The drip-drip-drip of scare stories, tirades and advertisements warning us about toxic, hazardous and cancer-causing chemicals has turned into a deluge of late. It is impossible to watch a TV news show or read a magazine or turn on your computer without being warned, over and over again, that if we don t do something, the sky will certainly fall this time, we re sure.
Earlier this week, we learned of an ad campaign aimed at Times Square, a fitting place for those trying to scare us these days. Yesterday, we were treated to a junk-science study out of U-C Berkeley alleging that lipstick is replete with toxic metals such as lead, chromium, titanium (!) and others at levels higher than the researchers believed to be safe. They even pointed out that some products tested for lead at levels higher than the FDA thought safe for candy if children consumed the candy several times daily. Do you know anyone who eats lipstick several times a day? Besides, the levels deemed acceptable have to do with long-term exposures among populations, and have nothing to do with occasional exposures as would occur with cosmetics, etc.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross said, I was interviewed on this subject by our local WCBS-TV station. While the reporter was kind enough to listen to me ranting against the perversion of the scientific method and the proclivity of the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, to publish reflexively all such flawed studies as long as they could be used in an anti-chemical agenda, I only got half a minute on the air. Oh well, it could have been worse, I did get to make my point. Will it have any effect on the scare groups, who seem to be rallying around their perceived progress on getting anti-chemical legislation passed? Don t hold your breath but do keep applying lipstick!