Scientists found that people exposed to phthalates were more prone to weight gain. Similarly, test subjects that had even ‘modest’ levels of phthalates in their bloodstream were twice as likely to develop diabetes. We have a childhood diabetes crisis in our country. Certainly there are numerous causes for the trend toward obesity in American children, but that doesn’t mean we just toss our hands in the air and give up.
So, where are our children getting phthalates from? Well, numerous sources actually. It’s in certain plastics, which is part of the reason why parents are reaching to natural wooden toys.
I found an article on Medscape posted this year that was published in the American Contact Dermatitis Society’s journal Dermatitis last year. The study looked into common baby products and found four common baby products that contained detectable levels of phthalates. The sunscreen that was tested contained the highest levels, followed distantly by the baby bath, the body wash, and the moisturizer. The study didn’t mention the brand names of the products tested. So, we’re kind of left there hanging. Searching for baby products and phthalates, I noticed that Johnson and Johnson’s site references that their core baby products STILL contain phthalates. They did mention they are working to phase them out, but this struggle has been going on for way to long. I go into the timeline of Johnson and Johnson’s revolting unsafe baby product production here.
“DEP, the only phthalate used in our core baby products, has been extensively researched and confirmed to be safe by independent scientific review bodies in the U.S. and Europe. However, as part of our process of continuously updating our products, The Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies completed the worldwide phase-out of DEP in baby products late last year.”
Each new publication warning us of new-found concerns about ingredients in our baby products that we already knew were dangerous merely compounds the evidence. We can’t trust megacorporations like Johnson and Johnson with our babies.
There are genuinely toxin free baby products available online. Everything Birth even carries many baby care products that are actually natural and actually safe. Check them out here.