YIKES!! LEAD IN LIPSTICK ???

Studies suggest the average woman inadvertently consumes about 4 pounds of lipstick
over the course of her life. Tests conducted by the FDA last year on 22 red lipsticks found
lead, a neurotoxin, in every single lipstick sample studied. The highest levels were in three
well-known and common brands: Cover Girl, Revlon and L'Oreal.

The FDA does not regulate lead in finished cosmetics, only in colors added to the products.
None of the products exceeded the 20 parts per million limit on colors, the agency said.

The lead found in Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor Maximum Red was 34 times as high as the
lead found in the lowest scoring lipstick, Avon's Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee. Clearly, the
manufacturers are capable of doing better, said Stacy Malkan of the Campaign for Safe Cos-
metics.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is calling on the FDA to require cosmetics manufacturers
to reduce lead to thelowest achievable levels, a policy the FDA already has adopted for candy.
"The reason we're worried is that lead builds up in the body over time," Malkan said. "Even
small levels of lead, recent science shows, is dangerous at any level to developing children."

How much lead is dangerous? The Mayo Clinic says 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter can
cause brain damage in children. Lower levels have been linked to developmental delays,
aggression, attention and learning problems. "There is no safe level of lead in blood," Florida's
Department of Health says in a report on lead poisoning.