Companies continue to hide toxic chemicals from consumers.

According to a recent report from Women's Voice for the Earth, twenty-two companies have requested "trade secret" status in order to bypass California's new public database of toxic cosmetic chemicals, the California Safe Cosmetics Program Database.

This database is fairly new, only released this month, and it requires companies to report reproductive and carcinogenic toxins under California's Proposition 65. Proposition 65 was approved by voters in 1986 and was also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, which administers the program and database:

"Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment. By providing this information, Proposition 65 enables Californians to make informed decisions about protecting themselves from exposure to these chemicals. Proposition 65 also prohibits California businesses from knowingly discharging significant amounts of listed chemicals into sources of drinking water. "

Products in California that meet the requirement for reproductive and carcinogenic toxicity can also carry Prop 65 labels.

These companies, listed below, are trying to abuse the trade secret system in order to avoid these labels and public pressure to change their ingredients. It's a shame the once again, profit trumps public health. Shame of these companies! If you would like to voice your opinion on this issue, you can call the 1-800 number listed on the products, ask the manufacturers about the ingredients and demand action.

Alberto Culver

• Motions
• Nexxus
• Soft & Beautiful
• Tresemme

Alberto Culver USA, Inc.

• FDS (removed trade secret ingredient)
• St. Ives (removed trade secret ingredient)
• VO5 (removed trade secret ingredient)

Chattem, Inc.

• Balmex
• BullFrog
• Cortizone 10
• Gold Bond
• Herpecin-L
• Mudd
• Selsun Blue
• Selsun Naturals
• Selsun Salon

Colgate-Palmolive Company

• SOFTSOAP (removed trade secret ingredient or discontinued product)

Conopco, Inc.

• Suave (removed trade secret ingredient or discontinued product)

Demeter Fragrance Library, Inc.
Demeter
Farouk Systems, Inc.

• Bioglitz
• Bioglitz Color
• BioSilk
• CHI
• CHI Organics
• Chromatic (discontinued product)
• Sungliltz
• Sunglitz

Great Clips, Inc.

• Detour – Great Clips
• Solutions by Great Clips

Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc.

• Jan Marini Skin Research

Kenra Professional, LLC

• Elucence
• Kenra (r) Classic
• Kenra (r) Platinum

Lumene Oy

• Lumene

Melaleuca, Inc.

• Nicole Miller – Confidential  (removed trade secret ingredient)

Nars Cosmetics

• NARS

Regis Corporation

• Costcutters
• Mastercuts
• Regis Design Line

Robell Research

• Supersmile

rolland srl

• Insight
• Organic Way
• Una

Rowpar Pharmaceuticals, Inc

• CloSYS

Schwartzkopf & Henkel

• Got2B
• Smooth N Shine

Shiseido America, Inc.

• Basala  (discontinued product)
• NARS
• Shiseido
• Shiseido Benefiance BENEFIANCE
• Shiseido Future Solution
• Shiseido Pureness
• Shiseido The Makeup
• Shiseido The Skincare
• Shiseido White Lucen

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

• Cle de peau beaute
• Qiora
• Shiseido
• Shiseido Benefiance
• Shiseido Bio-Performance
• Shiseido Elixir
• Shiseido Hair Care
• Shiseido Men
• Shiseido Pureness
• Shiseido The Makeup
• Shiseido The Skincare
• Shiseido White Lucent

Tammy Taylor Nails, Inc.

• Tammy Taylor
• Tammy Taylor Nails

The Dial Corporation

• Coast
• Dial
• Right Guard

Thanks to Women's Voices for the Earth.

There's trouble in the water

The recent chemical spill in the Elk River in West Virgina has left 9 counties and hundreds of thousands of people without water for drinking, washing or other daily water usage. It has affected homes, and businesses. On January 9, an unknown amount, believed to be in the thousands of gallons,  of the chemical foaming agent 4-methylcyclohexane methanol leaked into the river.

4-methylcyclohexane methanol is a colorless liquid used to clean coal. Exposure can lead to dizziness and nausea, along with skin and eye irritation. This chemical is dangerous if inhaled or ingested. The chemical leaked from tanks owned and maintained by Freedom Industries, which will be held responsible for the cleanup.

This spill has again highlighted the need for greater chemical security measures and regulations for chemical start-up, shutdown and malfunction procedures. Companies should have written procedures to prevent accidents on start-up, shutdown and during malfunctions. There also needs to be more protections for citizens who live near these areas who will be affected by these chemical disasters. Unfortunately, right now, the burden is put on the citizens and not the industries. This needs to be reversed. In August, Obama signed an Executive Order to improve chemical security in the US, since it is also a national security issue, but the industry is fighting it by busing its own people into hearings and threatening job security for its employees. This is unfair and continues the falsehood that a clean, healthy environment must come at the cost of jobs.