The Truth About Organic Baby Products - Part 1 of 2

This two part article will cover what key chemicals you should avoid for your baby and why you should buy organic baby products. The second part of the article will focus on tips for buying the correct and safest organic baby products.

Unfortunately baby care products such as shampoos, lotions and powders are classified under cosmetics' regulations and the FDA is consequently not required to test their safety. Consequently when purchasing your organic baby products the sole way to be certain a product will not have unsafe compounds is that it is certified organic, and even healthier, to be certified organic to food standards. It is fundamental to realize that infants and children are very unguarded to the dangerous effects of these chemicals because their bodies, organs and brains are still in development and growing. You need to be informed about how certain ingredients cause harm, how to interpret labels to avoids hazardous toxins and what are the good substitutes.

Major toxins to avoid

•Phthlates: phthlates have been known to disrupt the reproductive and endocrine systems, more so in young bodies and the flourishing rates of male infertility are thought to be linked to phthalate influence.

There has been a lot about Phthalates in the news lately but were you aware that they are contained in nearly most baby care products like lotions and shampoos? Places such as Canada and Europe are taking action, earlier this year Australia banned the use of products with more than 1% phthalate, however I don't think this action was taken on bath and skin products. They are still trying to convince us they are safe. They are not. In a related vein to Australia, California passed a law to ban 6 type of phthalates in toys and bottles but also products like bath and skin care products have not been placed under the law. Companies are not required to fully reveal ingredients on the label, so therefore there is no way to know if they are phthalate free unless you buy certified organic baby products.

Research conducted of late from the University of Washington found that children were not just being exposed through formula, bottles and chewing toys but were also absorbing phthalates through the skin when it was applied directly to the skin. Urine testing was used in 163 children aged 2-28 months and it was concluded that over 80 percent of these infants had over 7 types of phthalate in their urine. The amount of phthalates found was directly related to frequency of baths and lotion use. What was horrifying is that baby shampoo had been used on more than half of the tested infants within 24 hours of the urine testing. Thirty percent had lotions applied and 14% had had powder used. These babies had four times the level of phthalates in their urine than those infants whose parents had not used those particular products on them.

The manufacturers rebut these research claims by expressing the only phthalates used in baby products is called DEP, which apparently has been proven safe. So why then could 7 or more different types be found in the testing? Yes, infants are exposed by many means, but the fact remains that all phthalates were significantly increased in infants whose parents had done nothing else unusual except use lotions, shampoos and powders. This shows a strongly suggestion that the increased phthalates came from these particular products. Remember full ingredient disclosure is not required, so you really don't know exactly what manufacturers are placing in these products.

Cancer causing agents or Carcinogens. The Environmental Protection Agency has found through a review of 23 peer-reviewed studies of cancer over the last 50 years that infants up to the age of two years are 10 times more susceptible to carcingenic chemicals that an adult, and in some instances they are 65 times more susceptible for some cancer causing chemicals. Between the ages of 2-15 years children are three times more susceptible to carcinogens than adults. They reason by stating children accumulate up to fifty percent of their lifetime cancer probability by the age of two.Here are just a few ingredients noted or suspected to cause cancer: Ammonium laureth sulphate, Alkyl-phenol-ethoxylades, Cocamide (and cocomide)DEA, FDC- (FD&C) Colors, Benzene,Glycols - Propylene glycol, Ethylene glycol, Diethylene glycol and carbitol.

Fragrances are known to contain up to 4000 separate ingredients, with just about all of those being synthetic. These synthetic fragrances can result headache, dizzy spells, rashes, skin disorders, coughing and vomiting, skin reactions and asthma. Their affects on the central nervous system can cause hyperactivity, depression, irritability, inability to cope and some other behavioral changes.

Elizabeth Daniels
Health Care Professional and Organic Product Advocate.

Elizabeth runs a popular website for Australians helping to inform them about the benefits of natural and organic products. She also provides detailed reviews of organic and natural products to help people make the most informed decisions about what they buy.

Click here for natural organic product reviews and information.

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