Everyday Products That May Be Making You Sick

1 of 10

What Harmful Chemicals May Lurk in Your Personal and Household Products?

They’re supposed to make us clean, protect our skin and keep our homes germ-free. But some of the brand name products we use every day to wash our hands and scrub our floors may contain harmful, even cancer-causing ingredients.

People took a second look at their cleaning products when the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences released a study this week suggesting that mice and fathead minnows showed damage after exposure to triclosan in doses similar to what people and animals encounter daily.

Mice had up to a 25 percent reduction in measures of heart functions within 20 minutes of being exposed to the chemical, and they exhibited lower grip strength. The minnows swam less after being exposed to the chemical for seven days.

MORE: The Toxic Chemicals Hidden In Your Home

This isn’t the first evidence that triclosan may be harmful, but the study’s co-author said more research is needed to see if the chemical has similar effects on humans. The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing triclosan’s safety (a new report is due this winter), but in 2010 the agency deemed the substance not known to be hazardous to humans.

But does it really do anything? Known as an antibacterial agent, the FDA said when added to Colgate Total toothpaste triclosan prevented gingivitis, but used in antibacterial soaps and body washes it couldn’t find any evidence that it was any better than soap and water.

Meanwhile, over at Johnson & Johnson, the company is being lauded for pledging to remove potentially harmful chemicals from its consumer products by the end of 2015, the first company of its kind to do so. Brand names include Neutrogena, Clean & Clear and Aveeno.

MORE: Minds, Bodies, Babies: Will the Safe Chemicals Act Ease Your Worries?

Chemicals scheduled to disappear, said the New York Times, include carcinogens such as formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane, plus the aforementioned ticlosan and phthalates, which according to the Environmental Working Group, have been found to disturb the endocrine system.

Curious about what’s in your personal and home cleaning products? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Cleaners Database Hall of Shame, and the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics Web site for more information.

Click through the gallery to see an array of products that still contain some of these harmful ingredients. Will you keep using them?

(Photo: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

Comet Disinfectant Powdered Cleanser

Comet contains 146 air contaminants not included in its ingredients, the Environmental Working Group says. Seven of the chemicals in Comet, including formaldehyde, benzene and chloroform, are known to cause birth defects and cancer.

(Photo: Courtesy of Comet)

Colgate Total Toothpaste

Colgate’s Total toothpastes include triclosan, an antibacterial the FDA is currently reviewing. Science Daily reported that a 2010 study in the journal General Dentistry found that toothpastes with triclosan/copolymer worked better than regular toothpaste at killing bacteria found in people’s mouths. The chemical’s strengths are preventing gingivitis and plaque, and the copolymer keeps triclosan in the mouth longer. However, a recent study linked the chemical with deleterious effects in mice and fish.

(Photo: Courtesy of Colgate)

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 45

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock contains retinyl palmitate, which was shown in some studies to raise the risk of skin cancer in mice. Earlier this year the EWG warned consumers to avoid sunscreens with this ingredient, a type of vitamin A.

(Photo: Courtesy of Neutrogena)

Dial Complete antibacterial soap

Triclosan is found in Dial Complete antibacterial foaming hand wash and some of the brand's body washes. While triclosan is an antibacterial, an FDA report in 2010 found there was no proof that when added to antibacterial soaps, the products cleaned any better than old-fashioned soap and water.

(Photo: Courtesy of Dial)

Simple Green Concentrated All-purpose Cleaner

Simple Green might sound like a natural and safe product, but it contains toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, phenol (a neurotoxin that can cause skin damage) and 2 butoxyethanol (known to be toxic to animals).

(Photo: Courtesy of Simple Green)

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Firming Cream SPF 15

The skin firmer contains aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, a neurotoxin, and retinyl palmitate. Neutrogena is a Johnson & Johnson brand; recently the company pledged to remove potentially harmful chemicals from its consumer products by 2015.

(Photo: Courtesy of Neutrogena)

Mop & Glo

Mop & Glo contains 15 times the concentration of the solvent methoxydiglycol (DEGME) than is permitted in cleaning products that are sold in the European Union, according to the Environmental Working Group. The chemical has been shown in studies to be toxic to animals and may also be toxic in humans.

(Photo: Courtesy of Reckitt Benckiser)

Old Spice Deodorant

Triclosan is an ingredient listed in Old Spice classic and fresh scent deodorant sticks, but the majority of the brand’s other deodorants and antiperspirants don’t contain the chemical.

(Photo: Courtesy of Old Spice)

Johnson & Johnson's Feeling Healthy Nourishing Lotion Green Tea

Johnson & Johnson's Feeling Healthy Nourishing Lotion Green Tea contains retinyl palmitate and hydrogenated cottonseed oil, a skin conditioning agent which may, in some concentrations, be toxic. The company has vowed to remove possibly dangerous chemicals from its consumer products by 2015.