OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, January 30, 2009 (ENS) - The Canadian government today declared two chemicals used in lipstick and other personal care products to be toxic to the environment, although officials said they are not used in large enough quantities to be of concern for human health. Two other chemicals used in cosmetics were found to be harmful to human health.
Canada's declaration is the first environmental or health-based determination concerning these chemicals issued by any country.
The two personal care chemicals of concern for the environment are the siloxanes D4 and D5. Used as emollients to soften the skin, siloxanes are found in most personal care products on the market in Canada and the United States.
The siloxanes are also used in textiles, paints and coatings, antiperspirants, sealants, lubricants, plastics, non-medical ingredients in pharmaceuticals, silicone polymers, food additives, surface treatments for wounds, and medical devices.
While not believed to be harmful to health, because these chemicals enter the environment in large quantities, persist in the environment, bioaccumulate up the food chain and may harm fish and aquatic organisms, Canada is proposing to set concentration limits for them.
This will minimize the amount of D4 and D5 in personal care products that is released to municipal wastewater streams when they are washed off. The government also proposes to regulate the amounts of D4 and D5 that are released to the environment manufacturing process wastewater.
Two other substances used in cosmetics were found to be of concern for human health - isoprene and epichlorohydrin - both considered to be human carcinogens.
They will be added to the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist to prevent their future use in cosmetics. For isoprene, Health Canada is proposing that manufacturers use best-available technology to control releases.
Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced the findings of toxicity today as they released final conclusions and initial risk management approaches for Batch 2 substances in Canada's Chemicals Management Plan
"The government of Canada is doing its part to protect Canada's environment from the harmful effects of chemical substances,
In the United States, environmentalists called on the federal government to undertake similar evaluations.
"Today's move by Canada is not only important for the health of its citizens, it helps underscore the need for real reforms within the EPA's failed programs to regulate toxins in the U.S.," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research with the Environmental Working Group based in Washington, DC.
"Congress and President [Barack] Obama need to overhaul broken toxics laws," she said....