Beware This Health Bomb

By Dr. Mercola

Over the course of a lifetime, the average American uses about 20 gallons of toothpaste,¹ and even though you don’t swallow it, chemicals in the toothpaste can make their way into your bloodstream, courtesy of the fact that your mouth has an absorption efficiency rate of more than 90 percent.²

With this in mind, it’s well worth considering what you’re brushing your teeth with on a daily basis. Many popular brands contain highly questionable ingredients that are best avoided for long-term health.

A recent report by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog, highlights many of the problems in the regulation of cosmetic ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, the industry is allowed to largely regulate itself, which has allowed many hazardous ingredients to be introduced.

DEA, a foaming agent, is a known hormone disrupter that can react with other ingredients to form a potential carcinogen called N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA). NDEA is readily absorbed through the skin and has been linked with cancers of the stomach, esophagus, liver and bladder.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) ranks DEA as a number 10 in its cosmetics database (the most toxic score) due to high concerns of organ system toxicity. The California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also lists DEA as a possible human carcinogen.¹⁹

Microbeads

Microbeads are tiny plastic pellets found in body washes, facial scrubs, toothpaste and more. The microbeads go down your drain, through the filters at most wastewater treatment plants, and out into the environment. Plastic microbeads absorb toxins from the water and are eaten by a wide variety of marine life and, ultimately, by humans as well.

There’s good reason to avoid toothpaste containing microbeads, aside from the obvious environmental threat. In 2014, serious questions were raised about their use in toothpaste when dentists and dental hygienists reported finding microbeads trapped between patients’ teeth and under their gums. This gives food and bacteria an entrance to your gum line, which could actually CAUSE gum disease. Dentist Justin Phillip was quoted by The Washington Post, saying:²⁰

“They’ll trap bacteria in the gums which leads to gingivitis, and over time that infection moves from the gum into the bone that holds your teeth, and that becomes periodontal disease.”

Ingredients Made From Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Many toothpastes also contain an array of GMO-based ingredients. The only way to avoid these is to buy products carrying the “USDA 100% Organic” label, as certified organic ingredients are not permitted to be sourced from genetically engineered (GE) crops. GMO-derived ingredients include:

Sources and References

• ¹ Progressivehealth.com, Toothpaste
• ^2, 3, 17 Cornucopia.org, Behind the Dazzling Smile: Toxic Ingredients in Your Toothpaste (PDF)
• ⁴ Cornucopia.org Toothpaste Scorecard
• ⁵ Cornucopia.org August 16, 2016
• ⁶ Fluoridealert.org June 16, 1997
• ⁷ Langmuir. 2010 Dec 21;26(24):18750-9
• ⁸ PRNewswire October 31, 2013
• ⁹ Fluoride Action Network August 2012
• ¹⁰ Aquatic Toxicology 2006 Dec 1;80(3):217-27
• ¹¹ UC Davis, Anti-bacterial Personal Hygiene Products
• ¹² Newsweek September 26, 2014
• ¹³ Compend Contin Educ Dent. December 1997;18(12):1238-40
• ¹⁴ Natural Resources Defense Council, 1,4-dioxane
• ¹⁵ Epoch Times August 26, 2015
• ¹⁶ PAN Pesticides Database, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• ¹⁸ Environmental Working Group, Propylene Glycol
• ¹⁹ Environmental Working Group, Diethanolamine
• ²⁰ The Washington Post September 18, 2014
• ²¹ GreenMedInfo March 19, 2013

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