Petroleum and petroleum jelly or petrolatum for example do not necessarily look the same but consider that petrolatum has been deoderized, bleached, and treated to look, feel, and smell the way it does. Essentially using petroleum jelly is like using a form of plastic or gasoline just tailored for skin. Petrochemicals are industrially produced and are known carcinogens.
According to David Suzuki "A petroleum product, petrolatum can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies suggest that exposure to PAHs — including skin contact over extended periods of time — is associated with cancer. i On this basis, the European Union classifies petrolatum a carcinogen ii and restricts its use in cosmetics. PAHs in petrolatum can also cause skin irritation and allergies."
A study linking the petrolatum impurity polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs to breast cancer was completed at Columbia University. The study indicates that breast tissue of women with breast cancer were 2.6 times more likely to have increased amounts of PAHs attached to their DNA than the breast tissue of women without breast cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found in oil, coal and tar deposits as byproducts of fuel burning. Researchers June K.Dunnick, Michael R.Elwell, James Huff and J.Carl Barrett of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC also found that PAHs were found in the mutated genes of test animals with mammary gland cancer.
There is no regulatory restriction in Canada concerning the production and sale of petrolatum and petrolatum products. Petrolatum has been flagged for future assessment under the government's Chemicals Management Plan, but many uninformed Canadians remain in the dark concerning this chemical. In the European Union, petrolatum can only be used in cosmetics "if the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen." http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/chemicals-in-your-cosmetics---petrolatum/
Adults widely purchase carcinogens, some knowingly, others unknowingly, but where my concern lies is with the voiceless children. There are safer products that can be used on their growing little bodies, and unfortunately misinformed parents often use petroleum jelly products on their babies.
Petrolatum is also used as an artificial food additive, often represented in ingredients lists as E905B. It's applications can be broad but is "recommended" as a wax/gelling agent. Yum? The FDA provides updated information about all food additives allowed into the food supply. This is how much petroleum you might be ingesting:
(c) petrolatum is used or intended for use as follows:
In bakery products; as release agent and lubricant. With white mineral oil, not to exceed 0.15 percent of bakery product.
In confectionery; as release agent and as sealing and polishing agent. Not to exceed 0.2 percent of confectionery.
In dehydrated fruits and vegetables; as release agent. Not to exceed 0.02 percent of dehydrated fruits and vegetables.
In egg white solids; as release agent. Not to exceed 0.1 percent of egg white solids.
On raw fruits and vegetables; as protective coating. In an amount not to exceed good manufacturing practice.
In beet sugar and yeast; as defoaming agent. As prescribed in 173.340 of this chapter.
For more information from the FDA: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=172.880&SearchTerm=petrolatum
SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES:
Created by: CosmetologySchool.org
Might I reiterate this is pretty much plastic, which is an endocrine disrupting, carcinogenic, xenoestrogen.
SOMETHING FOR THE GENTS:
It might be a good idea to consider consulting a qualified Nutritional Practitioner in the future if you are unsure of what chemicals are truly derived from nature and which are synthetic. Nutritionists such as myself are trained experts in the field of food, herbal medicine, and supplementation. There are alternatives to synthetic chemicals available, you just have to find them. Coconut oil is superior in virtually every way to petrolatum, and from generations of consumption we know it can be safely used internally as well. For baby's there are a multitude of products available as well, the cheapest but closest to petrolatum is sheep lanolin. For more information feel free to email me or contact me via FaceBook.