Nano labelling failure raises sunscreen concerns

The Greens have renewed their call for an immediate moratorium on the release of consumer products containing manufactured nano-materials until adequate regulation is in place and a NSW regulatory body is
established to assess the health and environmental risks of this material, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said today.

Commenting on an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald (page 5) Ms Rhiannon said "Consumers have a right to know if the sunscreen they are slathering on themselves and their kids contains nano-ingredients.
 
'Workers involved in the manufacturing of these goods must be informed so adequate safety measures can be adopted in the workplace.
 
'The Therapeutic Goods Authority and responsible ministers are keeping the lights off, siding with industry which doesn't want the full story told.

"The NSW government has stepped away from mandatory labelling of sunscreens for fears that consumers will stop using sunscreen if they know it contains nano-technology, but secrecy will allow this billion
dollar industry to grow without scrutiny.

'A recent FOI application from the Greens to the Therapeutic Goods Administration further revealed the failure to put public health first when it comes to the use of nano-ingredients in sunscreens.
 
'The TGA said because the substances, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, that we had requested information on were smaller versions of materials already approved such data did not have to be collected.
 
*While the TGA did agree to release surveyed information for a fee of $2000 it said it could only do so if the manufacturers agreed.

"Nano-materials in sunscreens and cosmetics could be the new asbestos. Governments must do more than adopt a wait and see approach.

"Despite widespread commercial use of nano-technology, NSW has no nano-specific safety assessment process to protect workers and the environment from unsafe exposure and no labelling requirement for nano-materials in products.

"In 2004, the UK Royal Society recommended that given their toxicity risks, nano-materials should be subject to rigorous safety assessments prior to their commercial release, and factories and laboratories should treat nano-materials as if they were hazardous.
 
'Five years later and we still have products like sunscreen on our shelves containing nano-materials with no labelling,' Ms Rhiannon said.
 
Contact: Greens MP Lee Rhiannon 9230 3551, 0427 861 568