Professional Hospital Furnishers
Thank you for Visiting Us at MEDICA 2003 - Download catalogues in PDF format - Order now & avail 10 / 20% discount - Liposuction Canulas for Cosmetic Surgery now in production


  PRODUCT CATALOGUE
  find the required instrument...

 

type in the name of instrument & click GO 
  optional search by...

alphabet.gif

  Order Catalogues
  Free Downloads
   MEMBERS
























   Contact Us
   Product Range
   Accreditations
   Production Operations
   Future Plans
   Testimonials...




Articles back

Baby Business

Sept. 14, 2000 (San Francisco) -- Deborah Osburn had been home from the hospital for two days with her newborn son when the news came on and stopped her cold. The same baby powder she was using on her son, Sam, was being called a potentially dangerous household product.
She learned that many baby powders contain talc -- a mineral compound similar to asbestos -- which can cause respiratory problems if inhaled.
Osburn, of Walnut Creek, was particularly surprised at the news because the powder was included in a gift sampler from the hospital. "I found that everything in my sample packet had ingredients that were not good for my baby," and tossed them all in the garbage, she says.
Her subsequent search through store shelves revealed that most baby products contained talc. So, seeing a need for a "natural alternative" to mainstream baby products, Osburn gave birth again: this time to a business.
Four years later, her company, called Little Forest, has three lines of baby products containing botanical ingredients such as chamomile, tea tree oil, Echinacea, and aloe vera. The soaps, moisturizers, diaper rash creams, and sunscreen are marketed as gentle, effective products with natural ingredients.
Osburn, the chief executive and chairman of Little Forest, is so confident the ingredients are safe, she tests the products on her own children, Sam, now 4, and his brother Luca, 3, after consulting with a six-person board of advisers about which ingredients will work best together. "When I make a salve, I can test that on my baby's butt," Osburn says. "We don't use lab rats, we use our children. We know these ingredients are safe."
The board includes a pediatrician and a pharmacologist. Two FDA-approved labs, one in Southern California and another in Vermont, manufacture all the products, she says.
Osburn is not the first to criticize baby powders. Last November, the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming manufacturers and distributors of medicated baby powder are exposing children to dangerous levels of lead.
The complaint says the active ingredient in the powders, zinc oxide, is contaminated with lead. Just one application can expose babies to more than 0.5 micrograms of lead, which activates a state law requiring warning labels, the suit states.
Eric Somers, an attorney for the environmental group, says the lawsuit asks for such a warning label, but that the organization would prefer the removal of zinc oxide altogether. "They shouldn't be putting it in any product designed for use on babies," he says.
Defendants named in the suit include manufacturers Pfizer Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and Johnson & Johnson; and retailers Walgreen Co., Rite Aid Corp., Longs Drugs, and PlanetRx.com. The manufacturers say their products are safe and FDA-approved. A trial date has not been set.
Howard C. Mofenson, MD, medical director of New York's Long Island Regional Poison Control Center at Winthrop University Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), says parents should avoid using powders altogether because of the associated risk of respiratory problems. "It is our opinion that baby powder is not necessary," Mofenson tells .
"In 1980, we found out we were getting somewhere between 150 and 200 calls a year on babies allegedly inhaling baby powder," Mofenson says. "The majority didn't run into any problems, but there were 13 fatal cases recorded in the literature."
The AAP advises parents not to use talcum or baby powder in its guidelines for preventing diaper rash because the products "could cause breathing problems in your infant."
Osburn also finds fault with other products, including tearless shampoos that contain numbing agents, and baby oils containing mineral oil, which can inhibit the skin's natural production of moisturizers. Such ingredients are banned from Little Forest because of their potential to irritate skin. Osburn says the company does not make bubble baths because they can contribute to yeast and urinary tract infections in babies.
At the same time, Osburn says she is not out to strike panic into the hearts of parents. "Unlike the normal natural product industry which loves to say other products are poisonous, we wanted to focus on making something safe for babies," she says. "We didn't want to spook people."
She says she only wants to give parents a choice, and advises them to carefully read the labels on the items they buy.
So far, the concept has received a warm reception, Osburn says. Little Forest products can be found in up to 400 stores and online retailers throughout the country, and has recently branched out into Canada. Products also are distributed through pediatricians as free samples.
Osburn says the company earned $1 million in revenue last year, and she expects to reach that mark again this year.
Osburn points out that many mothers already make significant lifestyle changes for their baby's health. "My message is, if they're willing to do pretty life-altering things, like natural childbirth, breast-feeding, and changing their diet, let's do the best we can," she says. "Let's make sure the products we're using are as safe as they can possibly be."

back

 

home.gif help.gif email.gif

 subscribe to newsletter
 

go.gif 

Download Now



bnr_right02.gif

bnr_right03.gif
 


DESIGNED & POWERED BY
SOLINCS

copyright 2002 - professional hospital furnishers