Greenpeace chemist Herwig Schuster called on the authorities in Austria and the rest of Europe to immediately ban the use of these substances in health and beauty products.

Schuster told a press conference in Vienna that laboratory analysis has shown that a preservative in the baby cream Penaten, a chemical called Methyldibromo glutaronitril (MDGN), can cause skin rashes.

He said the risks of this "have been known for more than 10 years. There is no justification for continuing to use this product."

He also said that toothpaste from the "Blend a med" and "Mentadent" brands contained the anti-bacterial chemical triclosan which can make bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

"Dangerous substances such as MDGN and triclosan do not belong in health products," Schuster said.

He told AFP that Greenpeace had only tested Penaten, Blend a med and Mentadent in Austria, but "we believe that they quite possibly contain the same ingredients everywhere."

He said Greenpeace had also found MDGN in the one of the most commonly used ointments in Slovakia, Pantenol.

Schuster said Greenpeace offices in the 15 current EU member states and candidate countries were studying the use of dangerous chemicals within the bloc in order to advise the enlarged 25-member EU on improving environmental laws.

The Austrian offices of Johnson & Johnson, which makes Penaten, and Proctor & Gamble, which manufactures the toothpastes, were not immediately available for comment.

TERRA.WIRE