Toxic chemicals in beauty products must go

Published Oct 7, 2002

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A group of six civil society organisations sent letters to the Minister of Health and leading cosmetic companies on Monday calling for two specific toxic chemicals to be removed from cosmetic products sold in South Africa.

The two chemicals, phthalates and formaldehyde, were used in many lotions, perfumes, lipsticks, foam baths, hair sprays, deodorants, toothpaste and air fresheners.

The six organisations standing together on this issue are the Wild life and Environmental Society of South Africa, the Ekogala Foundation, groundWork, the Noordhoek Environmental Action Group, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and the Cape Town branch of the Green Party of South Africa.

According to these organisations, formaldehyde was carcinogenic and neurotoxic and was known to cause nausea, nosebleeds, insomnia, coughing, headaches and skin rashes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published research that shows phthalates causes damage to the human reproductive system, the liver, kidney and lungs, as well as to the developing foetus.

Tests conducted on male laboratory animals concluded that the absorption, inhalation and ingestion of phthalates caused testicular atrophy and damage to the prostate gland, epididymus, penis and seminal vesicles.

Spokesperson for the protest group, Linda Ambler, herself a researcher at groundWork, said: "There is no requirement in law for cosmetic products to show whether they contain either of the two toxic chemicals, nor any legal requirement to label such products with a health warning.

"We want government to ensure that these two chemicals are eventually eliminated from all cosmetics," she said.

The six also called on cosmetic companies to phase out phthalates and formaldehyde and for the compulsory labelling of all products that contained these two chemicals. - Sapa

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