FACE PAINT & GLITTER CAN MAKE KIDS SICK!

ATTENTION, parents! Face paint and body glitter could make your children sick!

Disturbing findings from a new study by scientists at Columbia University and the nonprofit Earthjustice indicate most youngsters in the U.S. use kiddie cosmetics, which may contain cancercausing carcinogens and other toxic elements! “Children are particularly vulnerable to adverse health risks associated with chemicals often found in makeup and body products,” says Julie Herbstman, a professor of environmental health science at

Columbia. “In addition to exposure through the skin, hand-to-mouth activity may increase exposure to products through unintentional ingestion. “Also, children’s small size, rapid growth rate, developing tissues and organs, along with immature immune systems, make them biologically susceptible to the effects of toxicants.”

The group’s study, which was based on more than 200 surveys, found 79 percent of polled parents report their kids 12 and under use makeup and body products marketed to children — such as glitter, face paint and lip gloss. Previous research has found many types of kiddie cosmetics contain toxic chemicals — such as lead, asbestos, PFAS, phthalates and formaldehyde — and heavy metals, which are especially dangerous! These substances, whether intentionally added or present as contaminants, have been linked to cancer, neurodevelopmental harm and other serious — and irreversible — health consequences, explain the study’s authors.

Their analysis discovered about 54 percent of the youngsters covered in the surveys used kids’ makeup and body products at least every month, and 12 percent used them daily. About one in five wore the products for eight hours or more at a time, and a third unintentionally ingested the products over the previous year!

The researchers say it’s important to uncover how the products are being used by children to assess their risk and improve safety. Some states, including

New York and Washington, are considering tightening their consumer regulations around toys, makeup and personal care products. But the study’s authors insist more needs to be done to safeguard America’s youth. “It is alarming that industry is being allowed to sell makeup and body products marketed to children that contain extremely toxic chemicals,” says Earthjustice attorney Lakendra Barajas.