Washington,
D.C.— Some of the biggest names in cosmetics,
including L'Oreal, Revlon and Estee Lauder, continue
to sell products containing nano-scale ingredients
despite growing evidence that nanomaterials can be
toxic to humans, according to a report released today
by Friends of the Earth.
The report, titled “Nanomaterials, Sunscreens and
Cosmetics: Small Ingredients, Big Risks,” details
the extensive use of newly developed and poorly understood
substances called nanomaterials in more than 116
sunscreens, cosmetics and personal care products
currently on the market—despite a lack of independent
safety assessment and regulation. The report also
surveys a growing body of scientific research showing
that many types of nanoparticles pose risks to consumers,
workers and the environment.
“Engineered nanoparticles are being used in virtually
every type of personal care product on the market,
from sunscreens and anti-aging creams to toothpastes,
despite preliminary scientific evidence that many
types of nanoparticles can be toxic,” said Lisa Archer,
Senior Health and Environment Campaigner with Friends
of the Earth U.S. “Corporations should stop marketing
nano-laced products until these materials are proven
safe and stop treating their customers like guinea
pigs.”
Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials
and the creation of structures and systems that exist
at the scale of atoms and molecules. A nanometer
(nm) is one billionth of a meter. By way of comparison,
a DNA molecule is roughly 2.5 nm, a red blood cell
7,000 nm and a human hair cell a whopping 80,000
nm wide. The existing body of toxicological literature
indicates that nanoparticles have a greater risk
of toxicity than larger particles.
Cosmetics companies are using ingredients that include
nano-scale metal oxides, carbon spheres called “fullerenes,” and “nanocapsules” designed
to penetrate deeper layers of skin. Friends of the
Earth believes its survey represents only a small
sample of the cosmetics and personal care products
containing “free” engineered nanoparticles now on
store shelves.
Carbon fullerenes, which are used in some face creams
and moisturizers, have antibacterial properties and
have been found to cause brain damage in fish. Even
low levels of exposure to fullerenes have been shown
to damage human liver cells.
The summer sunbathing season presents an urgent
dilemma as consumers use heavy amounts of sunscreen
to ward off harmful ultraviolet rays, and in doing
so unwittingly expose themselves to additional risk.
Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide—used
in large numbers of cosmetics, sunscreens and personal
care products—have been shown to be photoactive,
producing free radicals and causing DNA damage to
skin cells when exposed to UV light.
Nowhere are nanomaterials entering consumer products
faster than in the personal care and cosmetics industries.
Use of personal care products such as certain shampoos,
conditioners, lotions, and toothpastes poses a clear
risk of exposure to untested nanomaterials because
these products are used daily and are designed to
be used directly on the skin. They may be inhaled
and are often ingested. Because of their size, nanoparticles
are more readily taken up by the human body than
larger particles and are able to cross biological
membranes and access cells, tissues and organs that
larger particles cannot.
While the jury is still out on whether nanomaterials
can enter intact skin, studies show that broken skin
is an ineffective barrier and enables particles up
to 7,000nm in size to reach living tissue. This suggests
that the presence of acne, eczema or shaving wounds
is likely to enable the uptake of nanoparticles into
the body. Furthermore, many cosmetics and personal
care products contain ingredients that act as “penetration
enhancers,” raising concerns they may increase the
likelihood of skin uptake of nanomaterials and possible
entry into the blood stream.
In a 2004 report, the United Kingdom's Royal Society—one
of the oldest and most respected scientific bodies
in the world—recommended “ingredients in the form
of nanoparticles should undergo a full safety assessment
by the relevant scientific advisory body before they
are permitted for use in products.” Despite this
warning, companies are rushing to incorporate nanomaterials
into their products and cosmetics in a vacuum of
independent safety testing. Two years after the Royal
Society's report, there are still no laws governing
the use of nanomaterials in consumer products to
ensure they do not cause harm to the public using
them, workers producing them, or environmental systems
into which waste nanoproducts are released.
“We've seen many ‘wonder' materials with early warning
signs, including but by no means limited to asbestos,
DDT and PCBs,” Archer said. “The failure of government
regulators to take seriously the early warning signs
surrounding nanotoxicity suggests they have learned
nothing from this long list of disasters.”
Friends of the Earth recommends a moratorium on
further commercial release of personal care products
that contain engineered nanomaterials, and the withdrawal
of such products currently on the market until adequate,
publicly available, independent peer-reviewed safety
studies have been completed. Friends of the Earth
further recommends that adequate regulations be put
in place to protect the general public, workers manufacturing
these products, and the environment.
“It's the least we can do until we know more about
these products and this new, untested technology,” Archer
added.
Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of an influential,
international network of grassroots groups in 70
countries. Founded in 1969 by David Brower, Friends
of the Earth has for decades been at the forefront
of high-profile efforts to create a more healthy,
just world. Our members were the founders of what
is now the world's largest federation of democratically
elected environmental groups, Friends of the Earth
International.
Our report, “ Nanomaterials, Sunscreens and
Cosmetics: Small Ingredients, Big Risks” is
available at our Web site at http://www.foe.org/camps/comm/nanotech/
.
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