Tag: carcinogens

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Products with Proposition 65 Warnings

Glowing green chemistry bottle with toxic symbols on it, green background.
Image by John Voo on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0).

In my last article, I explained what Proposition 65 is, how it helps, and the controversy around the law. It is shocking to discover that so many products have toxic chemicals that cause reproductive harm, developmental problems, and cancer.

Take your time reading and absorbing the following information. Refer to “What is Proposition 65?” and additional resources listed below.

Athletic Equipment

A woman and a dog sitting in a tent facing and admiring the mountain and lake in the backround.
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash.

Manufacturers use toxic flame retardants in gymnastic equipment and camping tents. Proposition 65 warnings are sometimes on golf clubs, fishing sinkers, and bicycles because brass or other components contain lead.

Baby & Children’s Items

Baby room: baby in bassinet, crib in back, and a dresser, blue wall.
Photo by babywo on Flickr, Creative Common license (CC BY 2.0).

Let me be clear: No baby items should ever have Proposition 65 warnings. But since they do, parents and guardians must be extra vigilant. Manufacturers make products made with polyurethane foam, which they often treat with flame retardants. These include some bassinets, booster seats, infant carriers, child safety seats (car seats), nap mats, nursing pillows, playpens, and strollers.

Manufacturers used to use bisphenol A (BPA) in many plastic baby items, such as bottles and nipples, but allegedly use safer ingredients now. Choose glass baby bottles over plastic.

Phthalates, DBP, and DEHP have been found in all brands of diapers. One study found formaldehyde and glyphosate (aka Round-Up) in them. Diapers also contain endocrine disruptors, from the plastics in diapers, meaning they alter human hormone levels.1

Phthalates can also be found in the following products: Plastic lunchboxes, binders, backpacks, storage cases, rainwear, handbags, belts, footwear, and other artificial leather items made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and plastic food packaging materials.2

Infant and children’s clothing can contain chemicals just as adult clothes do.

And though no one knows why, some manufacturers still use lead in some toys and baby bibs.

Build and Grow set from Lowes, projects made for children to put together.
Build and Grow set from Lowes, projects marketed for children to put together. But it has a Proposition 65 warning on the back! Photo by Marie Cullis.
Proposition 65 warning from the back if the Build and Grow set from Lowes.
Photo by Marie Cullis.

Building & Construction Materials

Large two story home under construction, plywood sides (no siding), man standing in open garage bays, blue sky background.
Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay.

Formaldehyde is present in insulation materials such as foam and fiberglass insulation, as well as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard.

Manufacturers use toxic flame retardants in carpeting and carpet padding.

Lead was commonly used in paint before the U.S. banned it in 1978. It was also used in plumbing pipes and fixtures. Be aware if your home is older than 1978.

Manufacturers used asbestos because it was strong and heat resistant (a good insulator). They used it in building materials, insulation, fireproofing materials, brakes, cloth, paper, cement, plastic, and other materials.

Vinyl chloride is used in window blinds and coverings.

Vinyl flooring contains phthalates and other VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Clothing

Mustard yellow shirt with TJ Maxx tags, and a Proposition 65 warning.
Proposition 65 warning on a shirt from T.J. Maxx. Image found on bikeforums.net.

Manufacturers use formaldehyde and toxic flame retardants in some clothing, even children’s clothing. They also sometimes use PFAS/PFOAs in clothing items, as well as bisphenol A (BPA) in sports bras and athletic wear. Those chemicals give clothing properties such as stain-resistant, moisture-wicking, and wrinkle-free. As a rule, steer clear of that type of clothing.

Manufacturers use lead and cadmium in purses, shoes, and other accessories. Any clothing item or accessory with the following features also may have lead, cadmium, or phthalates: Polyurethane products, PVC or vinyl parts, chains, zippers, buttons, snaps, rivets, clasps, screen printed elements, metallic yarns, plastic polymers, metallic coatings, imitation rhinestones, paint and surface coatings, and D-Rings.3

Cookware

Non stick type of frying pan with sunny-side up egg in it, resting on a cutting board with a slice of buttered toast, next to a cup of milk and tomatoes.
Non-stick cookware is not safe and can leach chemicals into your food. Image by StockSnap from Pixabay.

Non-stick cookware, commonly known as Teflon, often contains PFOA, PFAS, and PFOS. The media has labeled these chemicals as “forever chemicals.” Allegedly, the newest versions of non-stick cookware don’t contain PFAS. Manufacturers now use PTFE, which they advertise as safer. However, that’s what those same companies told us for decades about PFAS so it’s difficult to believe them. Please don’t use these! Invest in stainless steel cookware or cast iron pans.

Electrical/Electronic Items

Dollar General packaging for a power surge protector, with the warning label from the back.
Dollar General power surge protector packaging. Photo by Marie Cullis.
Proposition 65 warning label on back.
Proposition 65 warning label on back. Photo by Marie Cullis.

Proposition 65 warnings are found on power cords, surge protectors, and lighting products because their components contain heavy metals including lead, nickel, phthalates in PVC coverings on some wires and cables, and/or other chemicals such as ethylene glycol.

Food

Chip bags in various colors, including Cheetos, Ruffles, Lays, with canned cheese, salsa, and Pringles in the background.
Photo by Ishaq Robin on Unsplash.

This topic warrants its own article, so please read that next!

Furniture

Golden retriever dog on a whiye bed with blankets, a laptop, and sidetable and lamp in background.
Image by Andrei Cioarba from Pixabay.

This is a big one, as most modern furniture contains additives and chemicals. Furniture in your home, for example, can off-gas toxins for a long time, which means you are constantly breathing them in and/or absorbing them through your skin. These chemicals include formaldehyde; flame retardants in upholstered furniture and mattresses, especially those made with polyurethane foam treated with flame retardants; PFOA, PFAS, and PFOS in stain-resistant upholstered furniture; phthalates; and lead in products with imitation leather.

“Our furniture’s upholstery and the lumber beneath it have probably been dosed with fire retardants and other chemicals. That sounded like a good idea when smoking was common, and people had the unhealthy habit of dozing off on the sofa with a lit cigarette. We could’ve just resolved to be more careful. But instead, we clamored for upholstery and even pajamas that had been treated with flame retardant chemicals, without first checking to find out whether those chemicals caused health problems of their own.” -Darin Olien, Fatal Conveniences4

If you can afford it, buy furniture and mattresses certified as chemical or toxin-free. You can also purchase furniture secondhand, as it will have already off-gassed some.

Hand Sanitizers

Pump bottle of hand sanitizer with a whoite clapboard background.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.

Manufacturers sometimes use methanol, a poisonous and flammable liquid, in hand sanitizers to lower production costs, and fail to include it in the list of ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a list of approximately 600 brands of hand sanitizer to avoid because of methanol.5

Household Appliances

Hamilton Beach microwave box, showing microwave and a Proposition 65 warning to the right.
Hamilton Beach microwave with a Proposition 65 warning. Photo by Marie Cullis.

I often don’t know why appliances have this warning, but every microwave and dishwasher we’ve purchased in the last 10 years has had a Proposition 65 warning. Manufacturers use heavy metals, flame retardants, and chemicals in their production. The American Cancer Society recommends asking the manufacturer about the specific product.

The Proposition 65 website indicates that “it is difficult to generalize about chemical exposures from household appliances because each appliance is different.”6

 

Screenshot of a Frigidaire dishwasher and the description with the Proposition 65 warning.
Frigidaire dishwasher
Screenshot of a stainless steel and blac dishwasher with warning.
Description showing Proposition 65 warning, from Lowes.com.

Many people say not to worry about the warnings on appliances. “MOST appliances carry the Prop 65 California warning. This is because the interior of the product may contain things like lead or other heavy metal materials that are necessary for them to work properly. While they are present in the appliance, they are not actually exposed to you while you use the appliance properly. But if you were to use the product in a way that was taking it completely apart or in an improper way, you could potentially be exposed.”7

I remain skeptical.

Household cleaners & solvents

Photo of blue cleaner in a spray bottle with a white roll of paper towels to its left.
Photo by Crystal de Passillé-Chabot on Unsplash.

Chemical-based cleaners and solvents have many toxic ingredients, so know what you use in your home. Better yet, use a homemade cleaner!

“All those ultra-powerful, all purpose cleaning products that promise to kill germs and mold, what else do you think they might be killing?” -Darin Olien, Fatal Conveniences8

Household Items

Gray and white styled livingroom with glass doors that show a landscape in background. Wood floors, 2 couches, area rug, and curtains, lamp on gray ceiling.
Photo by Backbone Visuals on Unsplash.

Manufacturers use formaldehyde in drapery, linens, and upholstery. They also use flame retardants in drapery and some bedding; lead in vinyl items, such as shower curtains and imitation leather; and make memory foam from polyurethane, which off-gasses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that we inhale. That ‘new’ smell from vinyl shower curtains or other household items is the chemicals off-gassing.

“Formaldehyde, benzadine, parathion, and mercury are all part of the manufacturing process of the cotton used in sheets and bedding, and can potentially remain part of the fabric. Blended fabric sheets and other bedding, meaning cotton-polyester mixtures, are still partly petroleum-based with all the toxicity that comes with that. And the cotton for standard-issued sheets was grown with pesticides, meaning that they’re harmful to the environment and not so great for you, either. Wrinkle-free sheets have the same dangers as no-iron clothing does. The resins used in their manufacture contain formaldehyde, which can cause dermatitis, throat irritation, and nausea. But that’s not all…It’s better to live with wrinkled sheets, or learn to iron.” -Darin Olien, Fatal Conveniences9

Vinyl gloves, tubing, and garden hoses often contain phthalates and PVC. Don’t let your children drink from the hose!

Medical

Close-up of medical tubing for an IV, clear plastic, green clip.
Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash.

Phthalates from PVC can leach into medical devices and equipment, including blood and intravenous solution bags, tubing for dialysis, feeding tubes, oxygen masks, and surgical gloves.

Paint, adhesives, and varnishes

Open purple paint can with a paintbrush lying on top, dipped in purple paint.
Image by cwizner from Pixabay.

Formaldehyde is in many types of paint, adhesives, and varnishes; methanol is used as a solvent and an ingredient in some as well (sometimes called “methyl alcohol” or “wood alcohol”).10

Phthalates and VOCs exist in inks, pigments, adhesives, sealants, paints, and lacquers. Some artist materials contain these ingredients, lead, and other heavy metals.

Paper Products

Three rolls of white paper towels.

Manufacturers use formaldehyde in some paper products, such as grocery bags and paper towels.11

Personal Care & Beauty Products

Generic beauty products in black, pink, and clear containers.
Photo by Kier in Sight Archives on Unsplash.

Manufacturers use formaldehyde in hair smoothing, hair straightening products, and nail polish. They use lead in cosmetics and hair dyes. Some beauty and skin care products contain synthetic progesterone. Phthalates are in some personal care products, including nail polishes, perfumes, and other products containing fragrances. In fact, ‘fragrance’ is often a cover for the term phthalates. Look for products rated well in EWG’s Skin Deep database (linked under Additional Resources below). Don’t solely rely on a company’s website to determine the safety of a cosmetic product. Ulta uses the term ‘clean ingredients’ on products rated poorly with EWG for toxicity.

Pharmaceuticals & Dietary Supplements

White pill bottle lying on its side with blue, green, aqua, and white pills spilling out. Yellow background.
Photo by Etactics Inc on Unsplash.

Heavy metals in the soil and water, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, accumulate in plants used in drugs and supplements. Also, “Benzene, while not in the final product, is used in the manufacture of drugs.”12

Many nitrosamines are carcinogenic, and were found in commonly prescribed drugs for hypertension, heartburn, and type 2 diabetes, and prompted numerous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls in recent years.13

Smoking

Lit cigarette with orange filter on white background with smoke.
Image by vicky gharat from Pixabay.

Tobacco smoke, such as from cigarettes, is full of chemicals and additives. Formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, lead, acetaldehyde, acrylamide, arsenic, 1,3‑butadiene, cadmium, carbon monoxide, hexavalent chromium, mercury, nickel, nicotine, and styrene.14

“People are exposed to substantially more acrylamide from tobacco smoke than from food.”15

Please note that e-cigarette and vaping aerosols contain Proposition 65 chemicals as well. These include propylene glycol (also used in antifreeze and paint solvents); acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, both carcinogens; acrolein, an herbicide that can cause irreversible lung damage; diacetyl, a chemical linked to lung disease; diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze, heavy metals such as nickel, tin, lead, and cadmium; and benzene.16

Stay away from these.

Vehicles

Bird's eye view of a busy city street packed with cars, businesses, and an overpass, with skyscrapers in the background.
Photo by Connor Williams on Unsplash.

Unfortunately, manufacturers use tons of chemicals in our vehicles too. Worse, heat exacerbates chemical off-gassing. There are flame retardants in vehicle seats and child safety seats. Manufacturers use plasticizers containing phthalates in vehicle upholstery and interiors to provide flexibility to plastics.

The fuel to run vehicles is full of chemicals too. Benzene is in gasoline and petroleum products and is released through vehicle emissions. Toluene is also present in petroleum products.

Then there’s engine exhaust, which contains multiple toxic chemicals, including benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ethylbenzene, and 1,3-butadiene. This includes all vehicles, recreational boats, generators, and landscaping equipment (including lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws).17

“More than 40 chemicals listed for cancer are present in diesel engine exhaust.”18

Be Aware

California Proposition 65 Warning

I say ‘Be Aware’ because you might come across products that are not sold in California but contain the same toxic chemicals. Worse, sometimes companies that sell products nationally or internationally might only label products shipped to California, even though all their products contain the same ingredients.

Remember, one product’s small amount of harmful ingredients is not the problem. These toxins surround us in our homes, in our showers, in the workplace, and in our schools. If we encountered a single chemical occasionally, it likely would not pose a significant threat. But we are constantly bombarded with these chemicals in every facet of our lives. This is why Proposition 65 warnings can help us – we can know just how many of our products are exposing us to toxins.

“We live in well-built, completely insulated containers filled with furniture and furnishings made using chemicals that have been proven to be harmful to our health. We keep our houses clean and germ-free with products made from toxic chemicals capable of causing everything from rashes to kidney disease. Your sofa: Phthalates. Your bed sheets: formaldehyde. Your Tupperware containers, your laundry detergent –  bad stuff at every turn.” -Darin Olien, Fatal Conveniences19

I hope this is helpful information. In my next article, I’ll cover Proposition 65 ingredients in food. Thank you for reading, please share and subscribe!

 

Additional Resources:

List, “Proposition 65 List of Carcinogens or Reproductive Toxicants,” Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), State of California, December 29, 2023.

“Fact Sheets,” Proposition 65 website.

Database, EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics database.

Footnotes:

  1. Book, Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick―and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien, Harper, New York, 2023. ↩︎
  2. Page, “Phthalates,” Proposition 65 website, September 2017. ↩︎
  3. Page, “Distributors’ Guide to Navigating Proposition 65,” International Enviroguard website, October 27, 2021. ↩︎
  4. Book, Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick―and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien, Harper, New York, 2023. ↩︎
  5. Page, “FDA updates on hand sanitizers consumers should not use,” FDA website, accessed July 28, 2024. ↩︎
  6. Fact Sheet, “Household Appliances,” OEHHA, updated July 2022. ↩︎
  7. Blog Article, “Understand the Proposition 65 California Warning for Your Healthy Home,” healthyhouseontheblock.com, May 14, 2023. ↩︎
  8. Book, Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick―and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien, Harper, New York, 2023. ↩︎
  9. Book, Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick―and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien, Harper, New York, 2023. ↩︎
  10. Page, “Methanol,” Proposition 65 website, July 2024. ↩︎
  11. Page, “Facts About Formaldehyde,” Environmental Protection Agency, Updated March 6, 2024. ↩︎
  12. Page, “Benzene,” Proposition 65 website, Updated May 2021. ↩︎
  13. Article, “Estimated Cancer Risks Associated with Nitrosamine Contamination in Commonly Used Medications,” Li K, Ricker K, Tsai FC, Hsieh CJ, Osborne G, Sun M, Marder ME, Elmore S, Schmitz R, and Sandy MS. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021 Sep 8;18(18):9465. ↩︎
  14. Page, “Tobacco Smoke,” Proposition 65 website, June 2017. ↩︎
  15. Page, “Acrylamide and Cancer Risk,” National Cancer Institute, December 5, 2017. ↩︎
  16. Page, “What’s in an E-Cigarette?” American Lung Association, updated May 31, 2023. ↩︎
  17. Page, “Gasoline Engine Exhaust,” Proposition 65 website, March 2019. ↩︎
  18. Page, “Diesel Engine Exhaust,” Proposition 65 website, Updated July 2024. ↩︎
  19. Book, Fatal Conveniences: The Toxic Products and Harmful Habits That Are Making You Sick―and the Simple Changes That Will Save Your Health, by Darin Olien, Harper, New York, 2023. ↩︎

Posted on

What Is Proposition 65?

Last updated on August 31, 2024.

Proposition 65 warning label in English and Spanish, yellow triangle with exclamation point at left and orange Warning label on right above text.

Almost every time I see a Proposition 65 warning label on a product I’m considering purchasing, I don’t buy it. My spouse often asks, “Is it really a big deal?” I say, yes, it means the product has chemicals known in the State of California to cause cancer.

If they cause cancer in California, they cause cancer everywhere.

We’ve had friends over the years who had lived in California. When we asked about Proposition 65, they shrugged and indicated that California’s just ‘overly cautious.’ I quietly disagreed. I didn’t know enough to debate the matter. So I decided I’d learn about it.

Google terrain map screenshot of California and Nevada.
Courtesy of Google Maps.

“California tends to be the pioneer of protecting consumers from harmful chemicals in everyday products.” – Darin Olein, Fatal Conveniences1

Cancer on the Rise

As I was writing this article, a new study came out indicating that Generation X and Millennials have a higher risk of getting certain types of cancer when compared to earlier generations. “Researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) studied 34 of the most common cancers. They found that cancer incidence rates continued to rise in progressively younger generations in 17 of the cancers, including breast, pancreatic, and gastric cancers.”2

While that study does not point to a cause, Generation X and Millenials have been exposed to far more chemicals than previous generations. We know many chemicals are linked to cancer,3 so overexposure to those chemicals is an obvious explanation.

Read on to learn how Proposition 65 warnings can help us.

Diamond shaped sign with skull and crossbones, "Poison", all black and white.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay.

What is Proposition 65?

It is a right-to-know law. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which administers the Proposition 65 program, defines it as such: “Proposition 65, officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986…requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.” These warnings can be in products, homes, workplaces, or the environment. It also protects the state’s drinking water sources from being contaminated with these chemicals.4

“A Proposition 65 warning is telling you that using a product or entering a location can expose you to a significant amount of a chemical that causes cancer, harmful effects on a developing baby, or other harmful effects on reproductive health.”5 

What else does the legislation do?

Proposition 65 requires California to publish a list of these chemicals which must be updated annually. It includes over 1000 chemicals.6 

For this list, California recognizes the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization), the U.S. National Toxicology Program, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as authorities on carcinogens. The State of California can also make its own determinations about specific substances. As the American Cancer Society notes, “This means that not every chemical on the list has been proven to the worldwide scientific community to actually cause cancer in people.”7 

But, if certain chemicals are suspected of causing cancer in California, that’s good enough for me to avoid them.

The List

More than one thousand chemicals make a very long list. The Proposition 65 website has a page called “Fact Sheets” that lists chemical groups, rather than individual chemicals, making the risks easier to read and understand. However, it is not nearly as comprehensive so I recommend viewing both. I’ve linked them under Additional Resources below.

The list includes toxic substances such as lead, asbestos, and hexavalent chromium; industrial solvents; and toxins like carbon monoxide and tobacco smoke. It even includes BPA (Bisphenol A), a toxic substance used in plastic and metal can linings; as well as Styrene, used in many polystyrene take-out containers we incorrectly but commonly call Styrofoam.

White polystyrene container with food sitting open, against a white background.
Photo by Vitalis Arnoldus on Flickr, Creative commons license (CC BY 2.0).

Proposition 65 Labels

Product labels can be unclear as they only indicate if a product contains chemicals that may cause cancer or reproductive problems. They are required to list one specific chemical in the warning. However, they are not required to list every chemical, their amounts, or how a person may be exposed to them.

“By law, a warning must be given for listed chemicals unless exposure is low enough to pose no significant risk of cancer or is significantly below levels observed to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.”8 

Products Sold in Other States

Products sold outside of California are not required to have a warning label even if they contain those toxic chemicals. “Some companies that sell products all over the United States only label those sent to California, even though all their products contain the same compounds.”9 Online sellers to all states must include warnings on their products, such as those listed on Walmart, Amazon, Lowe’s, and others.

Changes Brought by Proposition 65

Many sources don’t find the Proposition 65 warnings helpful, including Wirecutter, the consumer product review arm of The New York Times. I’ve often found their reviews and recommendations helpful because they independently test and review many products. But even they say Proposition 65 isn’t a big deal to worry about because the labels don’t indicate the amount or methods of exposure. However, they do acknowledge that the law has brought change to a variety of consumer products. “Prop 65 has resulted in changes in product formulation to remove or reduce potentially harmful chemicals, including in things like Wite-out and herbicides. Awareness raised by Prop 65 led Coke to change its use of 4-MEI, a potential carcinogen found in some caramel coloring.”10

The law has successfully raised awareness. Here are some of other the changes it has helped with:

“Proposition 65 has helped reduce or eliminate the use of lead in a wide variety of products, including hair dye, toothpaste, ceramic ware, foil caps on wine bottles, children’s jewelry, and even some types of cookies and candy. Levels…with acrylamide levels in major brands of potato chips and french fries. Proposition 65 has also led to the removal of several chemicals harmful to the developing baby during pregnancy from many nail care products, and has encouraged manufacturers of paint strippers to develop alternatives that do not contain methylene chloride or NMP.”11 

Controversy

Others argue that Proposition 65 is overly cautious, while others believe it is too broad and meaningless. In fact, on a lot of forums, many people completely disregard the warnings. Some say they are on ‘everything in California;’ others indicate that they just don’t think it’s a big deal. One person wrote, “California puts that on literally everything, they’re idiots.” On another forum where someone asked why a golf towel has a Proposition 65 warning, another responded: “We live in an age where it wouldn’t be out of place to put a warning sign on a water bottle saying ‘could cause drowning.’ Don’t think anything of it.”12 

But do think something of it. That golf towel likely has formaldehyde or PFAS in it, which are toxic. Why are harmful chemicals allowed in our products? The reason is that the amount in each item is often limited, making small amounts in products seem acceptable.

But here’s the thing.

If these chemicals were just in our couches or clothes or shampoo, it would be limited exposure. But they are in EVERYTHING. These chemicals are in our food, make-up, skin care products, shampoo, soap, clothing, furniture, carpeting, vinyl flooring, mattresses, bedding, drinking water, household cleaning products, cookware, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, hair dye, take-out containers, drapery, building materials including windows and blinds, plastic food containers and packaging, camping tents, shower curtains, electrical items…etc. We are surrounded by these toxins in our homes, in our showers, in the workplace, and in our schools. If we encountered a single chemical occasionally, it likely would not pose a significant threat.

But we are constantly bombarded with these chemicals in every facet of our lives. We are inundated with these chemicals and cumulatively, it harms us. This raises our chances for reproductive and developmental problems, cancer, and other health issues such as rashes, headaches, and allergies. This is likely why cancer is on the rise.

Graphic illustration of a woman doing yoga, surrounded by bottles of a product, yoga mat, towel, plants, and cup of tea.
Image by Евгения from Pixabay.

Protecting Our Health

We are poisoning ourselves with these toxins. As consumers, we must avoid them whenever possible to protect our health. Let’s refuse to purchase items that contain these harmful chemicals. This collective action will drive companies to make necessary changes.

I hope this information helped! Please check out my next article about products with Proposition 65 warnings. Thank you for reading, please share and subscribe.

 

Additional Resources:

List, “Proposition 65 List of Carcinogens or Reproductive Toxicants,” Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), State of California, December 29, 2023.

“Fact Sheets,” Proposition 65 website.

Article, “Prop 65 was meant to protect residents from toxic water. How did warning stickers end up on everything?” Vox.com, updated October 31, 2019.

Footnotes:

Posted on

What’s In Your Water? Part 2

Last updated on May 9, 2024.

Green dye flowing into a river that also has a white film floating in it.
Photo by the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)

“We are amid a major water crisis that is beyond anything you can imagine. Pollution problems persist and toxins are everywhere, stemming from the hazardous wastes of industry and agriculture. We’ve got more than forty thousand chemicals on the market today with only a few hundred being regulated.” -Erin Brockovich9

Water Treatment is Necessary

All water is reused, including the water we dump down drains and the contents we flush in toilets. Wastewater treatment facilities “clean” the water by removing solids – including sewage – and treating the water with chemicals. As Seth M. Siegel wrote, “Unless connected to a septic system, what goes down the sink, shower bath, dishwasher, washing machine, and toilet is transferred to one of these facilities.”11  Water has microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses, so it is necessary to treat the water with chemicals so that is safe to drink. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t research or regulate all of those chemicals. As Erin Brockovich noted, “Scientists still have little data about how individual chemicals impact our health, and know even less about the effects of multiple chemicals on the body.”12 

“So there is shit in the water; I’d have to make peace with that.” -Elizabeth Royte, Bottlemania: Big Business, Local Springs, and the Battle Over America’s Drinking Water

There are more than 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities in the United States.13 Many of these now use an alternative disinfectant method, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, called chloramine. They’re doing this increasingly in order to meet federal disinfection byproduct requirements. It is the cheapest way but it is dangerous. Chlorine normally evaporates somewhat quickly, but chloramine lasts longer in the water. Chloramine is “a known carcinogen and causes more rapid deterioration of the municipal infrastructure and degradation of water system valves and fittings. In systems that still use lead pipes or lead components (which means millions of homes and buildings), the chloramine causes lead and other metals to leach out of faucets and showerheads and into our drinking water. Studies indicate the formation of toxic byproducts in drinking water may be higher when utilities use chloramines.”14

“Public water utilities didn’t, and still mostly don’t, see themselves as part of the community’s public health infrastructure…utilities deliver water that is ‘good enough’ at the lowest cost possible.” -Seth M. Siegel, Troubled Water15 

Chlorine Burnouts

These happen when the water utility is trying to meet testing standards. It makes the water strongly smell like chlorine. “It’s a dirty practice that cheats the system,” wrote Erin Brockovich. A burnout is when the water treatment changes from chloramines to free chlorine. “They do this to clean the water pipes and essentially flush the entire system,” and then test the water before and after, but not during. “The regular use of chloramines doesn’t remove all the harmful organics and dirt from the water supply, so the system gets ‘flushed’ with chlorine, forming thousands of chemical combinations that cause cancer and other health issues…The levels of chlorine used in a burnout produce chloroform, which if inhaled in a hot shower or through medical devices (humidifiers, CPAPs, or nebulizers) can cause chemically induced asthma and pneumonia.”16

“It’s important to know that chlorine in clean drinking water doesn’t smell. When you smell what you think is chlorine in water, it’s due to exceedingly high levels of toxic chemical compounds reacting with the chlorine.” – Erin Brockovich17

Aerial view of a Wastewater treatment plant.
Wastewater treatment plant, image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Toxic Contaminants Linked to Cancer

Many contaminants are linked to illnesses and health issues, including cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be approximately 1,918,030 new cancer cases in 2022.18 But what is causing all of these cancer cases? Though some cancer may be from genetics or lifestyle, I’m convinced that most cancer is due to exposure to chemicals.

In 2019, researchers revealed that between 2010 and 2017, more than 100,000 cases of cancer were likely caused by the accumulation of carcinogenic chemicals in tap water. They cited arsenic, disinfection byproducts, and radioactive contaminants as the major contaminants, but they also noted that other toxins that are not monitored, such as PFASs and PFOAs, may also contribute to cancer cases.19

“How much of any toxic substance can a human body ingest and still be well?“ -Erin Brockovich20

Children Are Getting Cancer Too

Cancer affects our children globally. In the U.S., cancer is diagnosed annually in about 400,000 children aged 19 or under. It is the leading cause of death by disease past infancy for children.21 As Erin Brockovich wrote, children “don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or work stressful jobs.” So why are so many getting cancer? Children are more vulnerable to chemical toxins than adults because they have higher metabolisms and less mature immune systems.22 We need more research but suspicion should be enough to tell us that there’s a problem.

“American children are growing up exposed to more chemicals than any other generation in history and it shows.” -Erin Brockovich23

Colorful oil floating in water.
Photo by Steve Snodgrass on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)

How Do These Contaminants End Up in Our Water?

“Of the tens of thousands of chemicals in commerce in the U.S., fewer than one hundred drinking water contaminants are on a list of those regulated by the EPA.” -Seth M. Siegel, Troubled Water24 

Contaminants in our water come from many sources. Besides water treatment chemicals, corporations that discharge toxic wastewater and chemicals into the groundwater and surrounding environment pollute the water. Improperly lined landfills leach toxins into groundwater. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, forces chemicals into the ground to release natural gas and those get into the water supply. The toxins from gasoline and oil spills get into the water. Pharmaceuticals are now in our water supply too.

Herbicides and pesticides applied to large agricultural plots get into the water supply from run-off, meaning rainwater washes some of them away and they get into the water supply. Big agriculture dumps animal waste into our waterways, both directly and indirectly. Tyson Foods, for example, was caught several times directly dumping tons of animal waste into waterways. Indirectly, animal farms maintain hog lagoons to collect animals’ feces and store them in ponds. During floods, those ponds overflow and mix with all of the water and enter the water supply.

Aerial view of a farm, the pink pond at the bottom of the image is an example of a Hog Lagoon, in north Carolina
The pink pond at the bottom of the image is an example of a Hog Lagoon, in North Carolina. Photo by The Waterkeeper Alliance on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Image slightly cropped and fade corrected.

“We assume watchdogs are in place and that regulatory agencies and government standards are keeping us safe…Big businesses rule the roost, dumping their leftover chemicals wherever they like with little regard for our safety.” -Erin Brockovich25

Improve Infrastructure and Treatment

Landfill leachate at a place called Maendy. The orange froth is a mixture of solvents, phenols and other chemicals from a landfill
Landfill leachate in Wales. The orange froth is a mixture of solvents, phenols and other chemicals from a landfill created before regulations. Photo by richie rocket on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Governmental and municipal agencies across the United States must upgrade antiquated water infrastructure and water treatment practices. “The technology we rely on for treating most of our drinking water is almost a century old and many of our water treatment plants have been in operation since the early twentieth century.”26

“It’s enough to make a tap lover cry.” -Elizabeth Royte27 

Monitor Pollution

Federal, state, and local government agencies must supervise industries and monitor for pollution since we know we cannot rely on the industries to self-regulate or self-report. “Unsupervised industry pollution combined with failing infrastructure is a recipe for disaster. To add insult to injury, the more polluted the water becomes, the more chemicals we need to treat it.”28 Otherwise, cancer and related illnesses will continue to grow.

“We’ve had industrial byproducts discarded into the ground and into our water supply for years. The companies who dump these toxins know it. They have always known it. The government knows it too. These issues affect everyone – rich or poor, black or white, Republican or Democrat. Large and small communities everywhere think they are safe when they are not.” -Erin Brockovich29

Aerial view of the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.
Aerial view of the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

What Can You Do?

As I mentioned earlier, water treatment is necessary. But many contaminants in water aren’t just from disinfection, as mentioned in Part 1. Find out what’s in your water by using the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database. Then learn more about those contaminants in my list of Common Water Contaminants. Educate others, advocate through community and municipal meetings, call your water company and local politicians, and don’t take no for an answer.

Please don’t switch to bottled water. This may sound counterintuitive but it is largely a scam. It provides a false sense of security, as the water source for most bottled water is tap water.

In the meantime, review how you’re filtering your water at home. Most water filter systems don’t remove all contaminants. In my next article, I’m going to cover how to filter out the contaminants you are most concerned about. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

 

Additional Resources:

Database, Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database.

Website, Waterkeeper Alliance.

Website, Erin Brockovich.

Interactive Map, “PFAS Contamination in the U.S.,” Environmental Working Group, updated October 4, 2021.

Map, “Contaminant Occurrence Map,” Water Quality Research Foundation.

Article, “Health Professionals: Fracking Can’t Be Done Without Threatening Public Health,” Environmental Working Group, March 16, 2018.

Map, Oil and Gas Threat Map.

 

Footnotes:

Posted on

Styrofoam and Polystyrene Containers are Poisoning Your Food, Part 2

Last updated on May 2, 2023.

Yellow warning sign with skull and crossbones
Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay.

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced polystyrene, which we commonly refer to as Styrofoam, food packaging. This type of plastic is terrible for the environment and human health. Today, we’ll look at the toxicity of polystyrene in depth.

After watching friends and coworkers repeatedly reheat their take-out and leftovers in polystyrene, I decided to write an article about it. I had known polystyrene was potentially toxic for a long time, but I had no idea just how toxic it is.

Chemicals Leach from Containers into Food

Polystyrene leaches styrene and benzene, chemicals that have known toxic properties, into food. In testing, one scientific journal independently tested and found that polystyrene leaches more toxins when in contact with high-temperature contents and into foods with higher fat content.14 That means that if you buy hot food, fatty food, soup, or coffee and it is packaged in polystyrene, some of the chemicals from the container leach into your food. Over time, these chemicals can cause severe health problems.

“Styrene is likely to leach when it comes in contact with fatty foods, hot beverages, and especially alcohol. When thinking about the kinds of foods that typically end up in Styrofoam containers (fatty foods) and cups (hot coffee), it seems as though the exact kinds of items Styrofoam contains are exactly the kind of items it should never touch.” -The Green Dining Alliance15

Melted polystyrene spots from hot food in a polystyrene container.
I recently went to a BBQ restaurant in Dayton, TN. They serve most of their food in polystyrene containers. My fried okra melted the polystyrene and those chemicals certainly leached into my food. I didn’t eat the okra, I dumped it out so that I could photograph the container. I likely will never dine at that place again. It really concerns me that people eat food out of these types of containers every day! Photo by Marie Cullis.

Melted polystyrene spots from hot food in a polystyrene container.
Photo by Marie Cullis.

Known Toxicity

When I searched “polystyrene human health” I got more than 13 million results. After reading many articles, I realized that all organizations and even the U.S. government, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), know that polystyrene is harmful to human health as well as land and marine environments. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits the migration of styrene from packaging into food!

Study after study shows that chemicals from polystyrene leach into foods and beverages, especially with higher temperatures and food with higher fat content. And study after study shows that styrene is dangerous to human health. In fact, most agencies caution against the use of polystyrene because of the known health hazards, including these:

        • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
        • The World Health Organization (WHO)
        • The International Agency for Research on Cancer
        • National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
        • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
        • National Research Council (NRC)
        • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
        • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
        • The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Take-out in polystyrene containers
Image by albedo20 on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

A Known Carcinogen

Styrene exposure increases the risk of leukemia and lymphoma and is a neurotoxin. This alone is enough reason to avoid polystyrene containers. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) reclassified styrene as a probable carcinogen.16 While the EPA does not classify it as a carcinogen, it noted that animal cancer studies provided evidence for carcinogenicity.17 Several of the organizations mentioned above, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Department of Health and Human Services, consider it to be carcinogenic.

Hormone Disruption

There are countless studies that show certain types of plastics contain known hormone disruptors. Those chemicals often mimic estrogen and they seep into food and beverages (including breastmilk). In 2014, Environmental Health tested 11 samples of polystyrene and consistently found estrogen seepage after exposure to intense steam or ultraviolet rays.20 Since polystyrene is a type of plastic, this is just one more reason to avoid polystyrene containers.

It is terrifying that many schools use foam trays for cafeteria food. Hormone disruption in young children prevents them from developing normally, can affect their ability to reproduce as adults, and can set them up to be prone to other diseases.

Polystyrene food tray
Image by Laura Taylor on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Other Health Hazards

Styrene exposure can come from other sources, such as photocopier toner, automobile exhaust, and plastics manufacturing. Exposure can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes, the upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal irritation. Chronic exposure can cause neurological problems such as depression, headaches, fatigue, weakness, hearing loss, and disrupted kidney function.23

Additional Unknown Chemicals

There are many chemicals and ingredients that are not tested for and not regulated by the EPA and FDA. While this may seem surprising, the standard operating procedure in the United States is to allow a chemical to be used until a known hazard is not only discovered, but proven. Essentially, chemicals are innocent until proven guilty.

Hefty polystyrene container
Hefty polystyrene container, photo by Marie Cullis.

Exposure through Manufacturing

Anyone who lives near or works in polystyrene manufacturing sites is at risk of even greater health problems due to respiratory exposure. The Clean Water Action organization noted that “occupational exposure to Styrene increases [the] risk of lymphoma, leukemia, lung tumors, pancreatic cancer, urinary bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer. High rates of neurotoxicological effects have been reported in workers,” as well as decreased sperm counts.24 These plants also emit a toxic and volatile gas called pentane, often used as a blowing agent in the production of polystyrene. 

“Over fifty chemical byproducts are released during the manufacturing of polystyrene, contaminating the air, water and communities that live near these facilities.” –Children’s Environmental Health Network25

What You Can Do

Polystyrene is toxic to human health. When ordering take-out, ask the restaurant if they use “Styrofoam” or polystyrene containers. If they do, you can ask if they have an alternative type of container or you can decide to order from somewhere else. When bringing leftovers home from a restaurant, keep a glass or metal container in your car specifically for such occasions. Bring your own reusable coffee mug to coffee shops. As I mentioned at the beginning of my article, try to avoid eating food in polystyrene, and definitely stop reheating your food in polystyrene containers in the microwave. 

Last, polystyrene is the most common type of #6 plastic and is largely not recyclable because of food contamination. In Part 3, I will cover the problems with recycling and the environmental damage polystyrene causes. Thank you for reading, and please share and subscribe!

 

Additional Resources:

“Styrene,” Report on Carcinogens, 14th Edition, National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and Human Services.

Report, “What’s the Package? Unveiling the Toxic Secrets of Food and Beverage Packaging,” Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, August 2016.

Article, “Leaching of styrene and other aromatic compounds in drinking water from PS bottles,” by Maqbool Ahmad and Ahmad S. Bajahlan, Journal of Environmental Sciences, 19 (2007), p. 421–426, accessed September 12, 2021.

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