VOC BILL PASSES IN CALIFORNIA

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to reduce the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 11 different types of household products. The new regulation is designed to reduce the amount of smogforming emissions generated from the use of floor cleaner, metal polish, furniture polish, general purpose cleaner, oven cleaner and other products.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2014, manufacturers will no longer be able to use methylene chloride, perchloroethylene and trichloroethylene in many cleaning products sold in California. CARB estimates the regulation will save 6.7 tons of smog-forming volatile-organiccompound emissions per day—the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road. Doing so helps the state meet federal clean air standards.

“A lot of times we work to clean up emissions from machines the average person would never see, but this is something that would affect the products we use every day in our homes,” said Candice Kim, senior campaign associate with the Coalition for Clean Air in Los Angeles.

“It’s a double benefit because we get improved indoor air quality making products safer for the home user, but we also get improved outdoor air quality,” she added.

CSPA Disputes Study From University of Washington

The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) disputed a host of “misleading claims and false assertions” recently touted in a University of Washington study published in its Environmental Impact Assessment Review.

The study, which catalogs product ingredients but does not scientifically evaluate results from exposure to those ingredients, attempts to falsely imply that products regulated under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act might be connected to adverse health effects, according to the CSPA.

“It is dangerous to stoke the flames of consumer fear with incomplete findings built on a foundation of factual inaccuracies and sweeping assumptions,” said Chris Cathcart, CSPA president. “These products are safe when used according to product labels, and they have been utilized safely by consumers for decades. Cleaning, air freshener and laundry products adhere to strict labeling and safety requirements as mandated by the federal government,” he added.

While CSPA acknowledges, as the study points out, the presence of regulated VOCs in some products, it vehemently disagrees with the author’s mischaracterization of information regarding the hazards associated with those VOCs. Not all ingredients are volatile, and not all volatile ingredients are hazardous. The products identified in the study contain no significant levels of volatile hazardous ingredients, the association added.

“Per the study’s own admission, it makes no claims regarding possible risks from product use nor did it seek to assess exposure and effects, so we are left scratching our heads as to why they would even publish an incomplete report that attempts to show us that the dots exist, but does nothing to connect them,” noted Cathcart of CSPA.

More info: www.cspa.org

The Council Responds To Hair Smoothing Hazards

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received adverse event reports from consumers and salons on “professional use only” hair smoothing products. It has authority over hair straighteners and similar cosmetic products, including those intended for professional use only, but does not have authority over the operation of salons. According to John Bailey, chief scientist, Personal Care Products Council, the industry is concerned about the safety of ingredients in professional hair smoothing products.

“These products have been reported to contain high levels of formaldehyde, which under some conditions of use can be sensitizing and irritating to users. One of the specific issues to be evaluated by FDA is whether unsafe levels of formaldehyde are being released into the air once this product is applied to the hair and then heated.

“When hair-smoothing products that contain formaldehyde are heated, they can release low levels of formaldehyde gas. Formaldehyde and methylene glycol are sensitizing agents, and consumers may experience allergic reactions if they become sensitized… it cannot be concluded that formaldehyde is safe in cosmetic products intended to be aerosolized,” said Bailey.

According to Bailey, the primary application considered by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was the use of formaldehyde as a preservative to prevent the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms in cosmetic products.

“The CIR did not examine the use of formaldehyde in hair straightening and smoothing treatments,” he said. “Therefore, PCPC has joined with FDA in asking CIR to review the safety of formaldehyde and methylene glycol in professional use hair smoothing products.”

Bailey added, “In addition, we urge the FDA to work with state and local organizations, as well as with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), to objectively determine if salon hair smoothing products emit levels of formaldehyde gas that are unsafe for consumers and salon workers.”

More info: www.personalcarecouncil.org