An environmental
advocacy group is urging the Canadian government to impose stricter
regulations on the cosmetics industry.
This, after a report shows many makeup products contain a number of toxic heavy metals including lead and arsenic.
Like many women, Beth Raymer has a bag full of cosmetics.
But when she let an environmental group test her lipstick, mascara and foundation what they found, upset her.
"All my make up products contained lead and I was surprised by that - even the foundation and the mascara that were tested contained lead," she said.
Environmental Defense tested 49 makeup products.
100% contained nickel, 96% contained lead, 90% contained beryllium which is used to make aircraft and satellites.
Some lip glosses contained arsenic, a known poison.
"We found widespread contamination in all of these products and that is concerning," said researchers.
The chemicals may be linked to heart and lung problems and some cancers.
But the cosmetic industry says 99% of the products fall below Health Canada's safety limits.
"All of them were within the guidelines except one product from one manufacturer."
What's more, those who make the cosmetics say metals aren't added to the products, they are tiny amounts of natural contaminants present in some ingredients.
These are naturally occurring elements that occur in nature. They always have been there, and will be there."
Natural of not, some consumers want to know what's in the products they use on their bodies.
"We think that consumers have the right to know what the ingredients are in the products that they are buying."
But Health Canada says new label laws aren't needed because the levels are low and these are unintentional impurities.
"We don't think that trace levels of metals in cosmetics are a human health concern."
This, after a report shows many makeup products contain a number of toxic heavy metals including lead and arsenic.
Like many women, Beth Raymer has a bag full of cosmetics.
But when she let an environmental group test her lipstick, mascara and foundation what they found, upset her.
"All my make up products contained lead and I was surprised by that - even the foundation and the mascara that were tested contained lead," she said.
Environmental Defense tested 49 makeup products.
100% contained nickel, 96% contained lead, 90% contained beryllium which is used to make aircraft and satellites.
Some lip glosses contained arsenic, a known poison.
"We found widespread contamination in all of these products and that is concerning," said researchers.
The chemicals may be linked to heart and lung problems and some cancers.
But the cosmetic industry says 99% of the products fall below Health Canada's safety limits.
"All of them were within the guidelines except one product from one manufacturer."
What's more, those who make the cosmetics say metals aren't added to the products, they are tiny amounts of natural contaminants present in some ingredients.
These are naturally occurring elements that occur in nature. They always have been there, and will be there."
Natural of not, some consumers want to know what's in the products they use on their bodies.
"We think that consumers have the right to know what the ingredients are in the products that they are buying."
But Health Canada says new label laws aren't needed because the levels are low and these are unintentional impurities.
"We don't think that trace levels of metals in cosmetics are a human health concern."
