Letter to Stephen Ostroff, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration - Toxic Chemicals in Halloween Makeup

Letter

Dear Acting Commissioner Ostroff,

I write today to bring your attention to serious concerns with potential ingredients in novelty cosmetics and paints manufactured outside of the United States. Traces of lead and other heavy metals have been found in novelty and costume makeup from other countries and poses a potential threat to the health of our children. I urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take immediate regulatory action against companies that whose novelty cosmetics and face paint products are found to include hazardous chemicals as well as increase the enforcement of proper labeling of these products.

As you know, exposure to lead and other heavy metals can have detrimental health effects which can include decreased cognitive ability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children are more susceptible to lead poisoning than adults and they have determined that there is no safe level of lead that the body can handle. Additionally, the World Health Organization found that even the smallest amount of lead in the blood can cause irreparable damage to a child's developing brain, indicating that any level of exposure puts a child's health and well-being at risk. Unfortunately, novelty makeup and paint made abroad can be found on store shelves across the country. I urge the FDA to take prompt action to test and ensure that novelty paint does not include these harmful chemicals.

In 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that ten out of ten face paints tested for heavy metals contained lead and six out of ten contained either nickel, cobalt, or chromium or a combination of the three. The products containing the highest amount of lead content were made in other countries, such as China. This is not the first time that products manufactured abroad were found to contain lead and other heavy metals. Toys, costumes, jewelry and even candy have been found to be contaminated with lead when made in other countries. In addition, many of these novelty paints are not properly labeled even when they contain color additives. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits the marketing of adulterated or misbranded cosmetics, including cosmetics and paints with a color additives. Parents and all consumers have a right to know what ingredients are in the paint they are buying for use on their skin or the skin of their children. I strongly urge the FDA to use its existing authority and increase enforcement of products that are currently on the market that are mislabeled, misbranded or adulterated.

Thank you for your ongoing work to keep Americans safe and healthy. It is crucial that we protect our children and families from these harmful toxins found in novelty cosmetics as well as ensure these products have proper labeling. That is why I urge the FDA to increase enforcement of novelty cosmetic products and paints that contain harmful materials in them and those that are potentially misbranded or adulterated. I look forward to working with you on this important issue.

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