Danger that hides in make-up
They may be reluctant to leave home
without it, but make-up is putting women at risk of deadly diseases, say
experts.
According to a new book, cosmetics
and beauty products often contain toxic ingredients that can cause cancer and
other fatal illnesses.
Loopholes in Government regulations
are being exploited by manufacturers to allow banned chemicals into
over-the-counter products, it claims.
Authors Kim Erickson and Samuel
Epstein say many ingredients in make-up have been shown to cause cancer in
animals and should never be used as part of a beauty routine.
Coal tar colours, phenylenediamine,
benzene and even formaldehyde are some of the toxins commonly found in
shampoos, skin creams and blushers, they say.
Hormone-disrupting chemicals, which
could lower immunity to disease and cause neurological and reproductive damage,
may also lurk in everyday cosmetics.
In their book, Drop Dead Gorgeous:
Protecting Yourself from the Hidden Dangers of Cosmetics, to be published next
month, they claim the adverse effects of cosmetics build up over years of use.
Miss Erickson said: 'Modern
cosmetics contain a host of dubious ingredients which would be more at home in
a test tube than on our faces.'These synthetic ingredients are
inexpensive, stable and have a long shelf-life. Manufacturers love them, but
the results from long-term use could be deadly.'
She said the same poisons that
pollute the environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the
average bathroom cabinet.
'Many of the same ingredients have
been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals,' she added.
The UK cosmetics industry is worth
£4.5billion a year and employs more than 20,000 people. It is controlled by the
Department of Trade and Industry's 1996 Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations.
The regulations approve about 3,000 ingredients for cosmetic use, but many more
find their way into the finished products.
One loophole in the regulations
allows cosmetics to contain banned substances if they cannot 'reasonably' be
removed.
The authors say chemicals get into
the bloodstream in a number of ways. Hair sprays, perfumes and powders are
inhaled; lipstick is swallowed; eye make-up absorbed by sensitive mucous
membranes and others taken in through the skin.
Allergy specialist Dr Jean Munro,
medical director of the Breakspear Hospital in Hertfordshire, supports the
claims. In the last 20 years she has treated
8,000 women, nearly all of whom were found to have a sensitivity to beauty
products. Dr Munro said: 'There is no question
that people are being damaged by their cosmetics.
'So many things are put into
cosmetics now that are carcinogenic, and it is allowed because cosmetics are
not considered to be as serious as drugs or food.
'One of the most extreme cases I
have seen was a woman whose bone marrow was affected by chemicals used in hair
dye.'The situation as it is is plainly
dangerous - unacceptably so.
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