► Which products are affected?
Infant milk, toothbrush, face powder, hair spray, lip balm, FFP2 mask… Out of 23 consumer products tested, 20 show traces of nanoparticles, notes the Association for Civic Intelligence and Information on the challenges of nanosciences and nanotechnologies (Avicenn), in a study published on Thursday 15 December.
The results, carried out in a French laboratory, show a strong presence of these microscopic substances, sometimes prohibited, in everyday objects. This is the case of a dehydrated soup, menstrual panties or a children’s make-up palette. “Some products are of particular interest to us”, underlines Mathilde Detcheverry, general delegate of Avicenn. In the lead: a face powder from the L’Oréal brand, which includes a very “high level of titanium dioxide nanoparticles”, continues the specialist. Same vigilance for a Signal toothbrush for children, whose bristles contain a high concentration of silver nanoparticles.
► What are nanoparticles?
They are nothing new. On the contrary, these very small substances are widely “present around us”assures Nathalie Lidgi-Guigui, lecturer at the Sorbonne Paris Nord University, specialist in nanomaterials. “They can be natural, but also manufactured and incorporated into consumer products. »
Nanoparticles are indeed “very popular with industrialists”, recalls Avicenn, because they make it possible to modify the color, texture, taste or smell of a product. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles, for example, are used as “white colorant for cosmetics”, explains Mathilde Detcheverry. “Silver ones have antibacterial and anti-odor properties, and silica ones can serve as an anti-caking agent in food. »
A 2013 European regulation makes “nano” labeling mandatory on cosmetics and food products that contain it. A « fiasco » for Avicenna, according to whom “the majority of products in which we have detected nanos are covered by (this) European obligation”. Without their labeling making reference to it.
► Are these substances dangerous to health?
Significant fears surround the effects of nanoparticles on health and the environment. Of the “cancer risk” or serious effects on ” fertility “on ” the nervous system “but also degradation of the “aquatic fauna”, have already been highlighted by certain studies, according to Mathilde Detcheverry. But the actual effects are still uncertain, due to a “lack of industrial and scientific data”, recognizes Avicenn, who calls for more research in this area. The only solution to assess the dangerousness of these substances whose small size favors “crossing certain biological barriers, such as cells”completes Nathalie Lidgi-Guigui.
There is no point in panicking, however, according to Mathilde Detcheverry, who indicates that there is “There is no acute risk in consuming these products in the short term. Concerns relate only to cumulative and long-term exposure. » Pending a response from manufacturers and public authorities, the association recommends extending the labeling obligation to sectors not concerned and strengthening measures to regulate these nanoparticles on the market.