Parabens and Phthalates - Toxic Ingredients Linked to Breast Cancer and Birth Defects

How toxic is your bathroom? Be warned: your daily beauty regime could be taking years off your life. The US EPA did something amazing. It issued an unprecedented warning to the cosmetics industry that it was time to inform consumers that most personal care products have not been safety tested.

Scientists say that chemicals called parabens, which for decades have been used in cosmetics, mimic the action of oestrogens. The increased presence of oestrogens in the environment is thought by some scientists to be responsible for reductions in sperm counts and increases in male reproductive disorders over the last 50 years. Meanwhile, scientists for the US Environmental Protection Agency plan to investigate up to 87,000 chemicals to see if they mimic the effects of oestrogen. The EPA will focus on six types of chemical:

Scientists detected the preservative chemical parabens - used in some underarm products, make-up and foods - in samples of breast cancer tumors.

The cosmetics industry and cancer experts urged the public not to panic over the research, pointing out that scientists had not found a causal link between the ingredients of the products and cancer.

The possibility of chemicals in antiperspirants being linked to cancer emerged years ago and has been the subject of several studies, notably by Dr Philippa Darbre from Reading University. Her latest study, published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, looked at 20 human breast tumors, measuring the concentration of parabens in the tissue. Her team found that the chemicals were present in a form suggesting that their route of entry was topical, through the skin, rather than oral.

Dr Darbre said: "Parabens are used as preservatives in thousands of cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical products, but this is the first study to show their accumulation in human tissues. It demonstrates if people are exposed to these chemicals, then the chemicals will accumulate in their bodies." She added: "Parabens have been shown to be able to mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen and oestrogen can drive the growth of human breast tumors.

Although the study was quite small, looking at only 20 tumors, it tells us for the first time that parabens can in fact be absorbed through the skin from frequently applied products such as antiperspirants and creams, and can persist and accumulate in breast tissue in their original form.

Parabens are one of a number of chemicals that we're exposed to in day-to-day products that mimic estrogen—a hormone closely linked to the development of breast cancer. This study highlights the need for more research on the health effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals and the need for us to take precautionary action to eliminate our exposure to these potentially dangerous chemicals.

Phthalates, a large family of industrial chemicals linked to permanent birth defects in the male reproductive system, are ingredients ubiquitous in cosmetics and personal care products, were shown to significantly increase cell proliferation in human breast cancer cells. Scientists also found that certain phthalates inhibited the cellkilling capacity of tamoxifen (a drug with antiestrogen activity) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Based on studies in rats and mice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that the phthalate DEHP, for example, is a probable human carcinogen. When the EU banned this chemical from cosmetics in 2003, some U.S. manufacturers followed suit, but many still use the substance in their fragrances. To date, the FDA has banned only nine chemicals used in cosmetics, and DEHP is not one of them. Other known human carcinogens used in cosmetics-Coal Tar and Formaldehyde-have also not been banned by the FDA.

How can you protect yourself? Read every ingredient on every personal care product label and be suspicious of every chemical ingredient. Ask yourself if you would eat that ingredient because, when you rub products onto your body, 60% of the product may end up in your body. When your bottle of body lotion is empty, where did all of the product go? The lotion that was absorbed quickly, was absorbed into your body! The rest washes down the drain. Question manufacturers about their synthetic chemical ingredients. Tell your family and friends about the chemicals that are affecting them and their children. Remember true organic products NEVER contain potentially harmful chemical ingredients. True organic products are made from real organic foods. Protect yourself and our planet and use only true organic products. Ask for TerrEssentials -- true organic.