We have to face the fact that the government and the FDA do not have all the control we assume they do. Reason why using non-toxic products is the safest thing to do.
To help you understand this dilemma, I will proceed to present just a few quotes from Senator Edward M. Kennedy's statement in September of 1997 for FDA Reform and Cosmetic Preemption.
The term "Cosmetics" covers all personal care (bath & beauty) products used by the whole family.
"Pre-emption of cosmetic regulation is especially outrageous and shows a callous disregard for the health of American women and, in many cases, of the children they may be carrying in their wombs. Cosmetics are broadly used by Americans--far more broadly than most prescription drugs, medical devices, or biologic products.
Whether the product in question is hair spray, shampoo, lipstick, or baby powder, or suntan lotion, and soap or toothpaste, every American routinely assumes that the product is safe.
But this confidence is too often unjustified--because Federal oversight of the $20 billion cosmetic industry is so limited. The basic Federal law regulating cosmetics has not been updated since 1938. ...The FDA has no authority to require manufacturers ...to file data on the ingredients in their products, ... It cannot require that products be tested for safety or that the results of safety testing be made available to the agency. It does not have the right of access to manufacturers records. It cannot even require recall of a product.
...All the glamorous pictures in the world cannot obscure the facts: this is an industry that is under-regulated and its products are too often hazardous... Long-term illnesses ranging from cancer to birth defects may not be linked to their underlying cosmetic-related causes. As the GAO points out, 'Available estimates of cosmetic-related injuries do not accurately reflect the extent to which consumers are exposed to toxic cosmetic products and ingredients. Because symptoms of chronic toxic effects may not occur until months or years after exposure, injury estimates generally account for only acute toxic effects.'
[There is] ...limited Federal authority to protect the public against these hazards and even more limited Fedral resources devoted to these problems. ...Today, ...most of the 30 people working in the FDA Office of Cosmetics work on the regulation of color additives and not actually on cosmetics. ...FDA has put limited resources in the cosmetic program because they simply do not have adequate legal authority to address cosmetic safety.
...If the FDA suspects a cosmetics safety problem exists--as they do today with the use of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) face creams--the agency faces high hurdles in bringing an kind of regulatory action. FDA cannot make the company demonstrate that they are selling a safe product. FDA can not even require companies to register their product formulations. So today, FDA knows how many milligrams of aspirin are in a tablet, ...but... does not know how much alpha-hydroxy acid is in a face cream... a known carcinogen..."
A Consumer Awareness advice: seriously consider swithching to safe, non-toxic products as soon as possible!
Read Senator Kennedy's complete statement HERE!