Concern raised over chemical levels in tooth whitening productsBy Louise Prance
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The UK Trading Standards Institute (TSI) has warned consumers against DIY tooth whitening kits after tests reported illegally high levels of hydrogen peroxide in many products.
A total of 14 out of 20 DIY kits tested were found to contain high levels of the chemical more commonly found in hair dyes, with high quantities in tooth whitening causing damage to the mouth.
'Many people these days aspire to having the perfect Hollywood smile and some stars have paid a lot of money to achieve this through cosmetic dental treatment" said Ron Gainsford, chief executive of TSI.
'There are much cheaper kits on sale for home use - for instance, some of those tested by trading standards cost as little as £14. But this could end up burning more than a hole in your pocket. Our tests found high levels of hydrogen peroxide, which can aggravate gum disease and cause sensitive teeth - or even chemical burns to the mouth.
As tooth whitening continues to grow in popularity consumers are increasingly seeking cheaper alternatives to the expensive option of having the teeth professionally coloured.
Therefore the trend for at home tooth-whitening kits is growing, with more and more consumers opting for the cheaper alternative.
However, with one of the tested products being 230 times over the legal limits the TSI has highlighted a rise in the dangerous levels of chemicals found in formulations.
Only two of the products, which were purchased over the internet or in beauty shops across the Midlands, complied with the Cosmetics Products (Safety) Regulations - guidelines that ban the sale of tooth whitening kits that contain more than 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide.
'The remaining 14 contained amounts of hydrogen peroxide ranging from 0.24 per cent to an incredible 23.8 per cent,' said Alex Rankin, a spokesman on safety for the Central England Trading Standards Authority and principal trading standards officer for Telford & Wrekin Council in Shropshire.
The issue has raised concerns over whether the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations should also regulate dentists, as there may be individual occasions where a fully qualified dentist could decide that a patient can be treated safely with a product containing a higher level of hydrogen peroxide.
'However, at present anyone manufacturing or supplying a teeth whitening product - including dentists - with a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide than 0.1% is in breach of the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations and could face action by trading standards authorities,' said Mike MacGregor, operations and development manager for Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards..
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The Harmful Effects of Household Cleaners on Children and Babies
Author: Danni Vickers
Many people often find themselves cleaning their home like crazy, because they want to make sure their home is clean for their children. Unfortunately most people have no clue about the harmful toxins found in many household cleaning products. Many mothers an fathers find themselves using bleach to clean items bought at yard sales, and even to clean walls or bathrooms.
Why should they not? I mean the bottles do not say how toxic it is! All the manufacture cares about is making a parent think the product is great to kill germs, so as parents we buy them. They fail to alert users of the toxins contained in these cleaning products. Most parents find themselves cleaning off the baby's crib, toys, and floors with cleaning products, that are leaving more toxins behind than the toxins they are cleaning because the companies are NOT required by law to alert the consumer!
Here are some facts about common household cleaning products found in many homes across the globe today!
Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners and all have been linked as cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present.
Most children at young ages spend much of the day putting things in their mouths. Especially toddlers, they seem to put anything and everything in their mouths that they can get their hands on. In 1998, scientists at Rutgers University discovered that pesticides sprayed in a home evaporate from floors and carpets, and then re-condense on plastic and foam objects such as pillows and plush toys. By observing how frequently a group of pre-schoolers put clean toys in their mouths, the researchers calculated that contaminated toys are likely to give young children much higher doses of poison than adults would get in the same environment.
Babies do not excrete contaminants or store them away in fat in the same ways that adults do, making the poisons more available to affect rapidly growing bodies. Furthermore, because a baby's immune system is not fully functional, a baby's body cannot counteract toxic effects as well as an adult can. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in a human child, that barrier isn't fully developed until six months after birth.
A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins from common cleaners to their unborn child! Many contaminants such as dioxins and PCBs have an affinity for fatty tissue. During pregnancy, women mobilize their amassed stores of body fat to provide nourishment for their growing babies; the contaminants in the fat are then passed to their children. Nursing mothers also transfer a good portion of their lifetime accumulation of chemicals to their babies.
Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development. According to Dr. Landrigan, the central nervous system is especially vulnerable. To function properly, the developing brain must lay down an intricate web of interconnecting neurons. Small doses of neurotoxins during critical periods of brain development can alter those crucial neural pathways - one mistake early on, and the brain may be forever changed in subtle or serious ways. Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxics and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
As a parent you SHOULD be concerned about this! Cleaning your home with toxic products are literally breaking down your children's bodies and adding onto the changes of cancer and other life threatening health concerns.
Even if you had no clue about this concern, until you just read this article, now is the time to take action! You can start by only bring into your home toxin free cleaning products! Get rid of any products that are not eco-friendly. If a product is eco friendly, that means it is safe to have in your home! If it is safe to have in your home, it is safe to use without having to worry about the harmful effects!
The Harmful Effects of Household Cleaners on Children and Babies
Author: Danni Vickers
Many people often find themselves cleaning their home like crazy, because they want to make sure their home is clean for their children. Unfortunately most people have no clue about the harmful toxins found in many household cleaning products. Many mothers an fathers find themselves using bleach to clean items bought at yard sales, and even to clean walls or bathrooms.
Why should they not? I mean the bottles do not say how toxic it is! All the manufacture cares about is making a parent think the product is great to kill germs, so as parents we buy them. They fail to alert users of the toxins contained in these cleaning products. Most parents find themselves cleaning off the baby's crib, toys, and floors with cleaning products, that are leaving more toxins behind than the toxins they are cleaning because the companies are NOT required by law to alert the consumer!
Here are some facts about common household cleaning products found in many homes across the globe today!
Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners and all have been linked as cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present.
Most children at young ages spend much of the day putting things in their mouths. Especially toddlers, they seem to put anything and everything in their mouths that they can get their hands on. In 1998, scientists at Rutgers University discovered that pesticides sprayed in a home evaporate from floors and carpets, and then re-condense on plastic and foam objects such as pillows and plush toys. By observing how frequently a group of pre-schoolers put clean toys in their mouths, the researchers calculated that contaminated toys are likely to give young children much higher doses of poison than adults would get in the same environment.
Babies do not excrete contaminants or store them away in fat in the same ways that adults do, making the poisons more available to affect rapidly growing bodies. Furthermore, because a baby's immune system is not fully functional, a baby's body cannot counteract toxic effects as well as an adult can. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in a human child, that barrier isn't fully developed until six months after birth.
A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins from common cleaners to their unborn child! Many contaminants such as dioxins and PCBs have an affinity for fatty tissue. During pregnancy, women mobilize their amassed stores of body fat to provide nourishment for their growing babies; the contaminants in the fat are then passed to their children. Nursing mothers also transfer a good portion of their lifetime accumulation of chemicals to their babies.
Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development. According to Dr. Landrigan, the central nervous system is especially vulnerable. To function properly, the developing brain must lay down an intricate web of interconnecting neurons. Small doses of neurotoxins during critical periods of brain development can alter those crucial neural pathways - one mistake early on, and the brain may be forever changed in subtle or serious ways. Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxics and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
As a parent you SHOULD be concerned about this! Cleaning your home with toxic products are literally breaking down your children's bodies and adding onto the changes of cancer and other life threatening health concerns.
Even if you had no clue about this concern, until you just read this article, now is the time to take action! You can start by only bring into your home toxin free cleaning products! Get rid of any products that are not eco-friendly. If a product is eco friendly, that means it is safe to have in your home! If it is safe to have in your home, it is safe to use without having to worry about the harmful effects!
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