Which Consumer Labels Can We Trust?
Lise
Sometimes, researching presents me with information I am not the least bit happy to discover, like some of the information in todays post.
Let's examine a term that's been around so long, it's a part of our everyday life. It's found on labels everywhere – household products, products for pets, and for children.
The term: Non-Toxic.
Most of us understand 'Non-toxic' as a stamp of approval and assurance of safety. When we see a product labelled NON TOXIC, we feel confident that the contents is safe and can't cause the slightest bit of discomfort to either adults or children, nor will it harm the environment in any way.
Non-toxic means all that, right?
Unfortunately, no.
It's Not as Simple as That
A non-toxic label on a product doesn't mean a blessed thing. There is no industry standard, no government regulatory department, or even a consumer group that takes responsibilty for approving this term/stamp/label for any consumer product in the USA.
A definition:
"A non-toxic substance is one that is not expected to cause symptoms or be dangerous." (LINK)
The American website, Finch writes:
"To be honest, ‘non-toxic’ doesn’t actually mean much of anything." (LINK)
What science does to determine safety levels is to measure adverse effects. If a substance is determined to be 'non-toxic', it is labelled NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level).
Finch explains further:
"The NOAEL is the highest amount of a chemical an organism can be exposed to before it begins showing some sort of toxic response, like getting sick or developing a rash. (LINK)
In short – a label that reads non-toxic is completely misleading.
American Solutions
In the US, the Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI) are concentrating on a different kind of label – their own. ACMI seals include an AP (Approved Product) seal, which
"identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems."
From what I have been able to find, these folks seem very serious about safety. Visit their site here
In Effect in Denmark
In my little country of Denmark, there are many labelling standards for consumer products – and many of them overlap. We have Denmark-specific safety-labels, Scandinavian-specific labels, and then there are the numerous pan-European labels.
For example, the labels commonly seen on childrens products inform of a variety of safety-related issues. Behind most of these labels is an organisation or group.
As reassuring as that may sound, Denmark (and Europe) are still far from perfect.
Info tidbit: The Danish Ministry of Environment places responsibility for correct labelling of any product in the hands of the company that markets the product and not – as one might expect – in the hands of the manufacturer of the product. (visit them here)
Read that again and consider how many bits of information and documentation can 'go missing' between the manufacture and delivery of, say, a product for babies or toddlers.
I'm not very happy about admitting this, but many of the labels I see on products in Denmark (and Europe) don't give me any sense of security at all.
There are additional reasons why.
Whatever You Need - Just Let us Know!
This little incident from a few years ago may help explain my skepticism.
I was looking into buying some cosmetics containers from a foreign manufacturer 'across the planet' (I'm not going to mention the country) and needed to be able to apply a specific label to the packaging. When I asked for information and documentation that the containers were phtalate-free, the manufacturer (proudly!) replied they only needed to see a copy of any original document from anywhere and would within a short period of time be able offer me 'any kind of documentation I desired'.
I asked the same question differently a few times to be sure I wasn’t misunderstanding.
I wasn’t.
Their representative in Denmark didn’t seem very pleased to learn what he had just learned either.
So much for my confidence in that manufacturer. (and I still have no clue as to whether their containers were phtalate free or not).
One has to wonder how many companies have bought containers from this manufacturer and affixed any number of labels to their 'safe and non-toxic' products?
Checking a Label is Easier said than Done
When someone suggests you 'read the label' for information, it may be necessary to do a bit more digging to get a full understanding of what any of it means - regardless of where on the planet you live.
Meantime, the NON TOXIC label remains on my ‘labels not to trust’ list.
Do Tell
Do you trust the labels you read? How do you research the ones you are unsure of? Please share in a comment below.
