Oprah Could Not Have Known

If Oprah had known the facts I am about to share with you, would she have sanctioned the Baby Care gifts shown to possibly be contaminated with carcinogens?

In October, 2004, Oprah's Biggest Baby Shower took place at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky, USA. 640 mothers-to-be shared in some wonderful gifts from sponsors, at a special day organised by Oprah's team. It was a fantastic success, as with every thing that Oprah has a hand in.

Celebrities joined in, including Denise Richardson, Cindy Crawford and Heather Locklear.

Things may have been different... if Oprah had had the recent report from Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, testing 48 different Baby Care and children's skin care products. In March 2009, the Campaign purchased 48 various products and sent them, unopened to an independent laboratory for testing.

The results are nothing less than frightening.

A large number of products were contaminated with the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4- dioxane. Included in the report was the iconic Johnson's Baby shampoo. This product was found to contain210 parts per million (ppm) formaldehyde and 1.1 ppm 1, 4-dioxane. In a written statement, Johnson & Johnson did not dispute that trace levels of these chemicals could be present as a result of production methods. They went on to say that these levels were so small as to cause no health concerns.....

How small is small enough?

We are talking about babies here! Their immune systems are still developing! These products are often used daily and if you care to add the other preparations used on a baby, there is a distinct possibility of a toxic overload. Small exposures add up! Here in Australia, the Department of Health and Aging was quoted as saying that they "were aware of the concerns raised by the report, but the low levels of formaldehyde and 1,4- dioxane were well under the safe permissible levels"

What is a "safe permissible level"?

Manufactures can easily remove the toxic by-products 1, 4-dioxane. They are not required to do so.

The FDA in the US have been lobbying cosmetic companies since 1982 as the contaminants can be "removed without reasonable cost" A quote from the Cosmetics Ingredients Review board (CIR) the self governing industry board stated they "were aware of the problem and were making efforts" In 2002 the FDA stressed that there was "evidence linking it to systemic cancer" Still in 2003 noted CIR "... the importance of purification procedures were stressed"

Commonly found preservatives in personal care products release formaldehyde, over time in the bottles or containers they are packaged in.

Baby Oil was another gift given to the pregnant women. This oil is 100% mineral oil. From the petro-chemical industry, there is nothing of benefit in this product. On the contrary, mineral oil coats the skin like plastic wrap. The skin cannot breathe or eliminate toxins. So, a baby, exposed to a toxin, cannot eliminate it if they have been smeared with baby oil!

The answer to the question.... of course Oprah would have had reservations endorsing anything or products that could potentially harm anyone, let alone a baby!