Proposed Bill on Personal Care Products
February 24, 2010 by Jo · Leave a Comment
In Colorado in the United States, senators are calling on the state to crackdown on ‘cancer-causing’ chemicals in personal care products. Senator Betty Boyd and Representative Dianne Primavera introduced the ‘Colorado Safe Personal Care Products Act’ into the house earlier this month.
The propsed Bill, number HB 1248, argues that ‘many personal care products contain chemicals known to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity’. If passed the act would prohibit, in the state of Colorado, the sale and distribution of personal care products that contain such ingredients, in addition to a fine of $5,000-10,000 for offending manufacturers. This, the bill argues, is necessary in order to protect the citizens of the state as neither the FDA nor the Colorado Department of Public Health reviews and approves personal care products before sale.
The bill proposes to use existing lists of ‘harmful chemicals’ from bodies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, the international agency for research on cancer and the national toxicology program, in order to determine whether an ingredient is a carcinogen or a reproductive toxin.
A hearing to be held in late February, will see sponsors of the bill set out the supporting case, and those opposing the act, including the US trade association the Personal Care Products Council, challenging it, before it will be voted on by the committee.