Washington, DC –
After a new study revealed that widely used baby products contain
carcinogens and other harmful chemicals, New York Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand urged the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate
ingredients in baby products. In a letter sent late yesterday to Frank
M. Torti, Acting Commissioner, Senator Gillibrand called on the FDA to
ensure that all ingredients are safe for long-term use before they can
be used in baby products.
In
her letter, Senator Gillibrand wrote, “As a mother of two young
children, I expect the baby and child products my family uses to be
safe. I find it to be unacceptable that the FDA does not regulate
personal care products, as it does food and drugs. As a result, baby
soap, lotions and other products are contaminated with deadly
chemicals. Even the best intentioned parent cannot protect their child
when the danger is unknown or invisible to watchful eyes.”
A
study released last week by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics showed that
baby care products are commonly contaminated with formaldehyde or
1,4-dioxane, which have been linked to cancer and skin allergies. More
than two-thirds of the products tested positive for 1,4-dioxane and
more than eighty percent were found to contain formaldehyde – 17 of the
products tested positive for both.
In addition, there is growing
evidence that proves that toxic chemicals lead to increasing rates of
disease, even in small doses. Studies have found these risks to be even
more pronounced in children under the age of 18-months.
“Americans
expect and deserve the same level of protection from harmful cosmetics
as they do from dangerous food and drugs. The fact that these
products, used daily on children and babies throughout the country, are
among the least-regulated products on the market is intolerable. I am
writing to demand that the FDA protect America’s children by requiring
that all ingredients are safe for long-term use before they can be used
in everyday products,” Senator Gillibrand wrote.
Senator Gillibrand plans to explore legislation to require the FDA to regulate the ingredients in baby products.
Letter is attached.