Phthalate: The Hidden Poison

Have you been reading about phthalate? (Phthal as in thal, rhymes with Hal.) Yikes! Talk about your basic poison! This stuff is murder!

Phthalate is a “softener” added to plastics, cosmetics and everything else they can lay their hands on.

It goes without saying that it knocks the endocrine ...Have you been reading about phthalate? (Phthal as in thal, rhymes with Hal.) Yikes! Talk about your basic poison! This stuff is murder!

Phthalate is a “softener” added to plastics, cosmetics and everything else they can lay their hands on.

It goes without saying that it knocks the endocrine system–thyroid, adrenals, etc.–for a loop. The endocrine system, your metabolism, can’t keep company with poisons.

And as with so many things, kids get hit the worse.

It starts in utero. Perhaps Mom uses a hair spray guaranteed to keep her hair in place without making it stiff. Phthalate.

And maybe Mom gets her nails done with a polish that’s extra crack resistant. Phthalate.

Then there’s the phthalate fixative in perfumes.

And on, and on.

But nobody’s blowing the whistle to alert moms-to-be that this stuff goes straight to the baby and does dastardly things. And we’re not talking minor things. For one instance, phthalate negatively affects the genital development of boys in utero.

Birth just takes the baby from one toxic environment (the womb) to another (the home).

Did you know that baby talc, baby shampoo and baby lotion all contain phthalate?

Not to mention soft teething rings. And bath toys. In one ray of good news, some big toy companies, Disney and Mattel, have agreed to phase out phthalate.

And now they’re finding that phthalate interferes with the enzyme aromatase, which is critical in masculinizing male brains. No more John Waynes with phthalate around.

Not to mention that it causes premature breast development in our baby girls. Next thing we know, they’ll be selling bras and diapers in sets.

And they’re thinking that phthalate is behind the huge increase in allergies and asthma in recent years.

The Environmental Protection Agency has studies that prove exposure to low doses of phthalate affects fetal development, among other things, but the FDA, politicized beyond recognition, issues nice little reports saying everything’s just fine, move along, nothing to see here. They ignore the studies, then say the lack of studies proves their point. Huh? In what universe does that work?

So what can we do to protect ourselves?

Get shampoos, lotions, etc. from Jason’s or Kiss My Face. Both companies make excellent products without all the poisons. I have no connection with either company; I just appreciate their products.

And don’t use plastic bottles or containers with a recycle code (on the bottom, in the little triangle) of one, three or seven. Codes one and three include phthalate. Code 7 means “Other,” so maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. How’s that for clarity?

And, of course, watch out for phthalate in any of the products I mentioned. Read labels. Buy yourself a magnifying glass if you have to, but read the labels. Phthalate can be listed as DEHP, DINP, DBP, DEP, or DIP. Personally, I’d suspect any group of letters ending in a P.

Finally, if you ever need a blood transfusion, ask if they use phthalate-free tubing. As if you won’t have enough problems at that point. Dialysis, anyone?

And I haven’t told even half the story. This is not a fit world for a Pollyanna. But at least Europe banned the stuff.