Study blasts baby toiletries for containing hazardous chemicals

Widely used baby shampoos, lotions and powders can expose infants to chemicals that have been linked to allergies and altered reproductive development, a new small study revealed Monday.

The man-made chemicals, called phthalates, are used in hundreds of vinyl and plastic products, including cosmetics, toys, vinyl flooring and medical supplies. They are chiefly used to turn polyvinyl chloride from a hard plastic into a flexible plastic.

These chemicals though are used to stabilize fragrances and make plastics soft and pliable, but can lead to higher concentrations in an infant's body of phthalates, the study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute has found.

The new study appears in February's issue of the journal Pediatrics.

To validate their findings, the team of researchers led by Sheela Sathyanarayana, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington medical school, measured the levels of nine different phthalates in urine samples collected from diapers of 163 infants, aged two months to 28 months. Most babies were white and were living in California, Minnesota and Missouri.

They also asked the babies' mothers to fill out questionnaires on their use of infant care products including lotions, powders, diaper creams and baby wipes in the previous 24 hours.

In their study, the researchers found that babies who'd been recently shampooed, powdered or lotioned with baby products were more likely to have phthalates in their urine than babies who haven't had the products applied. They found that every baby had a detectable level of at least one phthalate, while 81 percent of them had detectable levels of at least seven.

"Our study shows that the use of personal care products, specifically baby lotion, baby shampoo, and baby powder was associated with increased concentrations of several phthalates, including MEP, MMP, and MIBP," said Dr. Sathyanarayana.

“We found that infant exposure to phthalates is widespread, and that exposure to personal-care products applied onto the skin may be an important source,” she added.

Calling the results “troubling”, the study authors said phthalate exposure in early childhood has been linked to altered hormone concentrations and increased allergies, runny nose, and eczema as well.

The researchers cautioned that concerned parents must seek products labeled "phthalate-free," or check labels for common phthalates, including DEP and DEHP.

The researchers concluded in their study that more research is needed in order to determine if exposing very young children to phthalates is linked with reproductive or other problems.