Monday, 2 August 2004

Several everyday consumer products are made with toxic chemicals that can't be found anywhere on the package label. In a study, 40 household products such as hair coloring, lipstick and paints were tested for toxic chemicals.

Out of these 40 products, evidence of the following chemicals was discovered in 34 of the products: glycols, organic solvents and phthalates. These chemicals did not appear on the label of the products. Although the study didn't test at what level these chemicals were harmful to people, they did find that these chemicals could contribute to impacting the nervous system, reproductive system and cause other health issues.

For this reason, researchers expressed the need to look further into chemical affects and people's level of exposure to them. Researchers also stated the most common toxic chemical that people would most likely inhale come from household products. These chemicals included chlorine, toluene, xylene, methyl, ethyl ketone and n-hexane.

Based on the findings from these studies, environmental groups recommended stricter labeling requirements. A chemical spokesperson stated that these claims weren't supported by scientific evidence and served merely as scare tactics as a way to get people to not buy the products they depend on for everyday use.

Another spokesperson for the cosmetic industry claimed that the amount of toxic chemicals used in cosmetics and other household products was very low and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Because We're Worth It !

New product tests have found phthalates, which are known to cause birth defects in laboratory animals, for the first time in two popular brands of lipstick, Moon Drops Lipstick by Revlon and Lipfinity Paint by Max Factor. Both lipsticks also contained toxic glycols and organic solvents. The tests were conducted by National Environmental Trust (NET), a founding member of Because We're Worth It! The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and released in the new report, "Cabinet Confidential." See results at www.net.org.

The tests also found phthalates in several other beauty products, including L'Oreal Preference Hair Color Conditioner, Pantene Pro V Shampoo and Conditioner, Revlon Skinlights Face Illuminator and Lancome Renergie Lift Makeup. The chemical wasn't listed on any of the labels.

Because We're Worth It! The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is urging people to avoid these products until cosmetics companies remove these unnecessary, toxic chemicals. There is no reason for these companies to put chemicals linked to birth defects into products we smear on our lips and faces. Unfortunately, the U.S. government (and many other governments) lets cosmetic companies put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and inadequate labels.