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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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ASK DR. DESAI ~Tips for buying green personal care products

This is the sixth in a series of articles on ingredients that you need to avoid in personal care products. Millions of consumers use products such as sunscreens, moisturizers and shampoos every day, yet many remain unaware of the potential dangers in some of the ingredients.

This month, I will review a class of compounds called Diethanolamine or DEA compounds.

What is Diethanolamine or DEA compounds?

Diethanolamine is chemical that can be a colorless powder or liquid with a slight ammonia-like odor.

What is the purpose of Diethanolamine or DEA compounds in personal care products?

Diethanolamine or DEA compounds such cocamide and lauramide DEA is used to make personal care products creamy or sudzy. DEA is also used in pH adjustments to counteract the acidity of other ingredients.

What kind of products are Diethanolamine or DEA compounds found in?

Diethanolamine or DEA compounds are found in moisturizers, sunscreens, soaps, cleansers or shampoos. It may also be used in industrial products as an anticorrosive agent.

What health risks are associated with Diethanolamine or DEA compounds?

DEA compounds can react with nitrites in cosmetics to form nitrosamines, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified as a possible human carcinogen. In addtion, DEA has been shown to be a skin and eye irritant. The European Union Cosmetics Directive restricts the concentration and use of cocamide and lauramide DEA in cosmetics. The EU Cosmetics Directive also limits the maximum nitrosamine concentration in products containing these ingredients. According to the EPA’s hazard summary created on DEA in 1990: “animal studies have reported effects on the liver, kidney, blood, and central nervous system (CNS) from chronic oral exposure to diethanolamine. In addition, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) reported an increased incidence of liver and kidney tumors in mice from dermal exposure to diethanolamine. EPA has not classified diethanolamine for carcinogenicity.” The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has classified cocamide DEA as hazardous to the environment because of its acute toxicity to aquatic organisms and potential for bioaccumulation.

So the next time you buy moisturizers, creams, shampoos or other products, try and choose formulas that are DEA or DEA compound free. Stay tuned for the next monthly installation of this series to learn about what else you need to be on the lookout for and avoid. Dr. Vinay Desai is a naturalist and a pharmaceutical scientist with a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Through community awareness programs, Dr. Desai has helped educate people in the sustainable practices of using solar power and green personal care products.

Do you have a question about natural personal care products? Please send your questions to [email protected] or call 908-236-6742. For more information, visit DrDesaiSoap.com.

Local Insights
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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