UNDATED (WKRC) – A recent independent study has raised questions about the safety of popular toothpaste brands.
According to lab testing conducted by Lead Safe Mama, an organization dedicated to preventing lead exposure, 90 percent of 51 tested toothpaste brands contained lead, BGR reported. This includes well-known names such as Crest, Sensodyne and Tom’s of Maine.
The findings revealed that 65 percent of the tested toothpastes were found to contain arsenic, 47 percent had mercury and 35 percent contained cadmium.
The presence of these metals was particularly alarming due to their potential health impacts, BGR reported. Lead, even in small amounts, can cause irreversible harm, especially to children, affecting brain development and behavior. Mercury and arsenic pose risks to the kidneys, nerves and immune system.
However, none of the toothpastes violated the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s current safety thresholds for cosmetics containing toxic metals, which are set at 10,000 parts per billion (ppb).
BRG reported these limits were considered outdated and that Washington State recently enacted a law limiting lead in toothpaste to just 1,000 ppb, a threshold exceeded by several brands.
The World Health Organization has said that there is no known safe level of lead exposure.
