Teen Girls Going Green | Toxic Make-Up Study

A new study on teenagers and toxic chemicals was released by the Environmental
Working Group (EWG), and it has some very disturbing results. Laboratory tests
revealed that teenage girls across America are contaminated with chemicals commonly
used in cosmetics and body care products. The study found an average of 13
different hormone-altering chemicals in their bodies.

The laboratory tests found 16 chemicals from 4 different chemical families -
phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in the blood and urine samples of the
girls. Studies have linked these chemicals to potential health effects, including cancer
and hormone disruption. This work represents the first focused look at exposure
data for parabens in teens, and indicates that young women are widely exposed to
this common class of cosmetic preservatives, with methylparaben and
propylparaben detected in every single girl tested.

The girls in the study were 14 to 19 years old . This age level is a peak period for rapid
bone growth, significant shifts in metabolism and key changes in brain function.

- Federal statutes do not require companies to test
products or ingredients for safety before they are sold.
Nearly all personal care products contain ingredients that have not
been assessed for safety by an accountable agency, and are not
required to meet safety standards. Manufacturers can use
almost any chemical they want in their products!

- Adolescent girls typically experiment with increasing
numbers and varieties of body care products. The girls
studied used an average of 17 personal care products each day,
while the average adult woman uses an average of only 12
products daily, increasing their exposure to these chemicals.

- The Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates all
industrial chemicals in the United States, was created over
30 years ago, and it assumes chemicals in everyday
products are innocent until proven guilty. The products we
use every day can contain thousands of ingredients that have
never been tested for safety.

- The personal care products industry polices itself through
an industry panel called the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR).
This is an industry-funded panel of scientists that has reviewed only
11% of all ingredients in cosmetics. An investigation found that the
panel ignores serious health concerns such as cancer, birth
defects, and hormone disruption, and finds more than 99% of
ingredients reviewed safe as used. Companies are not bound
by the panel's restrictions or recommendations, so compliance is
entirely voluntary.

"Hormone-altering chemicals shouldn't be in cosmetics, especially in products
used by millions of teenage girls. Their bodies are still developing and may be
especially vulnerable to risks from these exposures. Most parents don't know
that the eyeliner, lipstick or shampoo they allow their daughters to use
probably contains at least one chemical linked to a number of serious health
concerns. Teenage girls are at a particularly vulnerable age and these
exposures could trigger a subtle sequence of damaging effects that leads to
health problems later in life." - Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D, author of the report and Staff
Scientist at EWG

Search the cosmetics safety database to help guide purchasing of safe personal care and
cosmetics products at the Cosmetics Database

To read about teens who are fighting for safe cosmetics, visit TeensTurningGreen.com