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Group raises alarm over lead levels in lipstick  
Updated Fri. Oct. 12 2007 12:43 PM ET  
 
CTV.ca News Staff  
 
A U.S. consumer group has found lead levels in some lipsticks that exceeded the recommended levels for candy.  
 
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics had 33 brand-name red lipsticks tested.  
 
About 60 per cent had detectable levels of lead, ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm). The remainder had no detectable levels of lead.  
 
Here are some of the products with the highest lead levels:  
 
L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red" - 0.65 ppm  
L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine" - 0.58 ppm  
Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" - 0.56 ppm  
Christian Dior Addict "Positive Red" - 0.21 ppm  
One-third of those brands containing lead exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's limit of 0.1 ppm for lead in candy.  
 
The group said that limit was established to protect children from ingesting lead.  
 
"It's unconscionable that women should have to worry about lead in lipstick," said the campaign's Stacy Malkan. "We want the companies to immediately re-formulate their products to get the lead out and ultimately, really we need to change the laws and force these companies to be accountable to women's health."  
 
However, a trade group representing the cosmetics industry said the report is nothing new and that women have nothing to worry about.  
 
"I think the levels are actually quite low. I consider these to be trace levels, really low and not something that would present a cause for concern," said John Bailey of the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association.  
 
The cosmetics industry argues that women don't ingest very much of the lipstick they wear.  
 
Malkan argues that cosmetics can be made without lead.  
 
The group said that lead, a neurotoxin, can cause a host of problems, particularly in children. Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable, it said.  
 
In a statement, Bailey said lead is not intentionally added to cosmetics, adding, "Despite the negligible levels of lead found in some lipsticks, cosmetic companies are committed to reducing that level even further."  
 
The FDA sets strict limits on lead levels used in lipstick colours, "and actually analyze most of these to ensure they are followed," the statement said. "The products identified in the (CSC) report meet these standards."