PITTSBURGH -- Claims that there is lead in lipstick and that it can cause cancer have been circulating on the Web for weeks.

Consumer investigator Becky Thompson put lipstick to the test to find out if the rumors were true.

Channel 11 tested five brands of lipstick and found lead in every one of them.

However, it was not dangerous enough to cause cancer.

"I think the answer is that most people who are healthy ... it's probably not a big deal but there are people who need to be concerned about it and they are young women and pregnant women, for sure," said Dr. Devra Davis.

Environmental researchers at the University of Pittsburgh said the connection between lead in lipstick and cancer is an urban legend.

Right now there is no evidence of a link.

But having lead in any personal care product could adversely affect someone's health.

According to Davis, lead adds up over your lifetime.

Small amounts of lead several times a day, five days a week throughout your adult years, could add up to a significant amount of the toxic metal in your body.

"Lead competes with calcium in your body. Where do you have calcium? In your bones," said Davis.

The organs in your body also require calcium, including the brain.

There are some people doing important research now suggesting that a higher lifetime exposure to lead is why we're seeing increased rates of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Consumers won't find lead listed as an ingredient on any lipstick package, even in the small amounts Channel 11 found.

The Food and Drug Administration has no guidelines for avoidable contaminants, like lead.

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