Toxins Make Halloween Face Paints Scary(ction to it. Another option is to g...),Health

Another option is to "go natural," said Jessa Blades, a natural makeup artist and green living expert based in New York City. First, look up "safe" or green cosmetics on the campaign's Web site. Then, consider black eye pencil for whiskers. Or mix a quarter teaspoon of the spice turmeric with unscented lotion to make "war paint."

For fake blood, mix corn syrup, Castile liquid soap and a dash of red food coloring, Blades said.

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There's more on the hazards of lead for children at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

SOURCES: Stacy Malkan, co-founder, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and co-author, Pretty Scary: Could Halloween Face Paint Cause Lifelong Health Problems? Oct. 27, 2009, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics; Jessa Blades, natural makeup artist and green living expert, New York City; Wally Ghurabi, D.O., chief of emergency services, Santa Monica--UCLA and Orthopaedic Hospital, Santa Monica, Calif.; Dennis Woo, M.D., former chief of pediatrics, Santa Monica--UCLA and Orthopaedic Hospital, Santa Monica, Calif., and associate professor, pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles; U.S. Food and Drug Administration