Fairness
creams, lipsticks contain toxic heavy metals: CSE
Kolkata:
Fairness creams may contain toxic heavy metals like mercury while lipsticks may
be tainted with carcinogenic chromium, finds a new study released today.
Centre
for Science and Environment's (CSE's) laboratory in Delhi, which did the study,
found mercury in 44 percent of the 32 fairness creams it tested.
It
also found chromium in 50 percent and nickel in 43 percent of the 30 lipstick
samples.
The
report from CSE said they found mercury in 14 fairness creams in the range of
0.10 parts per million (ppm) to 1.97 ppm.
Under
the Drugs and Cosmetics Acts and Rules of India, mercury is banned for use in
cosmetics.
A
neurotoxin, mercury can damage kidneys and may cause rashes, skin
discolouration and scarring besides resulting in anxiety, depression, psychosis
and peripheral neuropathy.
Chromium
was found in 15 out of 30 lipsticks tested in the range of 0.45 ppm to 17.83
ppm while nickel was found in 13 out of 30 products tested in the range of 0.57
to 9.18 ppm.
Hexavalent
chromium, one of the forms in which chromium is present, is known to cause
cancer in humans.
Eminent
environmentalist and CSE director general Sunita Narain said, "Mercury is
not supposed to be present in cosmetic products. Their mere presence in these
products is completely illegal and unlawful".
The
researchers however, did not find any heavy metals in anti-ageing creams and
lip balms. The study did not detect lead and cadmium in lipsticks.
"What
is coming out very clearly is that this sector has extremely weak regulations
and almost no enforcement of whatever laws that exist," said Chandra
Bhushan, CSE deputy director general and head of its lab.
He
said that manufacturers often get away on the pretext that toxic metals are
present in trace levels as limits for final products are not set.
One
of the fastest growing industries in India, it is estimated that the cosmetic
industry sold products worth Rs 26,410 crore in 2011.
16.01.2014
Dance steps
may fix urine leakage!
London:
Studies have shown that dance can help you stay in shape, reduce stress, make
friends and more. Now, it may also help you prevent urine leakage!
For
senior women suffering from urinary incontinence, dance helps them contract
their pelvic floor muscles when they perform any daily activity to prevent
urine leakage, says a promising study.
For
the study, the researchers at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de
Montréal in Canada and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich added a
series of dance exercises via a video game console to a physiotherapy programme
for pelvic floor muscles.
The
researchers picked 24 elderly women for the study. The results post-dance
sessions were promising.
“Out
team registered a greater decrease in daily urine leakage than for the usual
programme, no dropouts from the programme and a higher weekly participation
rate,” said Chantal Dumoulin, associate professor in the physiotherapy
programme at Université de Montréal.
According
to the researchers, fun is a recipe for success.
“Compliance
with the programme is a key success factor. The more you practice, the more you
strengthen your pelvic floor muscles,” said Eling D de Bruin, researcher at the
department of health sciences and technology at Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology.
The
challenge was to motivate women to show up each week. The dance component was
the part that the women found most fun and did not want to miss. They laughed a
lot as they danced, said the study published in the journal Neurourology and
Urodynamics.
Dancing
gives women confidence, as they have to move their legs quickly to keep up with
the choreography in the video game while controlling their urine, added the
study.
“They
now know they can contract their pelvic floor muscles when they perform any
daily activity to prevent urine leakage. These exercises are therefore more
functional,” said Dumoulin.
16.01.2014
Almin Agic
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