A potential cancer-causing ingredient can be found in thousands of personal care products, including toothpaste and children's shampoos.

Mother of three Dena Storck insists, like most mothers, that apples are a healthy choice for her children.

"I'm here to protect my kids, and I'm here to make the best decisions I can for them, and if that means saying no, I'm OK with that," said Storck.

By saying no and buying smart, Storck said she's always been confident about the choices she makes for her children, until now.

"I was really surprised, and it started a lot of dialogue among my friends," said Storck.

Storck is talking with her friends about the latest warnings on paradioxane and other potential cancer-causing chemicals used to make everyday products such as toothpaste and baby shampoos.

Web sites such as Skin Deep, from the Environmental Working Group, break it down, showing a product's toxic levels on a scale from zero to 10.

Johnson & Johnson baby lotion has a rating of 7, and there's even a hazard warning of 5 for adult Colgate toothpaste.

That's no surprise to mothers such as Dr. Lisa Doggett at the People's Clinic in Central Austin.

"There are actually thousands and thousands of chemicals that are routinely used in the United States that are completely untested," said Doggett, a family physician.

Untested products we use on our babies every day.

"Children are not just little adults," said Doggett. "Children are much more susceptible to toxic chemicals than adults are, because they're closer to the ground, they're smaller, they're breathing, actually, at a more rapid rate."

She noted that children's brains are developing at a critical time.

"It's the little exposure over time that that can add up," said Doggett. "Unfortunately, it is very difficult to study from a medical standpoint."

Doggett advises all parents to be vigilant, wash hands all the time, don't eat the same things, vary your diet, read labels and take off shoes.

Doggett said to think about where your shoes have been and who's playing in your footsteps.

"I'm on my third kid," said Storck."The first one, you listen to all the rules, and then you forget, and you become relaxed. I think this is a really nice reminder of what we need to do to protect our children.

Europe has banned the use of paradioxane and similar chemicals in all personal-care products, and contaminated products have been pulled from the shelves.

U.S. manufacturers have known for years about paradioxane and how to get rid of it, but instead, they leave it up to the consumer.




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