracts of some infants.

Hmmm…not a comforting thought for our babies’ bottoms, is it?

Another strong factor in the diapering decision is the environmental impact. It takes about 500 years for disposables to decompose – if they are exposed to sun and air (how long will it take them to decompose if singly wrapped by the Diaper Genie, then put in another, bigger plastic bag to go to the curb in, then dumped into a landfill and piled with tons and tons of other garbage?). They are piling up in our landfills very quickly. From birth to potty-learning, each child will undergo 6000-9000 diaper changes. That literally translates to over one ton of waste entering the solid waste system per child. Disposable diapers are landing in the landfills and besides not decomposing, they contribute to the contamination of the soil, water supplies and create air pollutants. Feces in the disposable diapers can carry over 100 viruses to landfills, and those same chemicals that were next to the baby’s bottom (including dioxins) are also transferred to the land.

Economically speaking, cloth diapers again win hands-down over disposables. Depending on the cloth system employed by families (fitted, flat, pre-folded, all-in-ones, etc.), the costs can range from $150 to $500. Disposables will easily run well over $1500 – for each child. Should you have more than one child, a good set of cloth diapers will likely be able to see another babe or two through their diapering days.

Makes a rather strong argument for the cloth system, doesn’t it?