SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Before children apply face paint for Halloween, parents should know that some face paints contain lead and other heavy metals, a U.S. advocacy group says.
Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund, says the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent 10 children's face paints to an independent lab to test for heavy metals and review ingredient labels of Halloween products sold at a seasonal holiday store.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents avoid using cosmetics on their children that could be contaminated with lead, Archer says.
The report, "Pretty Scary," found:
-- Ten out of 10 children's face paints contained lead ranging from 0.05 to 0.65 parts per million.
-- Six out of 10 children's face paints contained nickel, cobalt and/or chromium, which are top allergens in children. The metals were found at levels ranging from 1.6 to 120 ppm -- many of them far exceeding industry safety recommendations of 1 ppm.
To learn more about the study see: www.safecosmetics.org/prettyscary.
