A Canadian environmental group is calling for stricter rules on impurities in cosmetics along with full disclose of ingredients, whether they are intentionally added or not, after finding high levels of heavy metals in common products.

Environmental Defence had 49 cosmetic items tested for the presence of eight heavy metals. Seven of the metals were found throughout the products, and all items had at least two heavy metals in them, the group says in its "Heavy Metal Hazard" report.

The group called out arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury (the only metal not found in any product) as the metals of most concern since Canada has banned them from being intentionally added to cosmetics, has declared them toxic and has draft regulations that would restrict their presence as impurities. The other metals that were tested for are beryllium, nickel, selenium and thallium.

Nickel was found in all products, lead was in 96 percent and beryllium was in 90 percent. On average, products contained two of the four metals of most concern and four of all metals.

One item, Benefit's Red Tint Benetint Pocket Pal, contained seven metals as well as the highest level of lead. The item's lead content clocked in at 110 parts per million (ppm), which is more than 10 times higher than the limit in Health Canada's draft guidelines on heavy metal impurities.

While some heavy metals are banned from being intentionally added to cosmetics, they can end up in them anyway in the form of a manufacturing byproduct, from other ingredients breaking down or as a contaminant in raw materials.

These impurities aren't regulated, nor do companies need to disclose the presence of impurities on labels. Government agency Health Canada, though, has been trying to set guidelines on reducing impurities, but their draft limits have been stalled for two years.

While only one of the 49 products tested does not meet those draft guidelines, Environmental Defence says the limits could be stricter when it comes to saying what is avoidable. The guidelines' limit for lead is 10 ppm, but Environmental Defence points to U.S. Food and Drug Administration study that found an average of 1.07 ppm of lead on average in 20 lipsticks.

Heavy metals are linked to a wide range of health problems, but one problem with dealing with them is that there has been no safe limit set for some based on scientific research. Heavy metals build up in the body, but the effects of cumulative exposure are problematic because heavy metals can get into the body in other ways, such as lead from paint, and it's hard to pin certain effects on chemicals when those effects don't show up until after continued exposure.

Environmental Defence, in turn, is calling for Canada to set tougher guidelines on what levels of impurities should be allowed, require cosmetic makers to list intentional ingredients as well as byproducts on ingredient labels and online, and expand its list of banned substances to includes ones banned in the European Union.

All of the products tested — ranging among foundations, blushes, lipsticks, eye liners and other cosmetics — were purchased in Toronto and tested by SGS Canada. Some were chosen by Environmental Defense, others were chosen based on interviews with six women across Canada who listed the cosmetics they regularly use.

_{Makeup - CC license by Thomas R. Stegelmann}