You’ve likely heard of food dyes, such as Red 40 or Yellow 5, being toxic.
But is dye toxic in other products?
Today, more than 7,000 different substances are used to give color to products produced commercially.
In this article, we’ll explain what synthetic dyes are, health effects, and 12 places these toxic dyes can be found.
What Are Synthetic Dyes?
Of the over 7k substances, many are “synthesized from aromatic hydrocarbons, such as toluene, benzene, and naphthalene. Hydrocarbons are derived, typically, from coal tar.”
What does this mean to the everyday consumer (you and I)?
That man-made chemicals, combined with refined crude oil (the stuff that comes from the ground that gasoline is made of), are in our everyday products.
Is Dye Toxic To People or Harmful To Our Health?
In short, yes it may be.
Let’s look at two of the chemicals mentioned above:
- Toluene. It affects the immune and nervous system. This chemical is in the volatile organic compound family of chemicals.
It’s a clear, colorless liquid that occurs naturally in crude oil and the tolu tree.
Plus, it’s created when making gasoline and other products from crude oil and coal.
- Benzene. Benzene affects the immune and nervous systems (two of our organ systems), plus affects the Hematological system (responsible for blood cells, bone marrow, spleen, lymph nodes).
It’s a colorless chemical with a sweet odor that is highly flammable and is a natural part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke.
“Benzene is widely used in the United States; it ranks in the top 20 chemicals for production volume.” – ATSDR
12 Products That Can Contain Toxic Dyes
Pause a moment and think of ALL the items we’re surrounded by that are colored.
Wow! It’s an incredible number.
While not all dyes are toxic (they can be made of natural sources), the vast majority of dyes today are made of synthetic dyes that can be toxic.
Here are 12 types of products that commonly have synthetic dyes as a colorant:
- Plastics: hard plastics, soft plastics and all plastics in between. Plastics can be found in nearly every type of product – food containers, composite wood, electronics, drapes, furniture… the list goes on.
- Resins: used to make windows, composite woods, laminated floors and furniture of multi shades and colors. This category of products spans from adhesives to building materials.
- Nylon: We’re all familiar with nylon stockings (as my grandma used to call them); however, nylon is also in panties, shirts, window treatments, and building materials.
- Synthetic Fibers: Better known as polyester, acrylic, and microfiber, synthetic fibers are most often colored with synthetic (vs. natural) dyes. Furniture covering, clothes, drapes, coats and windbreakers are a few examples of the many products made of synthetic fibers. Read more about synthetic fibers here.
- Rubber: hair bands, shoes, elastic in undies, socks, and stretchy pants are a few places we see colored rubber.
- Detergents: laundry detergents, cleaning detergents or household cleaners fall into this category. Tide Pods, Windex, and Goo Gone are a few of the brightly colored cleaners made with dyes.
- Drugs: prescription drugs, cough syrup, decongestant, antacid, and many over the counter drugs are colored, containing dyes. Pink Pepto Bismol comes to mind – that bright pink is hard to forget. Kids cough medicines are another example, colored purple and red. Typically medications without dyes state “free of dyes” on the label.
- Paint: the darker the paint color, the more chemicals there are in the dye, typically. White base paint usually contains harmful chemicals already. Therefore, adding dye increases the number of chemicals.
- Printing Ink: newspaper ink, books, and home printers all have printing ink that is likely made of synthetic dyes.
- Cosmetics: nail polish, mascara, eyeliner, and other cosmetics include dyes that can be toxic. These chemicals absorb through the skin and can enter the blood stream.
- Personal Care Products: deodorant, lotion,shampoo, conditioner, and soap (hand, body, face) typically contain dyes. Take specialty soaps or kids shampoo, for example. Colored in blue, pink, yellow and green, these personal care products are often colored with dyes that can soak into skin, to the bloodstream, and circulate throughout the body.
- Food: artificial color is commonly found in processed foods like cookies, breakfast cereal, and frosted cupcakes. Dyes are used to lure kids and adults to the food, making it look more appealing.
Final Thoughts
Toxic synthetic dyes can be hidden in thousands of products such as clothing, plastics, detergents, and cosmetics to name a few.
Do you know how to choose products free of toxic dyes?
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