Honor Moms by Asking Procter & Gamble to Clean Up Its Products

Email Proctor & Gamble Grab the tissue – have you seen Procter & Gamble’s “Thanks Mom” advertisements? We agree that moms make the world go ‘round and they deserve thanks, so we have an idea for P&G this Mother’s Day: Promise to eliminate the cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane from all P&G products. Do it for Mom!

We can hear the voiceover now…

Because you owe it to moms to make products as safe as they can be. Because you have it in your power to protect children and adults, waterways and wildlife from unnecessary toxic chemicals.

P&G took a small and positive step in March 2010 when it agreed to reformulate 18 popular Herbal Essences shampoos to reduce the amount of 1,4-dioxane to less than 10 parts per million (ppm) – the level above which legal action has been taken under California's toxics law – by July 2010. That’s a great start, but the company can certainly do better.

According to recent products tests, 1,4-dioxane (a chemical that does not appear on ingredient labels) was detected in P&G brands a lot of moms know well, at levels exceeding 10 ppm: Olay Complete Body Wash with Vitamins; Head & Shoulders Extra Volume Dandruff Shampoo; and Cheer, Ivory Snow, Tide, Tide Free, Era and Gain laundry detergents.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that 1,4-dioxane, even in trace amounts, is cause for concern – so why is the chemical found in so many consumer products?

Well, the good news is, it doesn’t have to be! Many products tested (and even some P&G brands) contained no detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane at all. And, we know that it can be stripped from products before they hit store shelves. So no excuses, really. Just get rid of it.

This Mother’s Day, as a tribute to the health of all beings, please ask Procter & Gamble to eliminate 1,4-dioxane from all its products, and encourage the company to take another step forward and make all of its brands – from the hair product lines Fekkai and Pantene to Crest toothpaste – free of toxic chemicals, including those linked to cancer and birth defects.

Subject:

Your Letter:

I am concerned that several P&G products have been shown to contain the hidden carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-dioxane.  I read labels so I can avoid dangerous chemicals, but I understand your products are not fully labeled with contaminant ingredients like 1,4-dioxane. Consumers have a right to know what is in the products they put on their bodies, on their babies, and down the drain.

I appreciate that P&G has made a commitment to reduce the amount of 1,4-dioxane in its Herbal Essences line. I hope that you will commit to removing this contaminant from all products in every brand.

We know that it's possible because some P&G products (even those with sodium sulfates) already have no detectable levels of this chemical.  Rather than defending the small amounts of carcinogens in your products, I urge your company to evaluate the long-term health effects of the chemicals you use, and to get rid of ingredients and contaminants linked to cancer and other health problems.

Your advertisements are geared to moms, and you thank them for their good parenting, for being protective of their children. P&G can really honor moms - your largest consumer base - by eliminating 1,4-dioxane in all of your products so we can avoid exposure to this unnecessary toxic chemical. I urge you take responsible action to protect your consumers.  Please disclose all ingredients in your products and commit to phasing all chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive harm from your products.

Thank you for your time.

Gina C. Drosos

Procter & Gamble