The Dangerous Toxin In Head Lice Shampoo
Head lice. Just the thought of them sends shivers down the spine of every parent and grandparent… The repeated painstaking wet combing… the hair washing… of everyone in the family! Not to mention the linen and towels…
The alternative to combing, of course, is to get a bottle of medicated head lice shampoo from your local pharmacy… It’s quick and easy, and even though they’re not all 100 per cent effective, most parents won’t think twice before choosing this option.
However, you’ll probably pay it a second thought after you read this…
Head lice shampoo might contain an insecticide… one that is a known neurotoxin.
This insecticide is so toxic, 160 countries have banned it.
Messing with our hair… and health
The toxic insecticide is Lindane… but when I say banned, it’s not exactly as clear-cut as being banned outright by all 160 countries. In the UK, Lindane has been banned from being used in agriculture when treating seeds in England, Scotland and Wales. In 2009, an international ban on the use of Lindane in agriculture was implemented under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. A specific exemption allows for it to continue to be used in second-line treatments for head lice and scabies until 2014.
Lindane is still found in chocolate due to its use on imported cocoa beans. Lindane residues have also shown up in milk, beef, cheese and mushrooms in recent years due to the persistence of this pesticide. So really, ban or no ban, this toxic pesticide will still be around for some time to come.
Research links Lindane with seizures and death. It can also affect liver and kidney function, and several research groups recognize it as a possible carcinogen. In 2002 an inquest found that Lindane was responsible for the death of an eight year old girl, after she ingested a teaspoon full of the pesticide, Doff Ant Powder… which contained Lindane.
Doff Ant Powder can still be ordered online…
Recently, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected a petition to take shampoos that contain Lindane off the market. In fact, in the FDA’s very own Patient Medication Guide, the agency has this to say about shampoo containing Lindane: “[It] is a poison if you do not use it the right way. Lindane Shampoo goes through your skin and can affect your brain and nerves. Lindane Shampoo can cause seizures, also called convulsions, “fits” or epilepsy. Seizures and death can happen in people who use Lindane Shampoo too much or too often”.
Wow! And still these shampoos are available online and in supermarkets… sitting on the shelves… like toxic time bombs.
The FDA also warns that “babies; children; older people; people who weigh less than 110 lb; and people who have skin conditions such as psoriasis, rashes, crusty scabby skin, or broken skin are more likely to have serious side effects from Lindane.”
How dangerous does a toxin have to be before it gets banned completely?
Yet the cruel irony is that Lindane shampoos are not very effective, which increases the likelihood that some parents will use these products more than once. Of course, that just escalates neurological risks.
In rejecting the recent petition for a ban, the FDA notes that Lindane shampoo is not used as much as it once was. But that’s just another way of saying that consumers are still using it. It also doesn’t take away the fact that it still exposes children to potentially lethal neurotoxins.
If you know a parent whose child has head lice, urge them to ban Lindane shampoo in their home… Apparently that’s the only way this toxin is going to make an exit ?¦ One household at a time.
In fact, tell them to carefully read the label of any head lice shampoo before buying it.
Lindane can be listed as an ingredient as one of the following: Agrocide, Ambrocide, Aparasin, Aphitiria, Benesan, Benexane, benhexachlor, benzene hexachloride, BHC, BoreKil, Borer-Tox, Exagama, Gallogama, Gamaphex, gamma-BHC, Gamma-Col, gamma-HCH, Gammex, Gammexane, Gamasan, Gexane, hexachlorocyclohexane, HCH, Isotox, Jacutin, Kwell, Lindafor, Lindagronox, Lindaterra, Lindatox, Lintox, Lorexane, New Kotol, Noviagam, Quellada, Steward, Streunex, and Tri-6.
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Sources:
“FDA Rejects NRDC Petition to Ban Lindane” Miriam E. Tucker, Medscape, 12/5/12, medscape.com
“FDA Asked To Ban Lice Shampoo For Kids” Ed Silverman, Pharmalot, 6/1/12, pharmalot.com
“FDA Asked to Ban Use of Pesticide for Head Lice” Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today, 6/1/12, medpagetoday.com
“Drugmakers & Their Post-Marketing Commitments” Ed Silverman, Pharmalot, 3/5/12, pharmalot.com
