Hormone Disruptors From Cosmetics Found in Teens
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization working to protect public health and the environment, recently published a report where teenage girls were screened for 25 chemicals used in many cosmetics and body care products.
As many as sixteen of the chemicals was detected in the girls’ blood and urine samples. Each girl tested had between 10 and 15 chemicals in her body and 9 of these chemicals were found in every single teenage girl tested.
Chemicals detected included parabens as well as musks and phthalates which act like hormones.
Since the teenage girl’s bodies are still developing, this exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals is worrisome:
Adolescence encompasses maturation of the reproductive, immune, blood, and adrenal hormone systems, rapid bone growth associated with the adolescent “growth spurt,” shifts in metabolism, and key changes to brain structure and function. Alterations in an array of sex hormones, present in the body at levels as low as one part per billion (ppb), or even one part per trillion (ppt), guide this transformation to adulthood. Emerging research suggests that teens may be particularly sensitive to exposures to trace levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals like the ones targeted in this study, given the cascade of closely interrelated hormonal signals orchestrating the transformation from childhood to adulthood.
— EWG (Environmental Working Group) Adolescent exposures to cosmetic chemicals of concern
If you want to know what chemicals your favorite schampoo contains and to what degree these chemicals can be a threat to your health, you can find out at “Skin Deep”, the cosmetic safety database created by the Environmental Working Group. Chances are it will not be your favorite schampoo anymore after a visit to that site. The good news is that there are a number of safe alternatives, proving that it is perfectly possible to manufacture cosmetics and hygiene products without risking the life of the intended customers.
You do not need to dab dangerous chemicals on your skin each and every day.
