FDA finds trace amounts of lead in 400 lipsticks
A warning before you pucker up for your Valentine: your lipstick could contain lead.
A study by the Food and Drug Administration found 400 lipsticks on the market tested positive for lead. However, the lead found is at a low enough level to not cause a serious health risk.
The least contaminated lipstick was Wet n' Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm Bahama Mama. It was also the cheapest brand.
Five L'Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks ranked among the most contaminated with lead.
Maybelline's Color Sensational Pink Petal lipstick had the most lead of all those tested. That lipstick contains a lead level of 7.19 parts per million. To put that in perspective, children's products in the U.S. are required to have less than 100 parts per million of lead.
9Health Reporter Dr. John Torres says it could potentially pose a health risk for children.
"The small amount of lead exposure especially in young children, developing brains in young children, can cause a problem and the main problem it can cause is development of that brain," Dr. John said. "Essentially, they start having problems in language development, with math development, those types of things. It doesn't take much lead for that to happen; but again, these lead levels are very, very small. I wouldn't be too concerned using it on a casual basis, but if it's something they are playing with on a daily basis, or they are ingesting or eating it, then stay away from that."
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics argues that there is no safe level of lead exposure and wants the government to set lead limits for lipsticks.
FDA finds trace amounts of lead in 400 lipsticks - USATODAY.com
A warning before you pucker up for your Valentine: your lipstick could contain lead.
A study by the Food and Drug Administration found 400 lipsticks on the market tested positive for lead. However, the lead found is at a low enough level to not cause a serious health risk.
The least contaminated lipstick was Wet n' Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm Bahama Mama. It was also the cheapest brand.
Five L'Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks ranked among the most contaminated with lead.
Maybelline's Color Sensational Pink Petal lipstick had the most lead of all those tested. That lipstick contains a lead level of 7.19 parts per million. To put that in perspective, children's products in the U.S. are required to have less than 100 parts per million of lead.
9Health Reporter Dr. John Torres says it could potentially pose a health risk for children.
"The small amount of lead exposure especially in young children, developing brains in young children, can cause a problem and the main problem it can cause is development of that brain," Dr. John said. "Essentially, they start having problems in language development, with math development, those types of things. It doesn't take much lead for that to happen; but again, these lead levels are very, very small. I wouldn't be too concerned using it on a casual basis, but if it's something they are playing with on a daily basis, or they are ingesting or eating it, then stay away from that."
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics argues that there is no safe level of lead exposure and wants the government to set lead limits for lipsticks.
FDA finds trace amounts of lead in 400 lipsticks - USATODAY.com