July 10, 2002

By JILL CARROLL
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

WASHINGTON — Three consumer and environmental groups released a study showing that certain chemicals linked to birth defects in animals are present in high levels in a number of toiletries, and called for banning their use in cosmetics.

The three organizations — the Environmental Working Group, Health Care Without Harm and Coming Clean — tested 72 products, including nail polish, hairspray, perfume and deodorant, for the chemicals, known as phthalates, and found that 52 products contained them at varying levels.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have said that there’s no evidence that phthalates in cosmetics present a health risk, but that more research needs to be done. In animals, phthalates (pronounced THA-layts) have been linked to birth defects of the male reproductive system.

The three advocacy groups called on the government to study the effects of exposure to phthalates , particularly in women. "We don’t have a regulatory system that has ever considered those cumulative exposures," said Charlotte Brody, a nurse and head of Health Care Without Harm, a Washington-based consumer-health advocacy group.

A panel of experts funded by the cosmetics industry is examining phthalates and will decide in about a year if they believe the chemicals pose a health hazard.

The cosmetics industry said it believes phthalates in cosmetics pose no problems. "There is no public-health concern [relating to] its use in cosmetics," said Gerald McEwen, vice president of science for the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. "We think they are safe as we are using them in our products."

But if phthalates were found to be dangerous, companies would remove products containing them without government intervention, he said.

Phthalates have been used for decades in a wide variety of products from toys and medical equipment to making sure perfumes have the right smell. The biggest cosmetic product containing phthalates is nail polish. In the past phthalates were used extensively as plastics softeners in children’s toys and teethers. But manufacturers largely stopped using them for that purpose after pressure from consumer groups.

In 2000, a CDC report showed surprisingly high levels of certain types of phthalates in the population, despite the fact that the specific types aren’t used much in consumer products.

Exclusive from New Scientist magazine

Gender-bending chemicals that mimic the effect of estrogen are common in sunscreens, warns a team of Swiss researchers who have found that they trigger developmental abnormalities in rats.

"We need to do more tests to see how they might be affecting people," says Margaret Schlumpf from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Researchers know that chemicals which behave like estrogen can cause health problems. They can have a dramatic effect on animals, for example turning fish into hermaphrodites.

Some researchers claim that hormonally active chemicals from the urine of women taking the birth control pill are already swamping the environment, and may be causing a decline in sperm counts.

Uterine growth

Schlumpf and her colleagues tested six common UV screening chemicals used in sunscreens, lipsticks and other cosmetics. All five UVB screens -benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxycinnamate and octyl-dimethyl-PABA - behaved like estrogen in lab tests, making cancer cells grow more rapidly.

Three caused developmental effects in animals. Only one chemical - a UVA protector called butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane (B-MDM) - showed no activity.

One of the most common sunscreen chemicals, 4-MBC, had a particularly strong effect. When the team mixed it with olive oil and applied it to rat skin, it doubled the rate of uterine growth well before puberty. "That was scary, because we used concentrations that are in the range allowed in sunscreens," Schlumpf says.

Nobody knows if doses are high enough to create problems for people, says Schlumpf.

Low levels

"Evidence that they’re a real health concern is still lacking," says Richard Sharpe from the Medical Research Council’s Reproductive Biology Unit in Edinburgh. But he adds, "It’s not good news that we are lathering ourselves with creams with hormonal activity."

The Cosmetic Toiletry & Perfumery Association, which represents sunscreen manufacturers in Britain, replies that the levels found by Schlumpf are well below anything that would cause an effect after a single application.

A study by the association, not yet published, shows no effect from these chemicals in rats. But, it adds, "If levels are increasing [in the environment] then we’re aware something would have to be done soon."

Breast milk

That day may be here since 4-MBC and other sunscreen chemicals have been shown to accumulate in fish from lakes where people swim.

More worryingly, they have been found in breast milk at levels of nanograms per kilogram of fat - about the same as other known environmental contaminants. Schlumpf worries that the large amount of sunscreen used by bathers, especially children, could dramatically increase this exposure.

Schlumpf says the other 25 or so chemicals used in sunscreens should also be tested for hormonal activity, and she will be looking more closely at 4-MBC to see if the offspring of exposed rats develop health problems.

For the moment, she isn’t advising people to ditch sunscreens completely, but suggests that sunblocks like zinc oxide might make a healthier alternative.

More at: Environmental Health Perspectives (vol 109, p 239)

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=526366

By Severin Carrell
The Independent
30 May 2004

Children are at greater risk of cancers and fertility problems in later life because of the growing use of their cosmetics and toiletries, health experts are warning.

Adolescents and the parents of young children are buying more beauty products made for adults and toiletries such as baby wipes and bubble baths than ever before.

Fertility experts, cancer specialists and environmentalists are becoming alarmed by evidence that most of these products use potentially dangerous chemicals linked to breast cancer, falling sperm counts and hormonal damage.

The World Health Organisation and European health and environment ministers are to issue a stark warning next month. Ministers from all 25 EU member states, including the Evironment minister Alun Michael and Health minister Melanie Johnson from the UK, will sign a declaration calling for action to cut children’s exposure to these chemicals.

Their warnings will be backed by initiatives by Friends of the Earth and the Women’s Environmental Network.

A report by Friends of the Earth this week will accuse the UK’s largest retailers of failing to take effective action to cut down on these chemicals in their products.

The ingredients of greatest concern include chemicals called parabens which can affect the hormone oestrogen and were recently found in breast cancer tissues. They are routinely used as preservatives in body lotions such Johnson’s "baby softwash" and Kandoo toilet wipes.

Other suspect additives are known as phthalates, used to soften plastics and help carry scents in cosmetics. Banned for use in baby toys, they are linked to lower sperm levels in men, premature breast development and allergies.

Cosmetics companies such as Boots and Johnson & Johnson insisted all their products were very carefully formulated within strict health guidelines. But the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Perfumes Association admitted it was likely to phase out the use of all phthalates because of consumer concerns.

Skin cancer is now the number one diagnosed cancer in men and women in the world. Squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas make up the majority of skin cancers, while melanoma contributes to 75% of all skin cancer deaths according to WebMD.