Repost on 447

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the last line has the link to the actualy report...

Subject: 447 COSMETICS ON U.S. SHELVES UNSAFE WHEN

USED AS DIRECTED

" It's an outrage that the FDA would shut consumers out

of this

important process, " said Janet Nudelman, coordinator

of the Campaign

for Safe Cosmetics, " especially since they've set a

place for the

cosmetics industry at the table. "

447 COSMETICS ON U.S. SHELVES UNSAFE WHEN USED AS

DIRECTED

Washington, D.C. (ENS) -- As officials from the U.S.

Food and Drug

Administration, FDA, and the cosmetics industry

traveled to Europe to

discuss regulatory obstacles to the cosmetics trade

between countries,

a nonprofit research organization released the results

of a new

investigation <http://www.ewg.org/node/22610> that

found hundreds of cosmetics sold in the United

States contain chemicals the industry itself has

determined to be

unsafe, even when used as directed.

Many of the cosmetic products on the shelves of U.S.

stores contain

chemicals that other countries have banned, the

Environmental Working

Group, EWG, report shows.

These banned chemicals include hydrogen peroxide in

contact lens

cleaners sold in the United States, formaldehyde in

mascara, selenium

in shampoo and moisturizer, and lead acetate in hair

coloring.

The EWG was prepared to present the results of its

investigation to

the meeting held Thursday in Brussels, but was

excluded from that

meeting along with all public health, consumer and

environmental

organizations.

On August 30, the FDA denied a request made by the

Campaign for Safe

Cosmetics -- of which EWG is a founding member -- to

attend the

Brussels meeting.

The agency stated that, " Everyone has agreed that we

should stick with

our current Terms of Reference that provides for an

industry

association-regulator dialogue. If that changes at any

point, we will

certainly let you know. "

In a letter to C. von Eschenbach, MD, the head

of the federal

agency, EWG Executive Director Wiles says the

Food and Drug

Administration " misrepresented " the Terms of Reference

to exclude the

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

" Instead of precluding attendance by anyone but

regulators and

industry representatives, " Wiles said in the letter,

" the Terms of

Reference states, 'it is recognized that successful

implementation

requires the input of a constructive dialogue with the

cosmetics'

industry trade associations and potentially other

stakeholders, " and

that the second day of the meeting can include

dialogue with " in

certain cases, interested parties.' "

Wiles wrote, " Contrary to the exclusion asserted by

FDA, the document

provides ample leeway for public health, consumer and

environmental

groups to attend; the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, EWG

and other

groups who research and advocate for the safety of

personal care

products certainly qualify as " interested parties " and

" other

stakeholders " in this process. "

" It's an outrage that the FDA would shut consumers out

of this

important process, " said Janet Nudelman, coordinator

of the Campaign

for Safe Cosmetics, " especially since they've set a

place for the

cosmetics industry at the table. "

Cosmetics do not have to be approved as safe by the

Food and Drug

Administration before they are sold. As a result, they

may contain

dangerous ingredients banned in Europe and Japan or

chemicals deemed

unsafe for specific uses by their own industry

scientists, said Jane

Houlihan, EWG vice president for research.

Nearly 90 percent of ingredients in personal care

products have not

been assessed for safety by anyone, so we are not sure

what regulatory

obstacles the FDA and industry need to minimize, said

Houlihan.

In its analysis of the ingredients in more than 23,000

products, EWG

discovered that 751 different products -- one of every

30 products

sold in the United States -- do not meet one or more

industry or

governmental cosmetics safety standards.

The analysis found that 383 products contain

ingredients that are

prohibited for use in cosmetics in Canada, Japan, or

the European

Union.

The EWG found 447 products that industry safety panels

have found

unsafe when used as directed.

Among these products are 86 that were found unsafe for

all product

applications by the U.S based Cosmetic Ingredient

Review, CIR, an

industry-funded panel, and the International Fragrance

Association.

The FDA has no authority to require that cosmetics be

tested for

safety before they are sold, although the agency does

have the

authority to test drugs and food additives before

sale.

While the Cosmetic Ingredient Review is funded by the

industry and is

not a government health agency, EWG research shows

that this " self-

regulated industry routinely fails to adhere to their

own safety

panel's advice and to heed the health warnings in

cosmetic safety

standards set in other countries, " the group said.

The EWG is calling on the federal agency to ensure

that all personal

care products on store shelves are safe for consumers

and to guarantee

that meetings regarding cosmetics safety policy are

open and

accessible to the public.

The results of EWG's investigation are online at:

http://www.ewg.or

g/node/22610 <http://www.ewg.org/node/22610> .