你每天涂几次口红？吸收进多少铅等重金属？

去年　　发表的一项研究发现：除了75%的受检口红和润唇膏含铅外，各款口红/润唇膏还含铝、镉、铬、锰等八种重金属。虽然含量低，但女人每天涂抹2---14次口红，最多一天可吸收进87毫克口红。

Background: Metal content in lip products has been an issue of concern.

Objectives: We measured lead and eight other metals in a convenience sample of 32 lip products used by young Asian women in Oakland, California, and assessed potential health risks related to estimated intakes of these metals.

Methods: We analyzed lip products by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and used previous estimates of lip product usage rates to determine daily oral intakes. We derived acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) based on information used to determine public health goals for exposure, and compared ADIs with estimated intakes to assess potential risks.

Results: Most of the tested lip products contained high concentrations of titanium and aluminum. All examined products had detectable manganese. Lead was detected in 24 products (75%), with an average concentration of 0.36 ± 0.39 ppm, including one sample with 1.32 ppm. When used at the estimated average daily rate, estimated intakes were > 20% of ADIs derived for aluminum, cadmium, chromium, and manganese. In addition, average daily use of 10 products tested would result in chromium intake exceeding our estimated ADI for chromium. For high rates of product use (above the 95th percentile), the percentages of samples with estimated metal intakes exceeding ADIs were 3% for aluminum, 68% for chromium, and 22% for manganese. Estimated intakes of lead were < 20% of ADIs for average and high use.

Data analysis. Measured metal concentrations (parts per million, weight/weight) were converted to estimated daily metal intakes (micrograms per day) based on lip product use data from a study of cosmetic product use among 360 women (ages 19–65 years) from ten different U.S. geographical regions (Loretz et al. 2005). The investigators reported that on average the women used lipsticks 2.35 times per day (range, 0–20 times) and applied 10 mg of product at each use (range, 0–214 mg), resulting in average daily use of 24 mg of lip products (range, 0–214 mg; 95th percentile = 87 mg/day). We assumed that all applied lip products were ingested, and thus estimated metal intakes for average use (24 mg/day) and high use (87 mg/day) of lip products.

Conclusion

Our data indicate the need for further studies to evaluate metal concentrations in lip products, as well as other cosmetics, and related potential health risks. In addition to Pb, metals such as Al, Cd, Cr, and Mn require further investigation. Cosmetics safety should be assessed not only by the presence of hazardous contents, but also by comparing estimated exposures with health based standards. This preliminary study of the metal content of 32 lip products suggests that toxic metals in cosmetics should be regulated to protect women’s health in the United States, as has already been undertaken by the European Union through their Cosmetics Directive.

详细的测试结果见：http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1205518/#t2

还有个不太好的消息：由于动物保护组织的干预和取得的历史性胜利，本来就不甚安全的化妆品可能会更不安全了。从2013年3月11日开始，欧盟市场上的化妆品都不得做过任何动物试验，不管在哪儿做的。剂量试验、毒性试验、致癌试验等等，统统不能在动物身上做，否则不许出售。涂沫我们健康坛的招牌椰子油当润唇膏吧。真的，我不是在开玩笑。

As of 11 March 2013, cosmetics tested on animals can no longer be sold in Europe, even if the testing was done outside Europe – a fantastic step forward!