LEAD LEVELS OF HAIR DYES CALLED THREAT.

Byline: Associated Press

Certain hair dyes, including that old standby Grecian Formula, contain so much lead that consumers' bathrooms, hair dryers, even their hands and newly tinted hair are contaminated, says a new study.

The study, to be published today in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, raises the possibility of danger to children. It urges pharmacists to advise that customers buy lead-free hair colorings, and to stop selling dyes that contain lead.

``The user becomes a living purveyor of lead contamination,'' concluded study author Howard Mielke, a toxicologist at Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Food and Drug Administration said it would examine the data, but insisted that research to date shows that lead-containing dyes, which make up a minority of the hair-coloring market, are safe if used properly.

Mielke's recommendations to the 50,000 pharmacists who read the APhA journal ``are premature,'' said FDA cosmetics chief John Bailey.

An expert on child lead poisoning, however, urged that scientists check whether dye users and their children absorb lead into their blood from contaminated hands and hair.

``What we don't know is whether this potential exposure turns into real exposure,'' cautioned Dr. Gary Goldstein, president of Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute. ``On the other hand, this is a lot of lead. . . . I think people should be aware of it.''

At issue are so-called progressive hair dyes, the kind used repeatedly to build up to the desired color and then maintain it.

The FDA allows these dyes to be made with lead acetate because studies found it unlikely to be absorbed through users' skin. But the FDA does require warning labels to keep the dyes away from children and to wash hands thoroughly after using.

``Our products are absolutely safe,'' said a statement by Grecian Formula manufacturer Combe Inc. The company said European researchers studied 53 Grecian Formula users and didn't detect any hand-to-mouth lead contamination.