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FDA Finds Lead in All Lipsticks Tested

by: Kim Evans

(NaturalNews) According to a report from Florida's Department of Health there's no amount of lead in the blood that's safe. Yet last year, the FDA tested for lead in 22 brands of lipstick and found lead in every single one of them. It's estimated that the average woman inadvertently consumes four pounds of lipstick in her lifetime and even low levels of lead in the body have been linked to developmental delays, aggression, hyperactivity, irreversible brain damage, being antisocial, and having attention and learning problems. Newborns are regularly found to have lead in their umbilical cord blood, so this neurotoxin is affecting them long before their blood brain barrier has even formed. All this, and the FDA says the lead in lipstick isn't a problem.

One study found that children with higher levels of lead in their blood were more apt to be arrested later in life. This is because having lead in the body regularly makes people violent and aggressive. But who'd think that by applying lipstick each day while you're pregnant you'd be even slightly increasing the chances that your child will behave aggressively with playmates – or increasing the chances that your child will end up behind bars later in life? It sounds farfetched, but if you connect the dots, it's really not.

To be fair, lead in lipstick is far from the only source of lead that most people are exposed to. Lead is found in paints, plastics, PVC, inks, dyes, building materials, fishing tackle, and consumer products – and it also makes its way into our bodies from these sources. But, lipstick is a product that women apply directly to their lips and our lips are porous. In fact, our lips may be more porous than our skin. So, in addition to the four pounds of lipstick that most women inadvertently consume, they're likely absorbing much more. And if you're absorbing lead into your body before becoming pregnant or while pregnant, you're exposing your child to this known poison at a critical stage in his/her development.

The lipstick with the highest level of lead had 34 times more lead than the lipstick with the lowest level – and the highest lead levels came from common, well-known brands that are often purchased at drugstores. Lead is known to build in the body with time and some of it is incorporated into our bones. Because it's stored in our bones, blood lead levels have been found to be higher in pregnant women because their bodies are breaking down the calcium in their bones to provide it to their children. But at the same time, pregnant women are also releasing their stored lead.

It's interesting to watch the FDA's position on lead when it's in toys from China and how it flips dramatically when it's brought to us from U.S. companies. But the truth is: A poison is a poison, no matter who's manufacturing it.

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