When your personal-care products could cause cancer, that’s a little too personal. Most of us use 15 or more cosmetic and toiletry products each day, such as shampoo, skin cream, deodorant, sunscreen, nail polish and perfume. The personal-care products used by Americans contain 10,500 different chemicals, according to the Seattle-based Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition.

Only 11 percent of these chemicals have been assessed for health and safety by any U.S. government agency, says the coalition, and one-third of all personal-care products contain at least one chemical linked to cancer. Some chemicals in these products also have links to birth defects and other health problems.

Seattle Times Newspaper