US lobby group wants European-style chemical regulations
Today in an effort to raise awareness about claims that toxic
chemicals, banned from sale in Europe, still appear on the shelves
of US stores.
The group, which is a coalition of US health and environmental groups, took out the full page advertisement to coincide with a new law coming into force in the EU this month requiring cosmetics companies to stop using chemicals that are known or highly suspected of causing cancer, impaired fertility or birth defects. These chemicals include the phthalates DBP and DEHP used in some fragrance, hair spray and nail polish, which European cosmetics companies must remove by spring 2005.
"Which company do you trust with your daughter?" asks the advertisement, which depicts a young girl applying lipstick. The ad berates industry leaders L'Oreal, Revlon and Unilever for ignoring requests to remove toxic chemicals from US products.
"Today we are releasing correspondence from these companies showing that they have failed to respond in good faith to the legitimate concerns of American consumers," said Jeanne Rizzo, executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a founding member of the coalition.
Rizzo added that chemicals used in shampoos, deodorants and other cosmetics products containing chemicals that cause cancer should not belong in these products.
The group said it had attempted dialogues with the companies involved but had had a mixed reception, evidence of which is posted up on its website. It details that L'Oreal had failed to respond to letters requesting meetings and information about the use of dangerous chemicals, while Revlon sent a letter from an industry trade association implying that phthalates were perfectly safe and Unilver failed to reply at all, even though the company's South Korean subsidiary has pledged to remove phthalates from all products sold there.
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says that its product tests show that all three companies make products with phthalates - including Maybelline Express Finish Fast Dry Nail Enamel with DBP, Fire and Ice Cologne Spray with DEHP, and Aqua Net Professional Hair Spray with DBP. The companies also make similar products without phthalates, it said.
