What do you think of when someone mentions the FDA? Do you believe that they are a watchdog agency that truly looks after our best interests? Or do you, like me, think the FDA has been laying down on the job for the last few decades?
Here’s some interesting news that you may have heard this month. The FDA has banned 19 chemicals that they have declared are no more effective than soap and water for cleaning our hands, and may cause hormone damage. Well, it’s about time!!!!! Many of us have been warning our customers/clients not to use products with these chemicals for years. NOW even the FDA has admitted the truth…
The way these chemicals cause us hormone trouble is by disrupting our hormone levels. These chemicals look similar to the hormones produced by our bodies, that’s why they are called “endocrine disruptors.” These endochrine disruptors can prevent the production or inhibit the action of the hormones that are normally made in our bodies (thyroid hormone, insulin, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and others). So, when these endocrine disruptors bind to our hormone receptors, they send incorrect signals and we end up either getting double the amount of hormones we need, or far less than what we need. YIKES!
The problem that I have with this FDA ruling is that our good old FDA is giving manufacturers ANOTHER FULL YEAR to change their products. This is not acceptable for me. Many reliable, conscientious manufacturers began replacing these harmful chemicals back in 2013. At that time, the FDA issued a proposed rule because data showed that long-term exposure to the active ingredients triclosan (liquid soaps), triclocarban (bar soaps), and others, could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects. Under the proposed rule, manufacturers were required to provide the agency with additional data on the safety and effectiveness of these ingredients if they wanted to continue selling the antibacterial products containing those ingredients. This included data from clinical studies demonstrating that these products were superior to non-antibacterial washes in preventing human illness or reducing infection. Manufacturers did not provide the necessary data to establish safety and effectiveness for the 19 active ingredients addressed in the final ruling released this month.
ALSO, in response to comments submitted by big manufacturers like Henkel (Dial soaps), the FDA has delayed ruling on three more ingredients used in consumer wash products: benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX), to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data. Antibacterial washes containing these ingredients can still be marketed during this time while data are being collected. I can tell you that these will not be on my shelf. I’m not waiting another couple of years for the FDA to ban them and then give big manufacturers another year to remove them…
Here is a full list of the banned ingredients – print it out, add the three additional listed above, and then check your soaps and cleaners. Toss out any that have these ingredients and replace them with products that do not have those ingredients.
Some of the companies that have never used, or have already removed these chemicals from their soaps, are:
Desert Essence
Pure Haven Essentials
Dr. Bronners soaps
Penny Lane Organics
Some of these soaps are available at both Vitacost.com and ThriveMarket.com for less money than other stores. Always a good idea to check out the prices.
I have used Desert Essence soaps myself since researching for my bestselling book “Beautiful Sexy Skin For Women Over 40.”
Here’s a video I did for the release of that book which tells you some of the ingredients in your facial cleansers and moisturizers that are harmful. You may be surprised at what you are rubbing into your face!
Now I’ll be checking my laundry detergent and other cleaning products to make sure that they also do not contain any of the 19 banned chemicals and the three that are under consideration. I’ll keep you posted!
Best of Health,
Kathi
