Parents concerned about lead paint on their children's toys may have something new to worry about. A study suggests some baby lotions and powders contain chemicals suspected of causing damage to male reproduction.
The study appears in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The study focused on chemicals called phthalates, which are becoming fairly common in the environment. They are used in lubricants and cosmetics, and increasingly they are showing up in plastic products, including children's toys.
Recent tests on infants and toddlers have shown fairly high concentrations of phthalates in children's systems. The question for researchers how are they getting there?
The Pediatrics article says conventional wisdom has always held that children were exposed to these chemicals mostly through chewing on toys, or crawling around on dusty floors. The study was designed to narrow the likely sources.
Researchers carefully measured the phthalates levels in the urine of 163 infants between the ages of two and 28 months. They compared those levels to a description of their recent activities, provided by their mothers.
The moms in the study were specifically asked about any lotions, shampoo, powders, wipes or diaper creams they had used, as well as the use of plastic toys, teething rings and pacifiers.
While all the infants in the study had some level of phthalates in their urine, those who had use shampoo, lotion and powder had higher levels of the chemical than those who did not. The researchers concluded that parents who want to reduce phthalates in their children should avoid products that contain these chemicals.Not surprisingly, the companies that make their products take a different view.
A spokesman for the Personal Care Products Council, which represents baby shampoo makers, says only one of the seven phthalates found in the babies' urine is used in baby products, and he says it has been shown to be safe.
