You asked and we answered! Here is your one-page reference guide on phthalates! How can you possibly remember ALL OF THE THINGS we should be avoiding in our products? Use the reference to assist you to keep you and your family safe from the harmful effects of phthalates!
Phthalates – tips to follow to keep your family safe!
Click HERE to read a more detailed post on phthalates, and how to identify them on labels, what products in your home may expose you to them, and how they can affect the health of you and those you love! Do you need suggestions on safer personal care products, cleaning supplies, and home goods? Click HERE to see my favorite safe, clean products!
Leave a Comment!
If you find value in content like this one-page reference guide on phthalates, please comment below! I know it is difficult to decipher through all of the information available, so I hope you find this helpful! My goal is to share what I have learned and continue to learn in my mission to keep harmful chemicals out of my home. Please follow me on instagram to stay up to date!
Please follow me to learn what chemicals to avoid and for more safe product suggestions for you and your family!
Why do we really need to worry about phthalates? Do they really deserve the bad rap they have been given? Uhmmm, yes! But why? First off, the word is incredibly difficult to spell! But in all seriousness, phthalate exposure has consistently been linked to hormone disruption, worsening asthma and allergies, increased risk of cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, preterm birth, low birthweight, and so much more!
according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), phthalates are a group of man-made chemicals that are used as an additive to PVC (polyvinyl chloride) products. They are colorless, odorless, oily liquids that are added to make plastics flexible and more difficult to break.
Phthalates are also used as solvents or dissolving agents for many other materials. They are often added to personal care products to make the fragrances last longer. But did you know that the ingredient “fragrance” can include dozens of chemicals and companies are not required to disclose the ingredients publicly on the label.
Unfortunately, when phthalates interact with each other, the exposure effect is increased. In the 2008 report, Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found strong evidence that exposure to a low-dose mixture of five different phthalates caused harmful effects even when exposure to each phthalate individually showed no effect.
Where will you and your family be exposed to phthalates?
You can find phthalates in hundreds of products, including, but not limited to vinyl flooring, shower curtains, adhesives, detergents, lubricating oils, plastic clothes (raincoats), air fresheners, soft-sided lunch boxes, plastic food wrap, garden hoses, inflatable toys, medical tubing, and even some children’s toys.
How many of your children’s toys may contain phthalates?
They are also often found in cleaning products and personal care products. Personal care products with phthalates added to them may include soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, nutritional supplements, and nail polishes.
What ingredients are in your hand soap?
How will you and your family be effected by phthalates?
You may be exposed to phthalates by eating foods or by drinking liquids that have been in contact with containers containing phthalates. Phthalates do not attach to the product, they migrate to the surface and are then released through heat, agitation, and prolonged storage. The release occurs during all of the stages of the product lifecycle from production, through use, and even disposal. It is also possible to inhale the vapors if the air contains dust contaminated with phthalate particles.
Once phthalates enter your body, they are converted into metabolites that are quickly excreted in your urine. Studies have shown that over 90% of the American public has measurable amounts of phthalates in random urine samples. What does that mean? Sadly, although they may be excreted quickly, we are repeatedly and continually exposed to them.
Who is at an increased risk from exposure to phthalates?
Pregnant women and their fetuses
Recently, two studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health revealed that phthalates may increase both the risk of miscarriage and gestational diabetes. Studies have also shown that fetuses who are in a critical window of human development are more vulnerable to adverse outcomes from phthalates. Phthalates cross the placenta and they can be transmitted through breastmilk. A study showed that children whose mothers were exposed to phthalates during pregnancy were more likely to have problems with motor skills and language development. Therefore, there are not just short-term effects from phthalates but effects that may last their entire lifetime.
Young children
Sadly, young children are also at a greater risk of being exposed to phthalate particles because of their hand-to-mouth behaviors. They are also more at risk from phthalates because they are at critical stages of development and due to their smaller body size. With repeat exposure to children’s products manufactured using multiple types of phthalate compounds we are sadly unsure of the amount of exposure for our little ones.
A simple toy may expose your child to dangerous phthalates.
How to identify the most widely used phthalate compounds in products
Phthalates are endocrine disruptors. They have been shown to disrupt the body’s hormones and cause reproductive health effects. Many phthalates interfere with the production of testosterone, the male sex hormone which is necessary for proper development and function of the male reproductive organs. Interference with testosterone activity, especially early in life, may have irreversible effects on male reproduction.
Additional health effects of phthalates
According to Jurewicz (2011), there are strong and consistent indications that exposure to phthalates increases the risk of allergies and asthma as well. Studies have also shown an adverse impact on children’s neurodevelopment and negative changes in toddler behavior. Phthalate exposure in humans has also been linked with an increased risk of cancer, obesity, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, birth defects, preterm birth and low birthweight.
Why are we still exposed to products with phthalates?
It is personal to me!
After reading all of this, you may wonder how is it possible that we are still exposed to phthalates on a daily basis? For me, it is a very personal issue to hear how phthalates may have effected my pregnancies and ultimately my children. I had my son prematurely at 23 weeks followed by two miscarriages. Could my preterm delivery and miscarriages be due to exposure to phthalates? Maybe – but I’ll never really know.
Why are we not protected from phthalates?
Sadly, current law does not require manufacturers to disclose whether or not products contain phthalates, which leaves regulators and consumers completely in the dark. Companies can also just add “fragrance” to the label even if phthalates make up 20% or more of the product. Some toy and cosmetic companies have started to eliminate phthalates from their products, which indicates that it is possible to reformulate products without the use of dangerous phthalates! So why do other companies not follow suit?
We need stricter regulation in the United States
A growing number of states, including California, Maine, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, require product manufacturers to disclose the use of chemicals that may cause birth defects, reproductive harm and/or cancer. But consumer protection should not be left to the voluntary actions by just a few companies or states.
We need stricter regulations here in the United States to protect us. Food manufacturers should no longer use food processing equipment and packaging that contain phthalates. State and federal governments should ban phthalates in home furnishings, building materials, cosmetics, food packaging, and medical devices. ALL cosmetics companies should refuse to use phthalates and other potentially harmful toxic chemicals in personal care products. Hospitals should no longer use PVC medical devices.
What can I do to protect myself and my family?
Read labels and avoid using products that contain phthalates. Support and purchase from companies that are committed to producing phthalate-free products like Beautycounter. Avoid products that include the vague ingredient “fragrance” on the label. Purchase products that are organic and products packaged in glass. Avoid using plastic containers in the microwave or dishwasher. Click HERE for a quick one-page reference on phthalates – what to watch for and how to avoid them!
Do you know ALL of the ingredients in the products you use on your skin, lips, or hair on a daily basis? More importantly, do you know all of the ingredients in your children’s personal care products including their shampoo, body wash, body lotion, or in your daughter’s makeup? If so, can you say with 100% certainty that they are safe? Unfortunately, in the United States, we can never assume that the products we purchase are safe just because we picked them off of a shelf in a department store.
Unsafe products due to under regulation in the U.S.
The challenge for the average consumer stems from the fact that the personal care products industry is largely self-regulated. The manufacturers are not required to conduct premarket safety testing under the current laws. Amazingly, the laws that govern the office’s authority for personal care products in the United States are just 1.5 pages long. What is even more frightening, there has not been a major federal law passed to regulate the safety of ingredients you use on your body since 1938, which is when they were first enacted. On a side note, it took me almost 10 minutes to even find the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act. The American cosmetics industry is a massive $70 billion-a-year industry, while the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors has an annual budget of just $8 million and 27 staff members.
What does that mean for us? It means that there is huge burden placed on all of us to try and decipher what is safe and what is not! Due to the poor and out-dated laws, the FDA is not required to approve personal care products or the ingredients in them before they are launched and sold in stores. Without the time and appropriate knowledge, the average consumer will purchase these products, take them home, and apply them without hesitation on themselves and their family members! Did you know that the European Union bans over 1,300 chemicals in the product formulas of personal care products and they have restricted the levels of over 250 more in such products whereas the United States has only partially banned 30 to date?!?
How many chemicals do you apply to your body on a daily basis?
According to the Environmental Working Group, it is estimated that on average, a woman uses 12 personal care products every day, exposing herself to approximately 168 chemicals. Although men tend to use half as many products as women, they still apply on average 85 chemicals to their body every day. Or think about your tween and teenage daughters, who are experimenting with makeup application and exposing their largest organ to dangerous chemicals or even asbestos as in the recent reports from Claire’s and Justice.
To make matters even worse, if a company receives health-related complaints, they have no legal obligation to report the health problems to the FDA. In 2014, the FDA began to investigate WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners and found that the manufacturer had received over 21,000 complaints related to hair loss and scalp problems, yet the product remains on the market. Or the lawsuit against the well-known Johnson & Johnson who failed to disclose a possible link between their baby powder and Shower to Shower talc powder and ovarian cancer. Sadly, I was one of the many who used Shower to Shower for years, so the claims are incredibly frightening for me and may be for many of you!
What is in your products?
Fragrance – what does it really mean?
The law also permits manufacturers to leave ingredients off of a label and it does not require companies to tell consumers what is actually in the company’s secret blends. Fragrance is essentially a catch all term for “secret ingredients” that companies are able to use. They allow it because the mixes they use to create scents are considered trade secrets, but may contain hidden ingredients like phthalates. A study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics looked at 17 brand name fragrance products and discovered 14 chemicals known to have harmful effects on the human body. According to the FDA, fragrance blends are actually responsible for up to 30% of all allergic reactions to skincare products.
Allergic reactions, infertility, cancer, endocrine disruption and so much more!
So is a rash or an allergic reaction as bad as it gets? No, not even close! Studies have found direct correlations between chemical exposure in personal care products and infertility, miscarriages, hair loss, asthma, and even cancer. Chemicals like parabens and phthalates are commonly found in lotions, shampoos, and nail polishes and are in a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. What do endocrine disruptors actually disrupt? Reproductive problems including infertility, early onset puberty, endometriosis, breast and testicular cancer have all been linked to class of chemicals, endocrine disruptors. Phthalate exposure in humans has been linked to changes in sex hormone levels, altered development of genitals, low sperm quality and count as well as obesity, reduced female fertility, preterm birth, low birthweight infants, worsening of allergy and asthma symptoms, and altered toddler behavior.
What can we do to protect ourselves and our family?
Phthalates and parabens are just two of the chemicals that can be found in products you and your family use on a daily basis. When is the last time you checked the labels on your products? If you haven’t started, now is the time. We, as average consumers, have to take our life and that of our family into our own hands when it comes to the potential dangers of chemicals in your personal care products! As you’ve read, the government and FDA are not protecting you as much as you may have thought.
Please start by educating yourself on some of the dangerous, common chemicals found in personal care products throughout your home. I will continue to provide you with valuable information to help guide you on what to look for on your labels and steer you towards safer products for you and your family! Click HERE to see some of my favorite companies that provide safe and clean products or those companies that also give back in different ways!
It’s time to take action!
Take a bold step today and pull 5 of your products from your shelf and scan them on EWG’s Healthy Living App. The app will rate the overall safety of your product and more detailed information on any allergy concerns, cancer concerns, or developmental concerns. It will also provide you with individual scores for each of the ingredients so you can learn what exactly may be problematic and why. Feel free to comment on what you find out!
