EU scientific committees question cosmetics toxicity assessments
The usefulness of the statistical measure ‘threshold of toxicological concern’ to assess potential health dangers posed by cosmetics has been challenged by three EU scientific committees. Its Achilles heel, they said, is that checks are “dependent on the quality, quantity, and relevance of the underlying toxicity database and a reliable estimation of the exposure to the chemical in the respective field of application”. And as “limited knowledge exists” for consumer products, because of their diversity and “complex exposure” scenarios, “uncertainties are higher and methodology is less developed,” concluded the report. Indeed, “exposure data are limited or lacking.”
The usefulness of the statistical measure ‘threshold of toxicological concern’ to assess potential health dangers posed by cosmetics has been challenged by three EU scientific committees. Its Achilles heel, they said, is that checks are “dependent on the quality, quantity, and relevance of the underlying toxicity database and a reliable estimation of the exposure to the chemical in the respective field of application”. And as “limited knowledge exists” for consumer products, because of their diversity and “complex exposure” scenarios, “uncertainties are higher and methodology is less developed,” concluded the report. Indeed, “exposure data are limited or lacking.”
The report was written by the EU’s scientific committees on consumer products; health and environmental risks; and emerging and newly identified health risks.