In a recent Boston Globe article, Dr. Perry E. Sheffield, an assistant professor of preventive medicine and pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was quoted as saying “Effectively, we’re conducting experiments on our population.”

In our homes, every day, we are exposed to all kinds of chemicals. And, as the article states, it’s nearly impossible to prove “scientifically that certain diseases are caused by household chemicals, such as bisphenol-A, phthalates, and flame retardants.” But the three scientists that were interviewed for the article have changed their own habits at home, based on their own research and therefore their understanding of the risks we are exposed to.

The “Big Three” that are the focus of the article are: Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and fire retardants.

The first, BPA, is one that I have written about numerous times. It seems that every few months there is a new study linking it to some issue. The Globe summarized recent studies, saying:

It was inevitable. Boys would get sucked into the beauty industry at some point. And it has happened. According to a recent New York Times article, boys from tweens through their 20’s are now targeted heavily by the manufacturers of grooming products like hair products, deodorants, body sprays, colognes, etc. All of these products with all of these scents. Not only are parents getting fed up with the clouds of fragrance trailing their sons (thankfully mine are still too young for this…) – but the kids are getting more than they bargained for.

As Stacy Malkan, the founder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says in her blog posting:

“The irony of this story, which the Times missed entirely, is that the ads promise virility and masculinity, yet the products may have the exact opposite effect on the bodies of developing boys. Most fragranced products contain diethyl phthalate, a chemical that has been linked to sperm damage and feminized genitals. Many of the products, from body spray to shampoo, also contain parabens, a chemical that acts like estrogen in the body.

In all, the 18 body-care products used by the above-mentioned teenagers contain roughly 200 synthetic chemicals that the boys are putting on their bodies each day before breakfast. This daily dose includes dozens of chemicals linked to cancer, skin problems, allergies and hormone disruption, according to an analysis of a typical suite of these products on the Skin Deep database.”

Boys have just as much to lose as girls through exposure to these unnecessary chemicals. Teach them at a young age to read labels and avoid the fragrances. Look for natural, essential oil-based products instead – they are out there, they’re just harder to find. Otherwise, the consequences can be serious. And really, they’ll be doing everyone else around them a favor anyway. Have you ever been around a teen doused in Axe. Iiiiicccccckkkkkk.

In the news last week was an announcement from the FDA that they acknowledge that the chemical bisphenol A (or BPA) causes “some concern” and they are going to investigate it further. According to an article in the Boston Globe, while the FDA did say that there is not yet any evidence to further regulate the use of BPA , the Department of Health and Human Services did suggest that people throw away scratched plastic cups and baby bottles with BPA to avoid the ingestion of small amounts of the chemical that can seep out into drinks. It looks like the governmental agencies are showing potential to give this the attention it deserves.

The Health and Human Services has a great posting on their website at :http://www.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/. They give some good explanations of what is being investigated further, and they also list other helpful suggestions – in addition to the one above – to avoid exposing your children to BPA. One interesting fact is that powdered infant formula is generally free of BPA, it’s the liquid version that can be contaminated.

The only tip they offer that I disagree with is the one that says it is generally OK for infants to suck on soft plastic toys. They may be safe from BPA but they are often packed with phthalates (a whole different concern) – so always find out as much as you can about the safety of plastic toys before you allow your infant to suck on them. Wish I’d know about all of this before I had kids. Ugh. It’s scary to think about all that they may have been exposed to!

I have a great disdain for phthalates. I have posted many times about this category of chemicals that are used as a plasticizer and strangely also used commonly in fragrances (both perfumes as well as fragrances/scents for products). All Garden Girl products are phthalate-free for the very reason that there is a lot of research popping up that points to phthalates being a very harmful chemical.

Well now there’s more research to point to the dangers of phthalates. On Monday, Reuters published an article regarding recent research on the chemical.

“Researchers from Turkey found higher blood levels of the most commonly used plasticizer, DEHP (the most common phthalate), in a group of boys with abnormal enlargement of the breasts — a common condition seen in up to 65 percent of adolescent boys called pubertal gynecomastia. The condition usually resolves on its own after boys get through puberty.”

The report goes on to say that boys with the highest levels of MEHP (another type of phthalate) were 25 times more likely to have breast enlargement. Yowzah.

The study was unfortunately very small, so there are many valid issues with the testing process. But it does add to the growing list of concerning information about phthalates. Exposure to phthalates can be from an almost unlimited number of sources, including: personal care products, paints, building materials, household furnishing, clothing, dentures, children’s toys, cleaning materials, insecticides, food, certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Ugh.

So until the chemical is banned, the best we can do is avoid what we can. Some tips: avoid using plastics with hot foods, keep them out of the dishwasher and microwave, and try to use alternatives whenever possible. Also – avoid soft plastic toys for babies that might get chewed on, and don’t microwave baby bottles to heat them. If at all possible, try to use glass baby bottles.

It looks like at least some companies are finally reducing the amount of phthalates in their products. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics just released results of a follow-up study to their “Not Too Pretty” study from 2002 in which they had found 70% of the 72 products they studied had phthalates. In this recent study, they studied 12 of the worst offenders, and found that 9 had reduced or eliminated the phthalates.

What are phthalates? They are an ingredient that is often found in fragrances, but usually not listed in the ingredients list. The problem is that they mimic hormones and have been linked to genital changes in baby boys, reduced sperm count in men, and early puberty for girls.

So it is heartening to know that some big cosmetics and personal care companies are listening and have made an effort to reduce this harmful ingredient.

Check out the article in USAToday and the full report from Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Well here is more research to show how “gender-bending” chemicals are wreaking havoc on endocrine systems of all kinds of vertibrate animals – from fish to mammals – including humans. According to “The Independent” newspaper from the UK, a report will be published this week that details findings from many of the world’s top scientists showing that the male of many species is being “feminized” over time due to exposure to chemicals.

According to the article, “wildlife and people have been exposed to more than 100,000 new chemicals in recent years, and the European Commission has admitted that 99 per cent of them are not adequately regulated. There is not even proper safety information on 85 per cent of them.”

The article highlights a few of the chemical groups that are the worst offenders, led by phthalates, flame retardents (found in electrical goods and furniture, including mattresses), pesticides, and PCBs.

Check out the full article, and keep an eye out for the report. While you can be exposed to many of the chemicals daily through what you breathe, eat and put on your skin, you can reduce your exposure by being aware of what you buy and use in your home. And don’t forget – Garden Girl products are phthalate free!

In doing some research online, I came across this great summary about concerns regarding phthalates from the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (which, by the way, is a great resource for keeping a “healthy home”):

http://www.checnet.org/HealtheHouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=509

So here’s the thing – I think we are at the tip of a very distressing iceberg with phthalates. I have just been invited to join in a conference call next Wednesday from the BreastCancerFund.org group. The topic will be the new evidence linking breast cancer and environmental exposures. The invitation mentions that they will be discussing “emerging evidence suggesting early life exposures to these chemicals are critical to a child’s later-life breast cancer risk.”

A child safety act was just passed in the US Senate which included a ban on phthalates in children’s toys. And this week there was a report that showed evidence of endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in the drinking water in 20 major metropolitan areas.

Again – tip of the iceberg. Expect to see a lot more about combined impact of the chemicals, led by phthalates, that we are exposed to in our daily lives through various means.

Phthalates – it may look funny but that’s all that’s funny about it. Pthalates (pronounced THAYlates) are found in many products and have been found to be highly toxic. According to “Not too Pretty” – the CDC found 7 different types of phthalates in 289 people tested. Every single person had dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in his or her body. DBP is the most toxic – and all phthalates are linked to birth defects in the male reproductive systems.

Women aged 20-40 were found to have the highest levels of DBP in their bodies. Yep – that’s right. Highest levels of this toxic chemical that can cause birth defects in males and impact their reproductive system. And this is found in women in peak childbearing years.

So where are these coming from? Well – they did a lot of research on why women would have the highest levels. DBP and other phthalates are found in things like vinyl shower curtains and are responsible for the “new car smell”. But that wouldn’t explain why women have the highest levels. Of course, it turns out that the reason is that they are found in cosmetics. Nail polish was the biggest culprit, but it is also found in other products ranging from shampoos to deodorants.

In “Not Just a Pretty Face”, it states: “In 2005 there were more than 57,000 nail salonsin the US, employing more than 380,000 licensed nail technicians – 95% of these workers are women, and 59% are women of color. The average age of the workers is 38.”

EWG reported in their 2002 Not Too Pretty report that they found phthalates in “72% of personal care products, including fragrance containing shampoos, deodorants and hair gels. None of the products listed phthalates on the label.” Seems a little scary to me…