Keep your Halloween Safe and Non-toxic!

Posted by Safer States on Oct 25, 2010

Halloween face paint has been known to have toxic chemicals like lead, chromium and nickel.

As we all get ready for Halloween this weekend, we'd like to remind you to choose face make-up for the family very carefully.

A report from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics last year found levels of lead and potent allergens including nickel, chromium and cobalt in face paint. And we haven't seen much indication that those results have changed in the past twelve months.

Lead is a persistent, bio-accumulative toxin (PBT) which means that it persists in the environment for a long period of time and builds up in our systems. It has been connected with developmental issues, delayed growth and hearing loss in children.

This study underlines the need for safety standards for items that may harm children -- lead should be nowhere near children's skin or face.

Some options this Halloween to keep your children out of harm's way:

Choose costumes that don't require face paint.
Make your own face paint.
Read ingredient lists carefully, and don't depend on words like "hypoallergenic" or "nontoxic", as they have no legal definitions. You can use this guide from The Daily Green to help you through the ingredients quagmire.