Three children in Sydney, Australia have fallen ill due the use of an eyeliner made by a Pakistani company. The eyeliner in question contained high lead content as well as other harmful metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury.
Matt Kean, Better Regulation Minister for New South Wales, said that investigations have revealed that the eyeliner, made by Hashmi Kohl, consisted of 84% lead. This is in direct contravention to what the eyeliner’s packaging states, that there is zero lead content present in it.
Three People Hospitalized
Three girls belonging to the same family used the product. They were soon admitted to the hospital, when doctors raised concerns that high concentration of lead was present in the blood of the children.
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It should be mentioned here that these same Hashmi-branded products have been banned in other nations. However, they continue to be on sale in Australia and even in Pakistan and India.
Lead Endangering Lives
Lead has been used in make-up and other related cosmetic products throughout the ages. However, they have been replaced by safer alternatives. Despite this, it is still being used in a wide range of beauty products. Even low levels of exposure with lead can lead to long-term adverse health effects, mostly brain and kidney damage. In children, exposure to lead can be especially serious as it can result in anemia, kidney problems and even other neurological damage that may include seizures, coma and death.
I’m absolutely appalled by this as we know that the use of cosmetics containing lead can have long-term health effects, including brain and kidney damage, in both adults and children – Matt Kean
Authorities have advised Australians to refrain from using the products until any further investigation. Moreover, companies that breach the mandatory health standards can face penalties of up to A$1.1million (approx PKRÂ 105,500,000), said the New South Wales government.
via BBC
Imagine how much diseases we are getting due to these products which are widely prevalent in our country. We need a very strong institution to govern companies related to consumer products. Heavy penalties along with long jail time should be imposed on violators playing with the health of public. Hope this new government will give attention to this big issue.