Author Topic: Johnsons Baby Shampoo causes cancer (Read 4986 times)

Matthew · « **on:** November 01, 2011, 11:02:26 PM »

BY MARGARET HARTMANN
NOV 1, 2011

Johnson & Johnson Gently Poisons Babies With Its Shampoo
Moms who buy special shampoo for their babies probably assume that they aren't rubbing carcinogens into their precious child's head during every bath. If they live in the U.S., there's a good chance they're wrong. Health and environmental groups have been pressuring Johnson & Johnson to remove two potentially cancer-causing chemicals from its popular baby shampoo, and for some unfathomable reason, they're dragging their feet.
The company is definitely well aware of the problem. According to the Associated Press, since 2009 The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has met with Johnson & Johnson representatives three times about making its baby products safer by removing two chemicals. Dioxane, which is considered a likely carcinogen, is found in Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Oatmeal Baby Wash, Moisture Care Baby Wash and Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash. The shampoo also contains quaternium-15, which releases formaldehyde. Over the summer, the U.S. government officially added formaldehyde, which is used as a disinfectant and embalming fluid, to its list of known carcinogens. It's also a skin, eye and respiratory irritant.

Yesterday, the campaign sent Johnson & Johnson a letter signed by 25 environmental and medical groups, including the Breast Cancer Fund, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, American Nurses Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Green America. It's demanding that the company commit to removing the chemicals from all of its products by November 15, and calling for a boycott until it does so.

Johnson & Johnson responded by saying that while formaldehyde is considered a carcinogen, regulators have found that formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are safe. However, it's working on reformulating its baby products and gradually phasing the chemicals. That may sound like a reasonable response, but but the company doesn't need time to create new formula, because it's already selling a carcinogen-free version of its baby shampoo in various other countries. Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in the U.S., Canada, China, Indonesia and Australia still contains quaternium-15, but according to the product labels, it isn't in versions of the products sold in eight other countries: Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. And it's not like the company removed an essential ingredient to meet environmental restrictions in these countries. While some have banned the use of quaternium-15, it's unclear why some of these countries are being treated to the carcinogen-free shampoo.

In the U.S. moms can buy a Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo that doesn't contain these chemicals: Johnson's Naturals. However, that product costs about twice as much as the regular baby shampoo. There are only small amounts of the carcinogens in Johnson & Johnson personal care products, but Tracey J. Woodruff, director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at University of California-San Francisco, says, "Even though the chemicals may be low-level, why risk it?" The long list of harmful chemicals found in everyday items intended for adults is pretty alarming, and we're talking about little people whose skulls haven't completely fused together yet. Wodruff points out that infants using the shampoo are being exposed to these chemicals at "a very vulnerable period of development." For years Johnson & Johnson has promoted the product by saying it has a "no more tears" formula, but we'd happily take a bit of crying if it meant not exposing babies to carcinogens during every bath.

http://jezebel.com/5855115/johnson--johnson-gently-poisoning-babies-with-its-shampoo

Jim · « **Reply #1 on:** November 02, 2011, 02:04:01 AM »

Scary, because guess which shampoo my mother used...

roscoe · « **Reply #2 on:** November 02, 2011, 02:09:55 AM »

Mary Jane kills cancer cells. :smoke-pot:

clare · « **Reply #3 on:** November 02, 2011, 06:31:39 PM »

Quote from: Matthew

.... it isn't in versions of the products sold in eight other countries: Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. ...

That's a relief.

Although, I'm sure I had been intending to boycott Johnsons' a few years back for some ethical reason. I'm ashamed to say, that resolution didn't last...

parentsfortruth · « **Reply #4 on:** November 03, 2011, 11:48:47 AM »

I use this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DPUY2E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DPUY2E&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwchanco-20

veritasaxios · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2012, 07:12:15 PM »

It looks like some progress may have been made on getting Johnson & Johnson to remove the harmful chemicals.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

For Immediate Release: November 16th, 2011

Johnson & Johnson Promises to Remove Carcinogens from Baby Products
Health groups applaud move; demand other baby brands follow suit

San Francisco – Today, Johnson & Johnson delivered a letter to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics laying out commitments and timelines for the company’s plans to reformulate all of its baby products worldwide to remove cancer-causing chemicals.

The letter was prompted by the Campaign’s Nov. 1 report revealing that Johnson’s Baby Shampoo still contains formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in the U.S., Canada and China, even though formaldehyde-free versions of the product are available in several other countries.

Link to full press release:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=903

Paige · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2012, 12:01:09 AM »

Quote from: veritasaxios

It looks like some progress may have been made on getting Johnson & Johnson to remove the harmful chemicals.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

For Immediate Release: November 16th, 2011

Johnson & Johnson Promises to Remove Carcinogens from Baby Products
Health groups applaud move; demand other baby brands follow suit

San Francisco – Today, Johnson & Johnson delivered a letter to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics laying out commitments and timelines for the company’s plans to reformulate all of its baby products worldwide to remove cancer-causing chemicals.

The letter was prompted by the Campaign’s Nov. 1 report revealing that Johnson’s Baby Shampoo still contains formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in the U.S., Canada and China, even though formaldehyde-free versions of the product are available in several other countries.

Link to full press release:

http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=903

I am happy to see this. My precious loves have not used Johnson and Johnson baby products since I first heard of this in 2009. I hope that they come to know that this is not right.

Maizar · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2012, 09:17:28 AM »

There are a few things worth keeping in mind, as a rule of thumb, when picking a shampoo or soap or hand-cream or whatever off a shop shelf.

The usual thing that spoils a product is mould or fungus, so whatever they put in it has to be good enough to kill that. However, moulds and fungi are some of the most resilient organisms known and it's rare for a substance to kill a fungus, for example, but not harm a human. But increasing shelf-life of goods helps the product manufacture and the shop, but not YOU (except they can drive the price down).

J&J might be removing formaldehyde from their baby shampoo, but other substances, like benzoic acid (sodium benzoate) isothiazolinone, artificial fragrances and a heap of others are to be found in most shampoos, conditioners, and hand-soaps, except usually "organic" labels. These substances are known to cause cancer, or nerve damage, or promote allergy, and should be avoided when possible, but are very hard to avoid.

The problem doesn't stop there, however, as the plastic bottles which you drink from, the polar-fleece you wear, even the ink on plastic wrapping of food contain substances that mimic hormones (mostly estrogen) and can harm fertility and affect personality. They probably promote some types of cancer too.

Organic products are not a guarantee of safety either. Eucalyptus products (like Teatree oil) for example contain toxins which can cause cancer.

But the laws governing what you put on your skin are not the same as those for what you put in your mouth, yet try smearing garlic paste on your feet and notice how the taste of garlic soon appears in your mouth. Everything you touch is absorbed to some extent through the skin. Finding reaserch on harmful effects of lesser known substances is often difficult as it often doesn't even get published, or never gets beyond animal studies.

So in summary, my practice is to research which products are clear to use, and just stick to them, regardless of what the price difference is. We have never used J&J shampoo for our kids, but have instead gone for organic shampoos.

PenitentWoman · « **Reply #8 on:** July 13, 2012, 10:15:46 AM »

"Just Hatched" is a (relatively) inexpensive brand of "better" baby shampoo.

If I run out I just use homemade soap and I just make sure to be extra careful since it isn't "tear free."

theology101 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 13, 2012, 11:10:06 AM »

Quote from: roscoe

Mary Jane kills cancer cells. :smoke-pot:

This is scientific fact. Decades of studies have shown Marijuana to have dozens of health benefits, and it does kill brain cancer cells in mice. I am considering getting my medical marijuana card, and who cares what anyone thinks about my use of what is one of God's most useful plants! Of course, inhaling any smoke is dangerous and could negate any beneficial effects, so I recommend a vaporizer.

:smoke-pot:

JohnGrey · « **Reply #10 on:** July 17, 2012, 06:02:03 PM »

Quote from: roscoe

Mary Jane kills cancer cells. :smoke-pot:

Tell that to Bob Marley.