Private MD News

Senator proposes bill to reduce environmental toxins in baby products

Category: Environmental Toxin Testing

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, has introduced the Safe Baby Products Act, a bill which directs the FDA to regulate environmental toxins in personal care products marketed to or primarily used by children.

Gillibrand said in a press conference that she decided to take action after reading a report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, No More Toxic Tub, which revealed that many widely used baby bath products are contaminated with the formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. Because these are contaminants and not ingredients, the chemicals are not listed on the product labels.

Gillberand's bill directs the FDA to subject products to environmental toxin tests for these products, publicly report the results and then establish practices that eliminate these contaminants.

"Like many other mothers, when I read the list of these products, I immediately began to worry that I had been using some of these same products for my own children," said Gillibrand. "This common sense legislation will ensure that we have all the facts about the baby soap and lotions that we use on our children."

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics urges parents to be proactive in protecting children from environmental toxins.