Cosmetics--safe-as-used--or-innocent-until-proven-guilty-
By Jayden A. Adams
"The current system of regulating chemicals is really broken," says Bill Walker from the non-profit Environmental Working Group in Oakland, CA, an organization that educates the public about toxic contaminates in the environment. “You are dealing with chemicals that can harm your growth and development."

“Chemicals surround us; from the food we eat, to the electronic devices we use, to the clothes we wear, and they affect your health,” we often tell patients at the Maulfair Medical Center in Topton, PA. “Thousands of new synthetic chemicals come into manufactured consumer products every year with little to no safety testing or public approval process.” According to the World Health Organization, there are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals in use in consumer products today with 1,000 to 2,000 being added to the list each year.

But to what extent do they put our health in danger? This is increasingly questioned by scientists.

Cosmetic safety - voluntary and discretionary. Of particular concern are personal health care products. The typical person uses ten products every day, yet, to date, just 11 percent of all ingredients in cosmetics have been reviewed for safety by the seven-member industry panel called the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Although The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) website states “The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) legal authority over cosmetics is comparable with its authority over other FDA-regulated products, such as foods, nonprescription drugs, and nonprescription medical devices,” [1] when challenged by public petition in September 2005 the FDA wrote: "The [Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act] contains no provision that requires demonstration to FDA of the safety of ingredients of cosmetic products... prior to marketing the product." [2]

Further, although PCPC claims that “the FDA can take immediate action to

stop the sale of any product that does not meet these standards,” the mere act of FDA suggesting a recall requires that the Agency have firm evidence of potential human harm. "[T]he [Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act] does not authorize FDA to order a recall for a defective or possibly harmful cosmetic product," writes FDA.

Over the past year the personal care product industry has combated a growing stream of scientific publications that raise questions about the safety of chemicals in cosmetics. Industry representatives have fielded questions about research linking the fragrance ingredients called phthalates to low testosterone and stunted reproductive system development in baby boys.[3] They have responded to concerns over the presence in human breast tumor tissue of the ubiquitous, estrogen-like cosmetic preservatives called parabens (these begin with butyl-, methyl, ethyl-, and propyl-). Although "Our Stolen Future" (OSF), which examines synthetic chemicals

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Jayden A. Adams

Dr Conrad Maulfair of the Maulfair Medical Center is a board member of several integrative medicine associations. International author, speaker and retired Colonel U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corp. See how an active lifestyle can be accomplished with restorative healthcare based on accurate research.