IN DEPTH
Environment
Federal government weighs in on safety of printer inks, cosmetics
Last Updated: Friday, March 6, 2009 | 4:19 PM ET
CBC News
The federal government says it will take action to reduce Canadians' exposure to eight of 19 chemicals it earlier identified as possible threats to human health.
Among the chemicals are a pigment used in some printer cartridges, a colouring agent used in cosmetics, and a dye used in detergents and cleaners.
The review is part of the government's Chemical Management Plan, in which 200 chemicals are assessed in batches. The current list of chemicals makes up Batch 3 of 12.
The program, run by Environment Canada and Health Canada, was announced on Dec. 8, 2006.
The 19 chemicals included in Batch 3 are:
- C.I. Pigment Red 3 is primarily used in paints but it's also an ingredient in a nail polish and two brands of soap.
- Disperse Red 86 is used in some textile products and Disperse Violet 57 is used to colour certain plastics.
- Pigment Orange 5 is synthetic colorant used in paints, coatings, adhesives and inks.
- Pigment Red 4 is a synthetic organic pigment. Environment Canada notes information on use of the chemical is confidential.
- Disperse Blue 19 is used in the manufacturing of products including oils, waxes, greases, fats, emulsions and pesticide products.
- Pigment Orange 2 is used to colour plastics and inks.
- Pigment Red 6 can be found in chemical products including solvents, carriers, strippers and etchers.
- Pigment Red 5 is used as a colorant in cosmetic goods, stationary, wood stains, paints, varnishes, latex and synthetic fibres.
- Acid Blue 127, a synthetic dye, is used in soap and cleaning products.
- Disperse Blue 77 is a man-made organic dye that can be found to make textile fabrics.
- PBMBDP is used to make synthetic rubber for hoses, rubber seals and gaskets.
- PDDAM, an organic colorant, is used to manufacture pigment, stain, dye and ink.
- Acid Violet 48 is used as a dye to colour detergents and cleaners and is used to manufacture textiles.
- Pigment Red 251 is used as a colorant in printing ink, pesticides, fuel additives, lubricants, paints, lacquers and construction materials.
- 2-Methoxyethanol acetate is used in products including paints, lacquers, glues, adhesives, waxes, oils, textile printing, film, nail polish and dry cleaning products.
- 2-ethoxyethanol acetate is used as a solvent in paints, varnishes, silkscreen printing inks, wood stain and leather finishing dyes.
- 2-(2-Methoxyethoxy)ethanol, a synthetic organic chemical, is used in a wide range of products including stamp pads, ball point and felt tip pens, hydraulic brake fluids, wood stains, household and commercial cleaners and cosmetics.
- 2-Methoxy-1-propanol is used as a solvent or agent in coatings, sealants, adhesives, agricultural pesticides, various types of inks, hydraulic brake fluids and lubricants, and household and industrial cleaners.
Health Canada says the four chemicals that are of concern to human health are:
- C.I. Pigment Red 3.
- 2-(2-Methoxyethoxy) ethanol (DEGME).
- 2-Methoxyethanol acetate (2-MEA).
- 2-methoxy-1-propanol.
Health Canada is proposing that C.I. Pigment Red 3 be added to the Cosmetic Inredient Hotlist, a list of substances that are either banned or tightly controlled in cosmetics.
In addition, Health Canada says four other chemicals — Disperse Blue 19, PDDAM, Pigment Red 251 and 2-Ethoxyethanol acetate — do not pose immediate risks to human health or the environment, but could be harmful if they were widely used. The government is proposing measures that would require the chemicals to be reassessed before they can be used in future products.
Interested parties have until early April 2009 to argue why action should not be taken to reduce people's exposure to these eight chemicals.
It was under the same program that former Health Minister Tony Clement announced a public consultation on April 18, 2008 of the import and sale of polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol A. Clement said the chemical could affect early development in infants and newborns.
Studies in peer-reviewed journals had indicated that even at low doses, the chemical can increase breast and ovarian cancer-cell growth and the growth of some prostate cancer cells in animals.
The plastics industry vigorously defended the safety of the chemical, noting it has been used in a range of products for 50 years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said the chemical does not pose a significant risk as only trace amounts of bisphenol were found to leach from food containers into food. Critics suggested the federal agency relied on industry-funded studies in its evaluation.
