News Coverage
Cosmetics full of suspect chemicals, report claims
Published July 9, 2002
July 10 - Cosmetics ranging from perfume to hair gel contain chemicals shown to cause birth defects in animals, a group that lobbies on health issues said on Wednesday.
IT LISTED 52 different products that contain phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) - chemicals that are used to soften plastics. Only one of the products listed phthalates on the label.Although there is no evidence showing that phthalates are harmful to humans, the group argues that they should be removed from cosmetics until they can be shown to be safe.
ANIMAL STUDIES
Health Care Without Harm, a coalition of health, religious, labor and environmental groups, has been lobbying against phthalates for years. It cites tests that show the chemicals can cause defects in animals, most often abnormalities of the male reproductive organs.
The group, along with Coming Clean and Environmental Working Group, commissioned a lab to test 72 different products, including body lotion, nail polish and deodorant, for phthalates, and said 52 of them contained the chemical.
These products are marketed to women of reproductive age, they said, and could potentially hurt their babies - both developing fetuses and nursing infants.
"Chemicals that can damage the development and future fertility of babies don't belong in products marketed to women," the group's Bryony Schwan told reporters.
"Phthalate-free products that perform as well are on the market for virtually every single phthalate-containing product."
The American Chemistry Council denied the use of chemicals in cosmetics can hurt people.
"Phthalates are among the most widely studied materials in the world and have been researched and tested for more than 50 years," a council statement on phthalates said.
The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association said in a statement, "The use of phthalates in cosmetics and personal care products is supported by an extensive body of scientific research and data that confirms safety."
CDC FINDINGS
In a large-scale survey of just what chemicals can be found in people's blood, the CDC found surprisingly high levels of phthalates, although not enough to cause immediate concern.
"The only thing of concern that came up was this CDC report showing that women of child-bearing age had higher levels of dibutyl phthalates in their blood," a spokesman for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, said in a telephone interview. The official asked not to be named.
"The problem is the study didn't say where they came from and the use of phthalates is ubiquitous," the official said.
Last September, the FDA determined most patients do not seem to be at risk from phthalates in IV tubing and other medical equipment, with the possible exception of children undergoing medical procedures such as blood transfusions.
The FDA said Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an independent body that reviews the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics, would take a new look at phthalates this year and a representative of the agency would be there.
Worried about evidence that phthalates could leach out of plastic, the European Union in 1999 banned their use in some baby toys designed to be put into the mouth, and recently extended the ban.
Health Care Without Harm names the products tested at the Internet Web site http://www.nottoopretty.org. The industry's reply can be found at http://www.phthalates.org.