NOTE FROM Ann Blake-Tracy (www.drugawareness.org): This information will give
you some insight as to why I personally have not worn lipstick nor hardly any
other kind of makeup for about 35 years now. . . .
Studies suggest the average woman inadvertently consumes about 4 pounds of
lipstick over the course of her life, licking her lips, eating fruit,
sipping tea.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics . . . “The reason we’re worried is that
lead builds up in the body over time,” Malkan said. “Even small levels of
lead, recent science shows, is dangerous at any level to developing children.”
Studies suggest that while most lead we encounter is cleared from our
bodies, some of it is incorporated into bones. During pregnancy, breast-feeding,
and again after menopause, a woman’s blood levels of lead rise as stored
calcium — and bone lead — is released, even if she’s not encountered lead
in years.
How much lead is dangerous? The Mayo Clinic says 10 micrograms of lead per
deciliter can cause brain damage in children. Lower levels have been linked
to developmental delays, aggression, attention and learning problems.
“There is no safe level of lead in blood,” Florida’s Department of Health
states in a report on lead poisoning.
FDA TESTS LIPSTICKS, FINDS LEAD IN ALL
Submitted by Drew Kaplan on June 8, 2010
We twist it, glide it, paint it on, and suddenly we feel attractive,
composed, sexy and ready for the world.
Drenched in shades of sangria, dahlia, ruby, cherry and garnet, our
lipstick-stained mouths exude health.
But looks can deceive.
Tests conducted by the FDA last year on 22 red lipsticks found lead, a
neurotoxin, in every single lipstick sample studied.
The highest levels were in three well-known and common brands: Cover Girl,
Revlon, L’Oreal. While the FDA says it’s continuing lead research on
additional cosmetic brands and colors, it’s reassuring consumers that the lead
levels it found in the red lipsticks are very small and not a health threat.
The FDA does not regulate lead in finished cosmetics, only in colors added
to the products. None of the products exceeded the 20 parts per million
limit on colors, the agency said.
An industry trade group, the Personal Care Products Council, said
manufacturers don’t intentionally add lead.
“Because lead is found naturally in air, water, and soil, it may also be
found at extremely low levels as a trace contaminant in the raw ingredients
used in formulating cosmetics, just as it is in many thousands of other
products,” the group states.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics isn’t buying it.
The lead found in Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red was 34 times
higher than the lead found in the lowest scoring lipstick, Avon’s Ultra
Color Rich Cherry Jubilee. Clearly, the manufacturers are capable of doing
better, said the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ Stacy Malkan.
Cover Girl’s media center at Procter & Gamble did not respond to repeated
requests for comment.
“I think some companies are not doing a good job sourcing their
ingredients,” Malkan said.
Studies suggest the average woman inadvertently consumes about 4 pounds of
lipstick over the course of her life, licking her lips, eating fruit,
sipping tea.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the FDA to require cosmetics
manufacturers to reduce lead to the lowest achievable levels, a policy the
FDA already has adopted for candy.
“The reason we’re worried is that lead builds up in the body over time,”
Malkan said. “Even small levels of lead, recent science shows, is dangerous
at any level to developing children.”
Studies suggest that while most lead we encounter is cleared from our
bodies, some of it is incorporated into bones. During pregnancy, breast-feeding,
and again after menopause, a woman’s blood levels of lead rise as stored
calcium — and bone lead — is released, even if she’s not encountered lead
in years.
How much lead is dangerous? The Mayo Clinic says 10 micrograms of lead per
deciliter can cause brain damage in children. Lower levels have been linked
to developmental delays, aggression, attention and learning problems.
“There is no safe level of lead in blood,” Florida’s Department of Health
states in a report on lead poisoning.
Florida ranked eighth in the nation for lead poisoning cases, it said.
Some of the most dangerous and pervasive sources of lead come from leaded
gasoline and leaded paint, which have been banned in the United States for
many years. Paint dust and flakes in old homes continue to poison hundreds
of children each year in Florida. Even low levels of lead in young children
can cause developmental delays, “Florida has an estimated 433,000 homes
built before 1950 that are likely to contain lead- based paint. Other
significant sources include some pottery, imported home remedies, candy, makeup,
jewelry, toys, mini-blinds, and take-home-lead,” such as construction dust,
the health department said.
A new Environmental Protection Agency rule requires paint and home repair
contractors to be trained and certified in safe work practices. This should
help reduce some exposures, but lead in finished cosmetics continues to go
unregulated.
What should consumers do? Malkan noted that glosses generally tested lower
for lead than highly pigmented, opaque lipsticks, so that’s what she uses.
Using fewer personal care products is probably a good idea, especially the
fragranced ones, she said.
“We need to change the laws to require companies to disclose what’s in
their products,” Malkan said.
