A new analysis finds lead levels in many lipsticks are higher than
those reported in 2007 by the consumer advocacy group Campaign for Safe
Cosmetics. This new analysis, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and published in a recent issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, used new techniques to determine the lead levels.
Medical expert Dr. Sean Palfrey, a
professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University School
of Medicine and medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention
Program, says that the levels are low, but wondered
if they could build up to more toxic amounts, especially in fetuses and
children. "If you put this on your mouth every day, or little
kids' mouths or when you're pregnant, is this small amount of lead
building up in a way that would actually affect infants, fetuses and
young children significantly over time?"
Excerpted from ajc.com.
