EcoWaste Coalition Exposes Continued Sale of Artificial Nail Sets with Toxic Glue in Divisoria
A toxics watchdog group advised consumers to
refrain from buying artificial nail sets with matching glue that contains
hazardous substances such as chloroform and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).
“DBP and chloroform are among the over 1,350 substances that ‘must not form
part of the composition of cosmetic products’ as per Annex II, Part I of the
ASEAN Cosmetics Directive. Girls and women who are fond of art nails
should be wary of potential health hazards due to exposure to these chemicals
in some glue products,” said Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste
Coalition’s Project Protect.
Dizon urged consumers to exercise precaution after his group procured nine
brands of artificial nail sets in Divisoria, Manila that come with a little
tube of glue containing DBP as indicated on the label.
These brands include Art Nails, Design Nail, Fashion Nail, Hong Lin Fringed Iris Art Nail, Keke Designer Nails Set, Meijiaer, Miss Seven Nail Art Set, New
Air Art Nail and Yu Yao Nail Art Beads Set, which the group bought last Monday
for P3 to P80 per set at cosmetics shops in 168, 999 and Lucky Chinatown
shopping malls.
The above products lacked complete labeling information and the required
product notification from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
“Almost six months after the government warned against artificial nail sets
with DBP-containing adhesive glue, we still find them in the market as if they
are legal to sell,” lamented Dizon.
Last February 2015, the FDA warned against allergic effects from
DBP that “can cause the immune system to respond to chemical exposures with
immunological reactions that are harmful, varying from hives to life
threatening responses such as anaphylactic shock, where low blood pressure and
breathing difficulties can result in death.”
The EcoWaste Coalition also warned against a type of nail glue that was
recently banned in Denmark for containing excessive amount of chloroform, which
can cause skin irritation and damage a person’s health if ingested or inhaled.
The Danish health authorities further warned that “exposure to chloroform fumes
can cause damage to internal organs, mainly the liver and kidneys, as well as
risk of cancer.”
During its recent market monitoring in Divisoria, the group managed to buy a
nail glue for P8 per bottle that bears a close resemblance to the one that was
ordered withdrawn from the market by the Danish government.
To avoid potential exposure to chloroform and DBP in nail glues, the EcoWaste
Coalition urged consumers to patronize nail products with proper FDA
Certificate of Product Notification and marketed by FDA-licensed manufacturer,
importer or distributor.
-end-
http://www.fda.gov.ph/attachments/article/226625/FDA%20Advisory%20No.%202015-006.pdf
http://www.fda.gov.ph/attachments/article/38607/Annex%20II%20revised%20as%20per%2017th%20ACSB.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/safety/rapex/alerts/main/index.cfm?event=main.notification&search_term=A12/0932/15&exclude_search_term=0&search_year=2015
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