Kiss of Death
It's shocking to read a newspaper headline that says: "FDA: Lead in lipstick not a threat."
The FDA considers low levels of lead harmless. Really?
This goes to show the irony of permissible levels. Shouldn't the permissible level of a toxic substance be zero?
Lead accumulates in the body over time, and even small levels are extremely dangerous to children whose brains are still developing.
The Mayo Clinic says 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter can cause brain damage in children while lower levels are linked to developmental delays, aggression, attention and learning problems.
Florida's Department of Health says in a report on lead poisoning that "There is no safe level of lead in blood."
Ever see a child rub off a lip-stick smear on his or her face with disgust after being kissed affectionately by a female relative or friend? Maybe children have an innate intelligence that tells them that the sticky red muck is bad news.
The news report states that 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: CoverGirl, Revlon, L'Oreal.
The lead found in CoverGirl Incredible Lipcolor Maximum Red was 34 times as high as the lead found in the lowest-scoring lipstick, Avon's Ultra Color rich Cherry Jubilee. This makes it obvious that manufacturers have the ability to control the toxicity of their cosmetic products.
The problem is, the FDA doesn't regulated lead in finished cosmetic products, only in colors added to the products. But studies show that the average woman unwittingly ingests about 4 pounds of lipstick over the course of her life, accumulated from every drink and meal she eats while she's dolled up. There is no study on how much of the lead in lipstick get transmitted when a woman kisses her loved ones.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati