[What I'd be interested to know (and I'm sure one of can tell me) is which companies use no animal ingredients. I'd heard of this potentiality before, but never considered how widespread it might be]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a risk assessment regarding the potential for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans from exposure to cosmetics containing cattle-derived protein infected with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent.
Cosmetics may be made from a variety of cattle-derived ingredients. These ingredients include: Albumin, brain extract, brain lipid, cholesterol, fibronectin, sphingolipids, collagen, keratin, and tallow, and tallow derivatives. Tallow derivatives, particularly fatty acids and glycerin, are the predominant cattle ingredient used by the cosmetic industry. Cattle-derived ingredients serve many functions and may be used as skin conditioning agents, emollients, binders, and hair and nail conditioning agents...
There are several routes through which cosmetics contaminated with the agent that causes BSE could transmit disease to humans. Transmission of the BSE agent to humans through intact skin is not likely; however, cosmetics may be ingested or applied to cut or abraded skin or to mucosal tissues, particularly in the eye, which could provide direct routes for infection.
Submit written requests for single copies of the risk assessment to the Office of Plant and Dairy Foods (HFS-365), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740. Send one self-addressed
adhesive label to assist that office in processing your request, or include a fax number to which the document may be sent. Alternatively, you may request a copy of the document by calling 301-436-2367, or you may fax your request to 301-436-2632.
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