Cosmetics companies are not taking sufficient steps to ensure cosmetic products containing nanoparticles are safe, according to the recent Which? report.
Of 67 firms approached, only eight submitted information on their use of nanotechnology. A common use of nanotechnology is in the addition of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide particles to sun screens. European experts have demanded more safety tests to investigate the effects of these on damaged skin, according to the Guardian.
Safety concerns over nanoparticles in cosmetics have already been raised by the Royal Society earlier. It called for independent safety assessments on all products containing nanoparticles. The society has also urged firms to declare their safety tests.
According to the chief policy advisor at Which?, the cosmetics industry needed to declare about how it was using nanotechnology. The government would have to introduce a compulsory reporting scheme for manufactured nanomaterials, and only those that were independently assessed as safe should be allowed to be used in cosmetics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk
17.11.2008
