Flip over almost any bottle in your laundry room, bathroom or under your kitchen sink and you’ll find an ingredient list. In theory, that list is there to tell you exactly what you’re bringing into your home and putting on your body. In practice, it doesn’t always tell the whole story.
That gap matters more than ever. Social media is full of posts warning that one household product or another “causes” cancer, and it can be hard to know which claims deserve your attention. Oncologists are quick to point out that cancer rarely comes down to a single product. It typically develops over many years from a mix of factors, including genetics, lifestyle and environmental exposures.
Related: Oncologists Are Begging People To Stop Doing This One Thing in the Shower
Still, the products you buy are one of the few parts of that equation you can actually control. You choose which detergent goes in your cart, which lotion you slather on after a shower and which candle you light after a long day. The more you understand about what’s inside those products, the easier it is to make choices you feel good about.
That’s where reading labels comes in. Many shoppers have learned to scan for buzzwords like “clean,” “nontoxic,” and “plant-based.” But according to oncologists, one common word shows up on a huge range of products—and it can act as a catchall for ingredients you’ll never see listed.
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The Label Word That Can Hide Hundreds of Chemicals
The word is “fragrance.” Companies are required to list the ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows fragrance and flavor components to be listed simply as “fragrance” or “flavor,” since they’re the ingredients most likely to qualify as trade secrets.
Dr. Mohamad Khair F. Khasawneh, MD, medical oncologist, Loyola Medicine, previously told Parade that because of these rules, manufacturers can group hundreds of chemicals under “fragrance” or “perfume” on a label, which means people may be exposed to harmful chemical mixtures without realizing it.
Dr. Krushangi Patel, MD, medical oncologist, City of Hope, also previously told Parade that heavily scented laundry products like dryer sheets and fabric softeners are a good example. “The concern is that some of those fragrances may contain or release chemicals that are not fully disclosed on product labels,” Dr. Patel said.
That lack of transparency also makes it hard to pin down how much exposure is too much. “They release a complex, undisclosed mixture of chemicals, not a single, measurable substance,” Dr. Tracy Proverbs-Singh, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, previously told Parade. “Everyone’s tolerance and overall exposure load is different, so the concept of a universal safe level doesn’t apply.”
Related: Oncologists Are Begging People To Stop Using This Common Cleaning Product
Are ‘Natural’ Scents a Safer Bet?
Not necessarily. There’s no regulatory definition for “essential oils,” according to the FDA, and the law treats ingredients from plants the same as those from any other source. A clinical review in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology noted that natural fragrance compounds aren’t inherently safe and can trigger skin reactions—and that terms like “unscented” are poorly standardized.
Plant-derived scent compounds called terpenes, such as limonene (which gives citrus its smell) and pinene (found in pine), raise another issue. Research conducted for the California Air Resources Board found that terpenes in cleaning products and air fresheners react with ozone indoors to form formaldehyde, a toxic air contaminant, though ordinary use isn’t expected to push levels past health guidelines.
Related: An Oncologist Says Doing This in the Kitchen Can Release ‘Millions’ of Microplastic Particles Into Your Food
None of this means one bottle of scented detergent is a cause for panic. “Typical dryer sheet use doesn’t necessarily cause cancer,” Dr. Patel said. “Risk depends on factors such as dose, frequency and duration of exposure. But because fragrance-related emissions aren’t always obvious from the label, many experts recommend minimizing unnecessary fragrance exposure when practical.”
Easy places to start include choosing products labeled “fragrance-free,” skipping extras like dryer sheets and air fresheners and opening a window when you clean.
Adapted from Parade’s Oncologists Are Begging People To Throw Out This Common Laundry Product by Beth Ann Mayer.
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Dr. Mohamad Khair F. Khasawneh, MD, Medical Oncologist, Loyola Medicine Dr. Krushangi Patel, MD, Medical Oncologist, City of Hope Dr. Tracy Proverbs-Singh, MD, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncologist, John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “‘Trade Secret’ Ingredients.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Fragrances in Cosmetics.” Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. “Fragrance Safety in Atopic Dermatitis: A Clinical Review.” California Air Resources Board (via EPA HERO). “Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants.”Hence then, the article about oncologists say this 1 word on product labels can hide hundreds of chemicals hint it s not natural was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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