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France’s health minister is planning a checkup for cosmetics to assess the health risks they pose for children and pregnant women, and may introduce a logo for products that are considered toxic to reproduction.

Roselyne Bachelot said during a conference focusing on chemicals, reproduction and child development Tuesday that she’s instructing government agencies to research the toxicity of certain chemical substances, particularly with respect to reproductive issues. AFSSAPS, or the French Health Products Safety Agency, will be called upon to evaluate the risks posed by cosmetics during pregnancy and for children, for example.

“I’m thinking notably of cosmetics distributed in maternity wards,” said Bachelot, according to a copy of her speech posted on a government Web site. She added she aims to make information on the potential risks of using products containing certain chemicals available to pregnant women and women planning to have children.

“I would like to study, in partnership with industry [bodies], the possibility of putting a logo on products that are toxic to reproduction, indicating they are not recommended for pregnant women and for young children,” she said.

The Fédération des Entreprises de la Beauté, a French trade association that represents the 300 companies with 97 percent of the beauty sector’s turnover, said it is willing to work with health authorities on the issues raised.

Source

Labels: cosmetics, France, health and safety, toxic, toxins