You may want to look into that face paint and contacts you are using to become a cat, or witch or whatever for Halloween.
Public health agencies are reminding trick-or-treaters and party-goers that costumes are fraught with danger, particulary face paints and novelty contact lenses that carry health risks. The federal government has taken heat from a senator and parents who want more enforcement of face paint and bans for certain ingredients.
Sen. Chuck Shumer, D-N.Y., pushed earlier this month for the Food and Drug Administration to better enforce packaging regulations on face paint that require the full list of of ingredients.
He cited a report from the advocacy group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that found 10 out of 10 face paints tested positive for heavy metals such as lead.
“When it comes to the kind of makeup our kids slather on at Halloween, lead, nickel and cobalt do not belong, and so, I am urging the FDA to unmask the ingredients that are often left off of the packaging,” Schumer said.
Exposure to lead is unsafe even in small amounts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schumer isn’t alone. A petition signed by nearly 41,000 parents and supporters want the agency to ban heavy metals such as lead from cosmetics immediately.
The agency does have some tips for dealing with face paint. For instance, if the paint has a bad smell, it could be a sign it is contaminated.
It also recommends that people look at the ingredients on the label and then check them against a summary of color additives on the agency’s site. If a color on the label is not on the list, then don’t use that face paint, the agency said.
Federal law doesn’t require cosmetics manufacturers to get FDA approval before their products reach the shelves. The only exception is color additives.
Lead acetate, a chemical compound that contains lead, is one of the approved additives. However, there are some limitations to the approval such as it cannot be used for eyelashes or eyebrows, or hair on parts of the body other than the scalp, according to federal regulations.
The label also must say that it contains lead acetate.
The chemical has been used in hair dyes for decades, and the FDA has noted that extensive studies haven’t proven that it boosts lead levels in patients, according to the Personal Care Products Council, a cosmetics and consumer products advocacy group.
Face paint isn’t the only costume element to get some health scrutiny.
The FDA once again wants consumers to be wary of illegal decorative contact lenses to help transform you into a cat or have your eyes glow in the dark.
“When they are bought and used without a valid prescription, without the involvement of a qualified eye care professional, or without appropriate follow-up care, this can lead to significant risks of eye injuries, including blindness,” said Bernard Lepri, an FDA eye expert, on the agency’s website.
Although it is illegal to sell decorative lenses without a prescription, the agency says the lenses are sold on the Internet, in stores and salons, especially around Halloween.
