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Urgent - Feds Ignore Toxic Threat in Cosmetics

Dear Friends,

Tell FDA: No Dangerous Ingredients in Personal Care Products

Unlabeled and with very little safety testing - nanoparticles are being manufactured in products such as sunscreens, facial creams, and other personal care products.

When I put something on my skin, I want to know it's safe and won't cause harm to me or the environment. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration hasn't bothered to adequately test a new class of ingredients, called nanoparticles, in our personal care products. Please tell FDA to keep dangerous ingredients out of personal care products.

Unlabeled and with very little health and environmental safety testing, nanoparticles (ingredients engineered at the molecular scale) pose a risk to your health and our environment. Some of the known harmful impacts of these particles include:

  • Brain damage in fish exposed to some nanoparticles found in face creams;
  • DNA mutation from nanoparticles found in some sunscreens;
  • Death to kidney cells when exposed to nanoparticles.

These risky ingredients are in hundreds of products, including some sold by the biggest names in cosmetics like L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, and Revlon. Find out more and take action.

The FDA has asked the public for comments on how to regulate nanoparticles. Tell the FDA to stop ignoring the new health and environmental dangers posed by nanoparticles.

Thank you.

Sincerely,


Lisa Grob
Online Communications Manager
Friends of the Earth

 

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Below is quoted from Bottom Line Secrets and gives some suggestions for keeping informed about this new technology.

WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NANO

The nanotechnology experts I consulted all agree on the same basic principles when it comes to nanotechnology -- don't panic. Use your best judgment. Limit your exposure. And stay informed.

Surprisingly, that last point may be the most pressing. "Polling data shows that 80% of the American public knows little or nothing about nanotechnology," says Moore. "We think it's probably closer to 98%, but that will change as the industry grows."

As for limiting exposure, that piece of advice is good in theory, but until the federal government mandates that manufacturers label consumer goods that use any form of nanotechnology, there's really no way for a consumer to find out for sure. But there is a good place to start. If you're interested in seeing a sampling of the consumer products currently using nanotechnology, visit Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies'
Inventory of Nanotechnology Consumer Products ( www.nanotechproject.org/inventories). It lists more than 200 nanotechnology-based consumer goods -- far from a complete list, since manufacturers don't readily disclose which of their ingredients are nano-engineered -- but it's still the first of its kind that's available to the public. As such, it's a great starting point for anyone looking to see if the products they're familiar with use this technology.

In the world of sunscreens, your safest bet is to stick with the tried and true types (creams and lotions). If the sunscreen label says it's transparent, yet contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide there's a good chance that they're using nanotechnology, so steer clear.

Beyond that, my only advice is to keep your eyes open, and watch for nanotechnology to start catching more news headlines soon, as more studies are completed. Look for labels to appear on products saying they contain nanoparticles, and, when they do, decide what that means for you. Be reasonable: As Moore pointed out, golf clubs and tennis rackets currently use nanotechnology, but they're low risk because exposure is minimal -- it's not like you're eating them. As for things like nanoparticle-enriched cooking oil, you may want to think twice. As the old saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. And never has that advice sounded better.

 

Sources:

The Future Looks Small

  • Julia Moore, deputy director, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC.
  • David M. Berube, PhD, professor of nanoscience and technology at the University of South Carolina and communication director of the International Council on Nanotechnology, and the author of Nano-Hype (Prometheus).