Bangkok--Feb 14--Greenpeace
Wearing perfume exposes us to chemicals that can enter the body, aren't easily broken down and may have unwanted health effects, according to a report published today by Greenpeace International [1
].
The report, 'Eau de toxines', describes how 36 well-known perfumes
were tested for two potentially hazardous man-made chemical groups: phthalate esters and synthetic musks [2
]. Current legislation fails to regulate our exposure to these chemicals, contained in cosmetics and a host of other products.
"We want to show our love on Valentine's Day, not expose our partner to hazardous chemicals," said Francis de la Cruz of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. "Perfume should be a pleasure to give and to wear, not a source of chemical build-up in our bodies."
Virtually all perfumes tested contained phthalates and synthetic musks. Very high levels of one phthalate (diethyl phthalate, DEP) were found in Calvin Klein's Eternity for women (22 299 mg/kg, or 2.2% of total weight) and Jean Paul Gaultier's Le M?le (9 884 mg/kg, just under 1% of weight). In contrast, Gloria Vanderbilt's Vanderbilt contained no detectable level of any of the phthalates tested.
High total levels of synthetic nitro- and polycyclic musks were found
in Cartier's Le Baiser Du Dragon (45 048 mg/kg, or 4.5% by weight) and The Body Shop's White Musk (94 069 mg/kg, or 9.4% of total weight). By contrast, levels of nitromusks and polycyclic musks were lowest in Puma's Puma Jamaica Man (0.1 mg/kg).
Studies have shown that DEP rapidly penetrates the skin and becomes
widely distributed around the body following each exposure. The chemical is rapidly converted in the body to monoethyl phthalate (MEP), which is suspected over possible effects on the DNA of sperm and contributing to restricted lung function in men.
Synthetic musks can concentrate in living tissues. Some may interfere
with the hormone communication systems of fish, amphibians and mammals, and exacerbate the effects of exposure to other toxic chemicals.
The findings have prompted Greenpeace to start meeting perfume
manufacturers to discuss a phase-out of hazardous chemicals. Since the presence of these chemicals is rarely indicated on packaging, the public cannot choose to avoid them.
Help is at hand with the proposed EU regulation on chemicals (REACH)
[3
], which could require industry to phase-out problematic chemicals and substitute them for safer alternatives. However, the proposal has suffered from intense lobbying by the chemicals industry and US government. Greenpeace believes REACH will only provide true protection from chemical hazards when it puts the substitution principle into effect. This means evaluating a chemical on its
intrinsic hazards and replacing it with a safer alternative whenever possible.
The widely-acknowledged problems with current regulations highlight
the difficulty, if not the impossibility, of quantifying human and environmental exposure to these chemicals, and consequently of determining "risk" and acceptable exposure. With perfumes, for example, our exposure is often repeated through applications over days, months and years and may be further increased by exposure to other consumer products [4
].
"Our loved ones deserve a toxic-free future," said de la Cruz.
"Requiring the mandatory substitution of hazardous chemicals is the best opportunity we have to deliver that future."
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Francis de la Cruz, Toxics Campaigner, +63 9178542103
Arthur Jones Dionio, Regional Media Campaigner, +63 920 2390704
'Eau de Toxines' report is available at
http://eu.greenpeace.org/downloads/chem/GPperfumereport.pdf. End.