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Tiny particles in cosmetics ‘a risk’

By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor

HUNDREDS of beauty products could contain a hidden threat to health from millions of potentially toxic nano- particles, claim environmentalists.

A survey found so-called nanomaterials in make-up, anti-wrinkle creams and sunscreens produced by L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Christian Dior, Chanel and Boots, among others.

Now experts and environmentalists are demanding a ban on nanotechnology – the manipulation of minuscule particles – in skincare products until the risks are assessed. The cosmetic industry, however, maintains its products are safe.

Nanoparticles are usually less than 100 nanometres – 100 billionths of a metre – in diameter. A human hair cell is 80,000 nanometres wide.

Cosmetics companies have rushed to embrace nanomaterials because of their ability to penetrate and improve skin, and to make sunscreens more effective, less visible and easier to apply.

But their use has mushroomed without any specific regulatory overview, despite evidence from some scientific studies that there might be health risks.

A US investigation in 2004 found that carbon nanoparticles known as fullerenes damaged fishes’ brains, killed water fleas and poisoned human liver cells. Yet their presence is advertised in seven face creams made by Zelens, Sircuit, MyChelle, Dr Brandt and Bellapelle.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) found 116 care products internationally, including deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste, that incorporate nanoparticles such as metals, proteins and “novasome” capsules. “Companies should stop treating their customers like guinea pigs and avoid marketing such products until nanomaterials are proven safe,” said FoE Scotland chief executive Duncan McLaren. “ In the past, regulators failed to heed early warning signs on substances like asbestsos and DDT resulting in serious environmental and financial costs. Today, they should be taking a precautionary approach.”

In 2004, a report by the Royal Society in London recommended that nanoparticles should undergo a “full safety assessment” before they were used in consumer products.

FoE’s call for a moratorium was backed by Andrew Watterson, a professor of environmental health at Stirling University. “It would seem remarkably foolish to permit the use of nanomaterials that lab tests have already shown to be of concern,” he said. Some companies had a “gung-ho approach” to nanotechnology and were ignoring warnings in order to boost profits, he added .

L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Christian Dior and Chanel did not respond to questions last week. Boots scientific adviser Dr Tony Gettins said the titanium dioxide used in Soltan sunscreen was permitted by the European Union and “does not penetrate the skin and does not represent a safety risk to consumers”.

A spokeswoman for the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association said all cosmetic products were subject to stringent testing. “Safety is the number-one priority,” she said. “With millions of consumers using cosmetic products as part of their daily routines, it is essential for our industry to ensure that products are thoroughly assessed for safety,” she added.

posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 1:51 PM