Make-Up Holds Hidden Danger of Cancer
by Amelia Hill

Women are being exposed to deadly diseases through the everyday use of common cosmetics bought over the counter.

The growing list of synthetic ingredients manufacturers add to their products are turning the most innocent-looking shampoos and moisturizers into cocktails of toxins that could cause cancer over years of sustained use.

These synthetic ingredients are inexpensive, stable and have a long shelf-life. Manufacturers love them, but although the majority of products appear safe in the short run the results from long-term use could be deadly.

Modern cosmetics contain a host of dubious ingredients that would be more at home in a test tube than on our faces. Coal tar colours, phenylenediamine, benzene, even formaldehyde, are just a few of the synthetic chemicals commonly included in shampoos, skin creams and blushes - toxins which are absorbed into your skin with every use.

There is no question that people are being damaged by their cosmetics. How can they not be? So many things are put into cosmetics now that are carcinogenic and it is allowed because cosmetics are not considered to be as serious as drugs or food.

The adverse effect of toxins is compounded over decades, confusing hormone receptors and slowly altering cell structure. Chemicals are transmitted into the bloodstream in a number of ways: powders have the least absorption, while oily solutions or those designed to increase moisture allow more of the chemical to be absorbed.

Eye makeup can be absorbed by the highly sensitive mucous membranes. Hair sprays, perfumes and dusting powders can be inhaled, irritating the lungs. Lipstick is often chewed off and swallowed.

The United Nations Environmental Program estimates that approximately 70,000 chemicals are in common use across the world with 1,000 new chemicals being introduced every year. Of all the chemicals used in cosmetics, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has reported that nearly 900 are toxic - although other groups attack that figure as being far too conservative.

Compared to the toxins found in our air, soil and waterways, cosmetics seem a trivial pursuit to many environmental health and consumer advocacy groups. But many of the same poisons that pollute our environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the jars and bottles that line our bathroom shelves.

It is too early to know with certainty how serious the long-term impact could be on health, but warns that hormone-disrupting chemicals may lurk in cosmetics which could lower immunity to disease and cause neurological and reproductive damage. 'Many of these same ingredients have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals,' she said. 'At best, a visit to your neighbourhood cosmetic counter could result in allergies, irritations and sensitivities.'
The UK Observer April 7, 2002

PHILLIP DAY COMMENT: Many reading EClub regularly will know that I have made it a consistent crusade of mine over the years to warn the public about the dangers of chemical damage brought about through the use of common personal care items, such as shampoo, toothpaste, make-up and hair dyes. In Cancer: Why We're Still Dying to Know the Truth and Health Wars, I devote chapters to this most important issue, and its connection with serious degenerative disorders, such as cancer.

Clearly the public wish to use products that enhance their beauty and personal hygiene, and no one for a minute is suggesting that we go without. My recommendation is for everyone to seek out companies that manufacture these types of products with the harmful ingredients replaced by safe alternatives. In my books I make such recommendations. Remember that chemicals with which we are intimately connected each day of our lives must come under particular scrutiny, as these have the potential to damage us consistently.