Chemicals used in shampoos to get toxic label

[Guest guest]

Chemicals used in shampoos to get toxic label

Updated Tue. Feb. 3 2009 5:01 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090203/chemical_regulation\

s_090203/20090203?hub=Health  

 

The federal government plans to add two silicon-based chemicals, which are found

in shampoo, soap, antiperspirant and hundreds of other personal-care products,

to its toxic chemicals list after tests showed they pose a danger to wildlife. 

 

The substances, known as D4 and D5, **are not a concern for human health based

on the amount of these substances that an individual would be exposed to through

the use of various products, including personal care products,** says a

statement on Environment Canada's website. 

 

However, tests found that because the substances are so prevalent -- they are

also used to make industrial products, including textiles, paints and plastics

-- they seep into the environment in large quantities, where they can harm fish

and other aquatic organisms. 

 

Therefore, the government will propose setting limits on how much of the

chemical can be present in products, and how much can be released into the

environment during the manufacturing process. 

 

**This is the first step toward regulating these harmful chemicals,** Aaron

Freeman, policy director of Environmental Defence, said in a statement. **We

urge the government to go the distance by getting these chemicals off the

market.** 

 

The substances are added to shampoos and styling products to add softness and

shine to hair. They make other products more malleable. 

 

Fe de Leon, a researcher with the Canadian Environmental Law Association, said

the substances are found within hundreds of common products. 

 

**They are found in a number of products and certainly industrial

applications,** she told CTV Newsnet on Tuesday afternoon. 

 

Besides the shampoos and deodorants, de Leon said they are also used in many

building sealant products, lubricants, as well as many detergents. 

 

**We're talking about hundreds of products, and certainly from the perspective

of large uses, these are probably one of the largest types of chemicals that are

used in huge quantities, not only in Canada but around the world,** de Leon

said. 

 

According to Environmental Defence, at high doses, D4 has been linked to

fertility problems and liver damage in animal tests, while both D4 and D5 have

been linked to cancer. 

 

De Leon said she feels Canadians should be concerned that D4 and D5 are included

in so many readily-available products. 

 

**The assessments that have been conducted by the government look at a very

narrow scope of the problem,** she said. 

 

**These chemicals are found to be persistent, bicumulative and inherently toxic,

which feels that these chemicals may find (their) way into the northern

communities despite the fact that the sources may not be there.** 

 

The chemicals have the ability to travel very long distances, de Leon said, and

have been found in our sewage treatment plant effluents, landfills and even the

Great Lakes. 

 

**Certainly what we'd like to see is an approach by the government to promote a

look at an alternative to some of these chemicals,** she said. 

 

As part of the process to include substances on the toxic list, the federal

government has opened a 60-day comment period for industry representatives and

other stakeholders. 

 

The Silicones Environmental, Health and Safety Council, a silicone industry

lobby group, says once the federal government reviews more scientific research

on D4 and D5, it will deem them safe. 

 

**The Minister of Environment has recommended listing D4 and D5 as possibly

warranting environmental regulatory measures. No action has been taken based on

this recommendation,** the SEHSC said in a statement. 

 

**If the recommendation is adopted, the Canadian government will factor in soon

to be completed scientific studies further examining how the materials actually

behave in the environment. We fully expect that these studies will continue to

demonstrate that D4 and D5 are safe for the environment and that action is not

needed.**

 

The SEHSC argues that the United Kingdom*s Environmental Agency and the European

Union*s European Chemicals Bureau are both waiting for further scientific study

on the two chemicals before they decide if regulations are needed. 

 

However, Environmental Defence says that beginning next year, the EU will

require manufacturers to register the chemicals under a program designed to

regulate potentially harmful substances. 

 

The Canadian tests are part of a government review of about 200 substances that

have been flagged since recent studies suggested they may have harmful effects

on humans or wildlife. 

 

Along with D4 and D5, Ottawa is set to enact new regulations to restrict the use

of five other industrial chemicals, and prevent two of them from being used in

cosmetics.