China's clean chit to J&J baby bath products

Shanghai, China, March 21: The State Food and Drug Administration on Saturday gave a clean chit to Johnson & Johnson's China-made baby products, saying no evidence has been found that the company’s baby bath products contain potential carcinogens, as alleged by an activist group.

Officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said they found no contamination by formaldehyde, or 1,4-dioxane, in 33 baby products including 14 bath or sanitary-related items. All the products were sold by the global healthcare company's Shanghai branch.

In a report released on March 12, 2009, by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC), it was alleged that commonly used baby products are contaminated with harmful levels of carcinogenic chemicals.

The report alleged at the time that more than half of children's bath soaps, shampoos, lotions, and other personal care products tested by the U.S. based health and environmental group CSC were found to contain 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde.

In its report, CSC named a few best-selling products that were found to contain both chemical contaminants, including Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash and Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash.

But, the Shanghai health watchdog has claimed Johnson & Johnson China’s baby products are formaldehyde- or 1,4-dioxane-free.

After carrying out tests on 31 batch numbers of 26 baby bath products, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) released testing results, showing that J&J’s all tested baby bath products met with the country's regulations on cosmetic formaldehyde.

The government agency said it would work with other government departments to handle the situation from time to time and organize experts to further study the effects of the 1,4-dioxane substance in cosmetic products on health.

“The State Food and Drug Administration will continue to closely monitor the situation and do testing in a timely manner,” the State FDA said in a statement.

Formaldehyde is a colorless gaseous compound commonly found in construction materials. This highly reactive hydrocarbon can cause breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogendefine. Also called formalin, formaldehyde is used as a preservative, an embalming agent, and a disinfectant.