FDA Found Higher Levels of Lead in Lipstick than Previously Discovered
Posted on Monday, September 7th, 2009 and is filed under Political & General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
A new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study revealed lead in lipstick, at much higher levels than the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) revealed in 2007.
Twenty lipsticks were tested by the FDA and all were found to contain lead at 0.09 to 3.06 parts per million, four times higher than previously reported. The agency used a new testing method, which they state revealed a more accurate reading of lead in lipstick.
Of the 20 lipsticks tested, three of them contained the highest levels of lead, but the FDA would not reveal those names. When the CSC tested lead in lipsticks in 2007, they stated that L’Oreal, Cover Girl and Maybelline consistently ranked higher in lead levels.
“Since recent science suggests that there is truly no safe lead exposure for pregnant women, it is disturbing that manufacturers are allowed to continue to sell lead-containing lipstick,” said Sean Palfrey, M.D., medical director of Boston’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
“Lead is a proven neurotoxin linked to learning, language and behavioral problems including lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development,” said Dr. Palfrey.
The Centers for Disease Control echo the statement, saying that there has not been established any safe levels of lead in the blood.
In 2007 when CSC tested lead in lipstick, 61 percent of the 33 lipsticks tested contained lead. They also pointed out that none of the lipsticks revealed that they contained lead as an ingredient. In the study, they also stated that Glamour magazine reported in 2002 that women inadvertently ingest four pounds of lipstick in a lifetime.
According to the Housing Urban Development Agency, lead was originally used in paint to make the colors more vibrant. CSC points out that lead is not intentionally added to lipstick, but is found in the raw materials or pigment. They also point out that some lipstick manufacturers have found ways to reduce lead levels in lipstick.
For more information, visit www.safecosmetics.org.
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