Lipsticks and Lead: Kiss of Death?

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Kiss of Death: Lead Lipstick

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uploaded by Barry Artiste

Lead levels in Lipstick bring new meaning to the phrase "Kiss of Death" for the Lipstick industry.  It is hard to believe this was not found out till now since FDA,EPA & ACGIH regulations on Lead Levels have been around for a generation.

For Now Public Readers I have written an excerpt from one of my exposure limits report and the resulting health effects of lead in as little as 0.5 micrograms per m/l at the end of this story.

FDA has set an action level of 0.5 µg/mL for lead in products, with Blood Lead Levels at 25 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) or greater.  Higher Lead levels can be reduced through chelation therapy which has proven successful in removing heavy metals such as lead from the body.

Now Public Readers should know my Lead exposure plan listed below is more for occupational exposure in the workplace. Though the lead levels in the body remain the same as in lipstick.  Women, to allieviate their fears and who have used any of the lipstick below can always undergo Blood/Lead Level analysis at a local Lab or through their doctor. 

If I were a woman and used Lipstick, I would not go into panic mode, I would just stop using any lipstick.

Now Public Readers (Women) Please remember my exposure control plan for lead is more geared towords people who work in lead, though the lead level values are the same as for lipstick. So do not panic, get your doctor to give you a blood level check for your own info or if you wish to become pregnant. Information is Power and Knowledge eliminate Fear mongering.

url="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071012/lipstick_chart_071012/20071012/"]Lipsticks and lead: The rankings

Updated Fri. Oct. 12 2007 5:37 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had 33 brand-name lipsticks tested by an independent laboratory. The lipsticks were purchased in Boston, Ma., Hartford, Conn., San Francisco, Ca. and Minneapolis, Mn.

The group includes this text as part of its "buyer beware" list:

 "The lipsticks tested for this report may or may not be representative of the entire lipstick market. The lead levels could vary widely for other shades, and as the results below demonstrate, levels are not consistent by brand, shade or state of purchase," it says.

 "This list should not be used to decide which brands are safe or unsafe. Instead it highlights two important findings: First, there is lead in some lipsticks and consumers cannot determine which those are from the ingredients, the price or the brand. Second, there are lipsticks containing no detectable levels of lead at every price level."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it would examine the findings, but warned that similar claims had not been confirmed in the past.

 Lipsticks with less than 0.02 parts per million (ppm) lead

Brand Product

Name/Shade Lead Parent

Company State Purchase

Date

Avon Ultra Color Rich

Cherry Jubilee <0.02 Avon MA* 08/27/07

Body Shop Lip Colour Garnet <0.02 L'Oreal MA 08/27/07

Body Shop Lip Colour Garnet <0.02 L'Oreal CA 08/27/07

Clinique Long Last

Lipstick Merlot <0.02 Estee Lauder MA 08/27/07

Dior Replenishing Lipcolor

Red Premiere <0.02 LVMH MA 08/27/07

Estee Lauder Maraschino <0.02 Estee Lauder MN 08/26/07

MAC Matte Lipstick

Viva Glam 1 <0.02 Estee Lauder MA 08/27/07

Revlon Superlustrous Love

That Red <0.02 Revlon CT 08/27/07

Revlon Superlustrous

Bed of Roses <0.02 Revlon CA 08/23/07

Revlon Colorstay Lipcolor

Red Velvet <0.02 Revlon CA 08/23/07

Tarte Inside Out

Vitamin Lipstick <0.02 Tarte MA 08/27/07

Wet N Wild Wild Mega Colors

Cherry Blossom <0.02 Markwins CA 08/23/07

Wet N Wild Wild Mega Colors

Cherry Blossom <0.02 Markwins CT 08/27/07

Lipsticks with detectable levels of lead but less than 0.1 ppm lead (the FDA-recommended limit for candy)

MAC Matte Lipstick

Viva Glam 0.03 Estee Lauder MN 08/26/07

Revlon Love That Red 0.03 Revlon MN 08/26/07

Cover Girl Queen Collection

Ruby Remix 0.03 P & G CT 08/27/07

Clinique Long Last Paprika 0.03 Estee Lauder CA 08/23/07

Dior Replenishing Lipcolor

Red Premiere 0.04 LVMH CA 08/26/07

Body Shop Garnet 0.06 L'Oreal MN 08/26/07

Wet N Wild Cherry Frost 0.06 Markwins MN 08/26/07

Clinique Red 0.09 Estee Lauder MN 08/26/07

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Merlot 0.09 Burt's Bees MA 08/29/07

Lipsticks with lead levels higher than 0.1 ppm

Maybelline NY Moisture Extreme

Scarlet Simmer 0.11 L'Oreal CT 08/27/07

Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor

Maximum Red 0.12 P & G CA 08/23/07

Peacekeeper Paint Me

Compassionate 0.12 Peacekeeper MA 08/27/07

Maybelline NY Moisture Extreme

Midnight Red 0.18 L'Oreal MN 08/26/07

Maybelline NY Moisture Extreme

Cocoa Plum 0.19 L'Oreal CA 08/23/07

Dior Addict Positive Red 0.21 LVMH CA 08/23/07

Cover Girl Continuous Color

Cherry Brandy 0.28 P & G CA 08/23/07

L'Oreal Colour Riche

True Red 0.50 L'Oreal MN 08/26/07

Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor

Maximum Red 0.56 P & G MN 08/26/07

L'Oreal Colour Riche

Classic Wine 0.58 L'Oreal CT 08/27/07

L'Oreal Colour Riche

True Red 0.65 L'Oreal CA 08/23/07

 For Now Public Readers I have taken the Liberty of posting Health and Effects of Lead in the body;

Two routes of entry:

Inhalation and ingestion.
Larger particles are trapped in the upper respiratory tract, cleared from the lungs, and subsequently swallowed. You can also swallow lead dust if it gets in your food or drinks, or if you eat or smoke without washing your hands first.

Remember this is for Lead Dust, not Lipstick, but I feel the Health effects would be similar.

What happens when lead enters the body: what are the health effects?

Shortly after lead is inhaled or ingested, it can enter the bloodstream and travel to soft tissues such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, spleen, muscles, and heart). After several
weeks, most of the lead moves into your bones and teeth and can be stored there for a long time. Therefore, can build up over time, and the more lead you have in your body, the more likely it is that you will experience health problems.

Lead poisoning include:

• tiredness

•irritability

• muscle and joint pain

• headaches

• stomach aches and cramps.

Harmful effects can follow a high exposure over a short period of time (acute
poisoning), or long-term exposure to lower doses (chronic poisoning).

Symptoms of acute lead poisoning include a metallic taste in the mouth and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting,
abdominal cramps, constipation, and diarrhea.

Symptoms of chronic lead poisoning are more difficult to recognize because they are similar to many common complaints. However,
severe chronic poisoning can lead to more characteristic symptoms, such as a blue line on the gums, wrist drop (the inability to hold the hand extended), severe abdominal pain and pallor.

Lead can also cause serious damage to a number of systems in the body. Overexposure to Lead can affect: can interfere with the body’s ability to manufacture hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues. This may lead to anemia.
Kidneys: Kidneys purify blood before it is distributed for use by the rest of the body.
However, kidneys are not effective in filtering Lead from the bloodstream and can
damage the kidneys and reduce its ability to filter waste from the bloodstream.

Lead poisoning may result in abdominal pain, loss of appetite,vomiting, nausea, constipation or diarrhea. Lead poisoning can cause peripheral nerve damage that results in muscle weakness. It may also lead to behavioural changes and to impairment of vision and hearing. At very high levels, lead can affect the brain, causing convulsions, coma, and even death, though the lead levels in lipstick are far from high and just over the allowable limits in most cases..

Reproductive System: Lead may harm the developing fetus because of the shared blood supply between a mother and her fetus.