KATHMANDU, Feb 8: The Nepal Medical Association (NMA) has urged the government to strictly regulate the sale of daily-use toothpaste and beauty products after tests found many of them contaminated with excessive levels of lead.
In a press release issued on Friday, the umbrella body cited a recent study by the Center for Public Health and Environment Promotion (Cephed), which found alarming levels of lead in commonly used beauty and oral hygiene products.
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According to the study, 31 percent of beauty and oral and dental hygiene product samples collected from shops in various cities across the country contained lead levels above accepted international standards. The report also found that 45 percent of toothpaste samples were contaminated with excessive amounts of lead.
“The lead content in these products exceeds internationally accepted limits, which is a serious public health concern,” the NMA said in the statement.
The association called on the government to strictly monitor and regulate the quality of such products, warning that they pose serious health risks, particularly to children.
Citing the World Health Organization and other health-related agencies, the NMA said lead exposure is extremely harmful to human health. Scientific evidence shows that lead exposure in children can cause impaired mental development, learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and long-term damage to vision, hearing and the nervous system.
