Call for ban on chemicals in cosmetics, cleaners
November 8, 2008
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Moira Welsh
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER
Toxic chemicals used in cosmetics and household cleaners put children at serious risk and should be banned by the federal government instead of being placed on bureaucratic "hot lists," say environmental and health groups.
Twelve national health and environmental organizations are calling on Health Canada to speed up the process it uses to deal with the toxins under the Chemical Management Plan and promote safer alternative products.
"They are a threat to our children," said Gideon Forman, spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. "These are things that kids might run into in their everyday lives, found in plastics or paint or if they use nail polish. So these things should be banned."
Four chemicals in particular are of concern because they can cause reproductive and developmental damage in humans, said Fe de Leon, of the Canadian Environmental Law Association.
They are found in cosmetics such as perfume, hairspray, skin creams and cleansers, or in common household products such as window cleaners, floor care products, pesticides and carpet cleaners.
Known as endocrine disrupters, the chemicals are particularly dangerous to children because they mimic hormones and can play havoc with the developmental system, causing early puberty in girls, or slow growth, as well as obesity and attention deficit disorder.
De Leon says the government is examining those four chemicals as part of the process set out by Health Canada's Chemical Management Plan. It looks at a different batch of chemicals every four months and determines what action, if any, should be taken to manage their use in products sold in Canada.
Among the chemicals targeted by the environmental groups are:
- Pigment Red 3 (2-Naphthalenol) found in nail polish, soap bars, plastic colourants and industrial painting inks;
- DEGME (2-Methoxyethoxy): a solvent found in household paints, pesticides and floor care products, window washer fluids, skin creams, cleansers, hairspray and perfumes;
- 2-MEA (2-Methoxyethanol acetate): found in nail polish, dry cleaning treatments and glues. These three have been placed on Health Canada's "Cosmetic Ingredient Hot List," which means their use is being scrutinized, with the possibility of a restriction or ban.
The fourth chemical, not included on the list, is 2-methoxypropanol: It is found in nail polish enamel and remover; hair conditioners and sprays; false eyelash adhesives and removal solvents; and pesticides.
Toronto Star