An alarming new report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics claims bath products for babies contain carcinogens, but by the standards it used to measure risk from formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane shouldn't we be even more worried about bathwater, tomatoes and fried chicken? And did the activist group actually measure exposure?
The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics (CSC), a coalition of activist groups that have been campaigning for years about chemical exposure in personal care products has released a new report — No More Toxic Tub — on the apparent cancer risks from baby bath products. The study was dutifully transcribed by news media outlets, including ConsumerAffairs.com and USA Today, which headlined the piece “Group finds carcinogens in kids bath products.”
“Many children's bath products contain chemicals that may cause cancer and skin allergies , according to a report released Thursday by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics,” wrote Liz Szabo in USA Today. “Twenty-three of 28 products tested contained formaldehyde, the report says. Formaldehyde — considered a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency — is released as preservatives break down over time in a container.”
There followed a description of the study, comments from a scientist who worked with the cosmetics manufacturer saying there was no cause for concern and an environmental health pediatrician.
The story perhaps explains why only one percent of health journalists said health reporting in the U.S. was “excellent.”
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