(image courtesy of TVW)
The things we put in our hair and on our faces would be free of more harmful chemicals under a bill that got its first State Capitol hearing on the legislature’s opening day.
“Cosmetics” is a pretty broad term, which includes things like make-up, hair products and lotions, and opponents of the bill want a rewrite because they say this bill, House Bill 1047, seems to target most non-prescription drugs. Peter Godlewski with the Association of Washington Business told the State House Environment and Energy Committee they also want to tweak the language on so-called “formaldehyde-releasing agents”. Godlewski says, “These agents, which are actually not the same as formaldehyde are important for the safety of the product by serving as the anti-microbial agents. This would also put the bill in alignment with California and the [European Union], which have similar exemptions.”
Doctor Marissa Smith with the State Ecology Department says products targeted at black and immigrant communities are often full of these chemicals as they discovered in tests last year. “We found lead, arsenic and formaldehyde in cosmetic products,” Smith says, “The presence of lead in foundations and lipsticks is particularly concerning because lead harms brain development, and there is no safe level of lead exposure.” Other chemicals common in cosmetics can cause cancer or damage organs and put you at risk of asthma or thyroid disease.
This was the bill’s first hearing, so its first vote will come at a future hearing.
