SAFE PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS FOR WOMEN AND OUR FAMILIES

Resolution passed by the NOW National Board at its February 2006 meeting.

WHEREAS, the National Organization for Women (NOW) has an uncompromising commitment to ensuring that the health of women and our families is protected; and

WHEREAS, NOW has a long-standing commitment to respect for women's bodies and works against oppressive beauty standards through the Women's Health Project, the "Love Your Body" Campaign and lobbying the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prohibit the marketing of silicone breast implants; and

WHEREAS, emerging science suggests that many cosmetics and personal care ingredients may cause cancer, ravage women's reproductive health and cause birth defects; and

WHEREAS, the cumulative daily exposure that many of us have to a myriad of personal care products that contain carcinogens, mutagens and reproductive toxins has not been assessed, reviewed or tested by the FDA; and

WHEREAS, the FDA is empowered under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, 21 U.S.C.A. ' 301 et seq. (1976) (FD&CA), to ensure the safety of personal care and cosmetic products available to consumers. However, the FDA does not require companies to do safety testing of cosmetic products before marketing, nor does any other United States governmental agency; and

WHEREAS, the European Union (EU), has taken a more enlightened approach to protecting its people from toxins in personal care products through a directive requiring companies doing business in Europe to eliminate 450 of the harmful chemicals in personal care products known or strongly suspected of causing "harm to human health," compared to the nine chemicals that the FDA has banned or restricted; and

WHEREAS, chemicals such as acrylamide (in foundation, face lotion and hand cream) linked to mammary tumors; formaldehyde (found in nail polish and blush) classified as a probable human carcinogen; and dibutyl phthalate (an industrial chemical commonly found in perfume and hair spray) known to damage the liver, kidney and reproductive systems, disrupt hormonal processes and increase breast cancer risk, are widely used in personal care products and cosmetics; and

WHEREAS, the Environmental Working Group and other organizations have identified serious probable safety violations of the FD&CA by cosmetics manufacturers and retailers, through an in-depth investigation of over 10,000 personal care product ingredients;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NOW develop a strategy to educate our members on personal care product safety and its relationship to women's health; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that NOW support appropriate legislation to empower the FDA to more effectively ensure the safety of personal care products.