Posted on 05/16/2005 6:19:34 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
In a new war with the $35 billion cosmetics industry, a Manhattan lawmaker is preparing to seek a ban in New York of the sale of cosmetics with suspected links to cancer, asthma and birth defects. The chemicals — known as DBP and DEHP — are widely used here in nail polish, lipstick, shampoo, deodorant and other grooming products, mainly as a binding agent for colors, but are banned in the European Union because they were deemed hazardous to women.
Assemblyman Scott Stringer (D-Manhattan), who's introducing the ban in a bill tomorrow, said he's prepared for a firestorm of lobbying from the industry's powerful Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, which worked to kill a similar bill in committee in California's legislature two weeks ago.
Several cosmetic giants, including L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Aveda, the Body Shop and Unilever, have already removed the suspected harmful chemicals from many of their products. Revlon has also announced it's replacing the chemicals with safer ones. "New York should be at the forefront of assuring greater cosmetics safety," said Stringer.
"Banning these chemicals now in personal grooming products will stop us from looking back 10 or 20 years from now and saying, 'We should have done something before.'"
Consumer alarms over the safety of the ingredients triggered an inquiry by the Food and Drug Administration, which ruled last week that although the chemicals harmed animals, it found nothing harmful to humans. The FDA said it would monitor the chemicals. In its 67-year history, the FDA has banned only nine such ingredients. The cosmetics lobby group says efforts to ban the chemicals are "scare tactics" that are "not only anti-business, but not even based on scientific evidence."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I have known women now seniors who did hair coloring and nails as a profession in the same condition.
Personally I think "done" nails are pretty buy not doable in my line of work.
I use to love Clinique but can only afford Revlon on days it doesn't make my eyes endlessly tear.
Never could wear lotions ect. as it always ends up in my eyes.
Just paint the face to go to town.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a coalition of public health, educational, faith, labor, women’s, environmental and consumer groups. Our goal is to protect the health of consumers and workers by requiring the health and beauty industry to phase out the use of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems and replace them with safer alternatives.
The Safe Cosmetics Campaign began in 2002 with the release of a report, “Not Too Pretty: Phthalates, Beauty Products and the FDA.” For the report, environmental and public health groups contracted with a laboratory to test 72 name-brand, off-the-shelf beauty products for the presence of phthalates, a family of industrial chemicals linked to permanent birth defects in the male reproductive system.
The lab found phthalates in nearly three quarters of the products tested, though the chemicals were not listed on any of the labels. A second report, “Pretty Nasty,” documented similar product test results in Europe.
In February 2003, the European Union passed a new ammendment to their Cosmetics Directive that prohibits the use of known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins (a.k.a. CMRs) from cosmetics. This ammendment went into force in September 2004.
We are asking cosmetics and personal care products companies to sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (Compact for the Global Production of Safer Health and Beauty Products), a pledge to remove toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives in every market they serve.
Founding groups of the campaign include: Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, The Breast Cancer Fund, Commonweal, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, National Black Environmental Justice Network, National Environmental Trust, and Women’s Voices for the Earth. In spring 2004, these groups and more than 50 other organizations signed a letter asking cosmetics companies to take our pledge, the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.
Together we are working for safer products and smarter laws that protect our health and our families from toxic chemicals.
If your organization would like to support our efforts, please click here to endorse this campaign!
******
IT SEEMS THEY HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS!!! They should stop sticking their freaky little noses in everyone's business!
In the News:
Midgen bill would require cosmetic chemical disclosure
Bay City News Wire, KPIX TV-5, CBS, 4/05
Untested Cosmetics May Soon Carry Warning Labels
The Miami Herald, 3/05
Cosmetic Industry On Notice: FDA Issues Warning on Untested Products
3/05
The Ugly Side of Pretty
DragonFly Media, 2/05
L'Oreal, Revlon bow to Bay Area pressure: Chemicals suspected of causing cancer won't be in products
San Francisco Chronicle, 1/05
Cosmetics Companies Shun Contentious Chemical
Wall Street Journal, 1/05
FDA Phthalate Study Finds Highest Levels Of Substance In Nail Polish
The Rose Sheet, 1/05
Top companies offer safer cosmetics
Rocky Mountain News, 1/05
The Ugly Side of Beauty Products
Environmental Health Perspectives, 1/05
A Makeover for the Cosmetics Industry
The Nation, 12/04
The Downstream Dangers of Your Perfume Christian Science Monitor, 12/04
Labeling Loophole Leaves Toxic Chemicals Unlisted
NBC San Jose, 8/04
More Than Cosmetic
Los Angeles Times, 8/04
Look good, get cancer?
San Jose Mercury News, 8/04
Household Toxic Chemicals Not Adequately Regulated
KPBS San Diego, 7/04
Toxins getting closer scrutiny
Oakland Tribune, 6/04
Time to stop glossing over ugly risks of beauty products
The Sacramento Bee, 7/04
Purely Cosmetic? A New Report
The Washington Post, 6/04
Cosmetics may contain hazardous ingredients
Baltimore Sun, 6/04
Carcinogens at the cosmetics counter
San Jose Mercury News, 6/04
Making sure safety product is safe
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/04
Filling the product-test gap
Denver Rocky Mountain News, 6/04
Site tells what's in products
Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/04
Grooming products' contents untested
San Francisco Chronicle, 6/04
Toiletries Could Contain Toxins
Contra Costa Times, 6/04
Dirty little beauty secrets
Missoula Independent, 6/04
Beauty Beat: Study Questions Cosmetics Safety
New York, 6/04
Amid Health Concern, Nail-Polish Makers Switch Formulas
Wall Street Journal, 4/04
Activists push for safer ingredients in make up
Women's ENews, 4/04
Questions about some cosmetics
Los Angeles Times, 5/04
Legislators ponder: What price beauty?
Sacramento Bee, 4/04
Could polishing your nails be dangerous?
KTVU News, 4/04
EU bans toxins from cosmetics
Chemical Regulation Reporter, 12/02
Women shun products with chemical linked to birth defects
Boston Globe, 10/02
Common chemical damages sperm
BBC, 12/02
You can definitely lose weight on a vegetarian diet, just choose 2% or lower fat milk products, use sharp cheese so the higher flavor makes it so you don't need to use as much. Brown rice is very filling especially when paired with beans or bean soup. Mrs LJ even makes her own tortillas sometimes (fresh ones are a different thing than store bought!) and homemade bread. OF course, not everyone has the time to do this. But whole wheat bread is so much tastier and satisfying than gooey stuff...
If you use herbs and spices for flavor, and add a variety of vegetables to the grains and beans, and make sure you have some milk products but cut down on fattening ones like sour cream that have little protein, you should do fine! Especially if you add some exercise.
I know what you mean about not cooking - before mrs LJ and I got married, I lived on toast and sprouts. And was much skinnier!
Mrs LJ just wears makeup she gets in natural food stores, and hardly any. I like the way people look naturally. Cleanliness and neatness and shiny hair count for a lot. To me, a lot of makeup has a "clown" look.
But I'm an old ex-hippie type anyway.
Yes, I can get good tofu. YOu just bake it? In one chunk? I never thought of that. sounds good as I don't like to cook. I toss a tablespoon of soy flour into my morning egg whites, whip like crazy, and make a sort of no-carb pancake, and top with warmed fresh fruit and a dab of yogurt. Outstanding!
Ah the weight problem. My solution is the Zone Diet, which you can do with soy products as well as other protein sources. Small amounts of protein at each meal, as I mentioned above, balanced with a great many veggies, some fruit. I got to a plateau and stopped losing, so added a piece of bread now and then and the pounds resumed their downward march. It's the balance of protein/carbs/fats that does it. Essentially, it's a low carb diet but you almost cannot eat all the low-glycemic carbs suggested. Sugar is a big no-no.
Think about eating Cheese Doritos right now.....feel like gagging yet?
I am right their with you on the veggie although I eat fish and on occasion New York steaks.
Still will eat a burger at the local Steak house now and then but my gut is happy with raw veggies and allot of water.
Turn my gut problems literally around in five years eating like I do now.
No spices either other than a dash of Tobasco but plenty of herbs.
I just bought two flats of Asparagus last week to share with those I work with been eating that nightly in some way or another in meals LOVE THE STUFF.
Got is fresh from Walla Walla twenty pounds for $16 and bought a total of forty pounds.
When I get tofu I usually press it a little to get more water out, and then slice it and bake to get some chew.
I can't be scientific about anything, but I know when I cut out sweet stuff (doing it now) I lose weight rather painlessly. Sweet stuff usually has other fattening things in it too like butter and frosting.
:-]
What a deal on asparagus. Where do you get a whole flat for that price? It's good on toast like a sandwich.
Do you eat nuts?
I always have a bowl of pastchious for snacking on.
Sunflowere get stuck in the diverticulitus so I quit those except for a once in awhile treat on saled.
Thanks for all the info. While the alarmists are hard at work, it does seem that these chemicals should be tested extensively and not used unless labeled.
Goat Cheese Feta (not the grocery store crap) broccolli and leafy lettuce with raspberry vinagarette.
One of my winter faves.
And having cut the soda and candy for the most part the sugar cravings led me to a love for sweet potatoes.
I go for the natural look but that means evenning out my skin color.
I have Alan Keyes eyes the black upper and lower lid problem.
Farmers Market on Wends in Oregon.
Guy brings it down in flats and sales it per pound, I talked him down a few cents as I was wanting two flats.
Best thing I ever bought was a little electric steamer (actually it was a gift). Most veggies I eat raw but my Asparugus I liked steam a little.
I noticed eating it daily the urine smell has gone away or it may be all the water I drink now a days flushing it out.
Yes, but there is always the temptation to eat too many. That makes them fattening. :( I do like them on salads.
They'll have to pry my makeup from my cold, dead fingers in order to get it! What a waste of time and tax dollars.
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