The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
Shampoo, makeup, and moisturizer: Any of these products can contain cancer-causing chemicals, and you might not even know it, says state Representative Diane Primavera, a Broomfield Democrat. “You shouldn’t have to be a chemist to go out and buy shampoo and lotions,” she tells 9News. In response, Primavera, a cancer survivor, has introduced House Bill 1248, also known as the Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act. The bill takes its inspiration from the European Union, where hundreds of chemicals have been banned. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, opposes only a handful of the toxins. “There was no genetic reason why I should have gotten cancer,” Primavera says. “There was no environmental reason. I never smoked. I never drank. I had my weight in perfect condition. I turned over every rock to figure out why I got cancer, but the personal care products was a rock I didn’t turn over, and once I found out this is an issue and could be an issue for our citizens, I think we need to step in and take a role to protect [them].”
The measure is set for its first public hearing later this month. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports that a group of consumers is suing Johnson & Johnson over its baby shampoo, alleging it contains a potentially cancer-causing ingredient, methylene chloride, which is banned from cosmetics by the FDA. The lawsuit also claims Wal-Mart’s Equate Tearless Baby Wash includes the same cancer-causing stuff.