Well, biting your nails is never a good habit to pick up, but now it could be down right dangerous for a certain segment of the population in China Taiwan -- specifically those who use nail polish. A new study shows almost 70 percent of all nail polish on Chinese Taiwanese shelves is mislabeled regarding ingredients, with over 2 percent of those containing high levels of the heavy metal lead.
Unfortunately, lead in personal care products is nothing new. Even though the U.S. federal government ordered the dangerous substance removed from the gas we fill our cars with and the paint we put on our walls, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed to keep it out of some cosmetics sold in the United States. Human exposure to lead, depending on the amount, can inflict serious health problems, including developmental problems in children, induced comas and even death.
Note: We made an error in this post. Although the article referenced was printed in the China Post, it actually discusses the problem of mislabeled nail polish in Taiwan. We apologize for the mistake.