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Behind the Label: Colgate Total

By Pat Thomas, 01/10/04 Articles
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Toothpastes contain a number of slow-motion poisons including saccharin and artificial colourings and flavourings (all potential carcinogens). More worrying still is the fact that every tube of family toothpaste contains a lethal dose of fluoride. By Pat Thomas

 

Do you suffer from mouth ulcers or rashes on your face? Are your teeth pitted and yellow? If the answer to these questions is yes, then your toothpaste may be to blame.

The truth is that very few of us are aware of how harsh most toothpastes are and the potential damage they can do to your mouth and body. While children are at the greatest risk because they tend to swallow more while brushing their teeth, many of the chemicals in toothpaste can easily be absorbed into the body via the tongue and the thin mucous membrane inside the mouth.

Toothpastes contain a number of slow-motion poisons including saccharin and artificial colourings and flavourings (all potential carcinogens). More worrying still is the fact that every tube of family toothpaste contains a lethal dose of fluoride.

In the UK advertising promotes fluoride toothpastes as healthy; in the US the government regulator the Food and Drug Administration requires their packaging to include health warnings and information on contacting local poisons control officers in the event of ingestion.

Amazingly, for something that is put in the mouth and frequently swallowed, anybody can make and sell toothpaste in the UK: licences are only necessary if manufacturers make medicinal claims (such as an ability to reduce tooth sensitivity).

 

Sidebar: Ingredients Colgate Total

Aqua, Hydrated silica, Glycerin, Sorbitol. PVM/MA copolymer, Aroma, Sodium lauryl sulfate, Cellulose gum, Sodium hydroxide, Carageenan, Sodium fluoride (1450ppmF), sodium saccharin, CI 42090, CI 47005

Sorbitol

Purpose

Sweetener and tartar control agent Humectant

Health effects

Bloating and intestinal cramping in high doses

Laxative Because of its laxative effects, the use of gel toothpastes (which can contain up to 70 per cent sorbitol) by small children should be supervised, possibly even discouraged, by parents.

Glycerin

Purpose

Lubricant: improves the feel of the product Humectant: keeps the product moist Glycerin can be processed from plants or animals.

Health effects

Generally safe, but can dry the skin around the mouth.

Hydrated silica

Purpose

  • Abrasive stain remover

Health effects

  • Weakens tooth enamel; tooth enamel rebuilds itself daily from ionic calcium and phosphorus in the saliva; regularly scratching the surface of the tooth with harsh abrasives interferes with this process
  • Gum damage: in rare cases the silica can build up under the gum, causing inflammation The safety of ingested silica has not been adequately proven, and some observers have linked it with Crohn’s disease, though this connection remains unsubstantiated.

Sodium Hydroxide

Purpose

  • Bleaching/cleaning agent; a common component of oven and drain cleaners

Health effects

  • Skin Irritation

PVM/MA copolymer

Purpose

  • Plastic-like glue derived from polyvinyl, often found in hair gels and sprays, which sticks the triclosan, and other ingredients, to the teeth and gums

Health effects

  • Unknown

Sodium Fluoride

Purpose

  • Strengthens tooth enamel, Antibacterial

Health effects

  • Fluorosis: spotting, mottling and yellowing of the teeth; especially in children
  • Osteoporosis: ingested fluoride leeches calcium from the bones
  • Allergy/hypersensitivity reactions
  • Poisonous: ingestion can cause salivation, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain and diarrhoea
  • There is enough fluoride in a 100-millilitre tube of ‘family’ toothpaste to kill a small child.

Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS)

Purpose

  • Detergent and foaming agent SLS is a harsh cleanser often used as an engine de-greaser. It’s added to toothpaste to make it foam, but is not necessary to clean your teeth.

Health effects

  • Irritating to the mucous membranes in the mouth
  • Mouth ulcers, canker sores
  • Contact eczema

Triclosan

Purpose

  • Antibacterial agent Reduces plaque

Health effects

  • Gum damage: causes premature cell death in gum tissues
  • Allergic reactions
  • Ulceration
  • Alters the biodynamic balance of the mouth: kills ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria, which could make users more vulnerable to infection.

A chlorinated aromatic, triclosan is molecularly similar to dioxins, PCBs (highly toxic chlorine-based compounds) and the herbicide Agent Orange. Indeed, its manufacturing process can release dioxins (powerful hormone disrupters) into the environment. It is also a chlorophenol, a class of chemicals that can cause cancer in animals. Commonly used as a pesticide, it is easily absorbed into the body via the mouth, and has been associated with liver damage in animals.

Carageenan

Purpose

  • Thickener; part of a naturally occurring family of carbohydrates extracted from red seaweed; also known as E407

Health effects

  • Stomach aches
  • Potential carcinogen: has been associated with cancer of the gastrointestinal tract in animals, and laboratory evidence suggests it can act as a trigger for breast cancer in humans.

Saccharin

Purpose

  • Artificial sweetener

Health effects

  • Carcinogenic: linked to bladder cancer in animals In the US, foods that include saccharin must declare it is a potential carcinogen on the label. No such warnings are required in the UK.

Aroma

Purpose

  • Flavouring

Health effects

  • Allergic reactions: some of these may mimic common dental problems, such as bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums).
  • Potential carcinogen: aromas are generally petroleum derivatives and can be contaminated with cancer-causing substances.

CI 42090

Purpose

  • Blue Colouring

Health effects

  • Hyperactivity
  • Skin rashes
  • Potential carcinogen: there is some evidence that CI 42090, also known as FD&C Blue 1 and E133, can cause cancer in animals.
  • Banned in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

CI 47005

Purpose

  • Yellow colouring

Health effects

  • Asthma
  • Rashes
  • Hyperactivity
  • Aspirin-sensitive people should avoid this colouring
  • Also known as FD&C yellow 10 and E104, CI 47005 is a coal-tar dye and can contain impurities that are neurotoxic and carcinogenic.
  • Banned In Australia, the US and Norway

 

Sidebar: Try These Instead

Even some ‘natural’ toothpastes contain contested ingredients. So, make sure you read the label before you buy.

Some of the better options include:

 

Pat Thomas is the author of several books on health and the environment including Cleaning Yourself to Death: how safe is your home?, Living Dangerously: are everyday toxins making you sick? (both published by Newleaf) and Under the Weather: how the weather and climate affect our health (Fusion Press).

 

  • This article first appeared in the Ecologist October 2004 edition.

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