sadness
01-13-2004, 09:37 AM
The most common group of chemicals found in cosmetics and deodorants has been detected for the first time in human breast cancer tissue, reports HealthDayNews, Reuters, and the London Sunday Times. Called parabens, the chemicals are the most widely used preservatives in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They are commonly found in shampoos, foundations, facial masks, hair-grooming aids, nail creams, and permanent wave products under the names methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben. The greatest concern is for underarm deodorant and antiperspirant products since they are applied topically and absorbed through the skin.
Parabens were present in 20 out of 20 breast cancer tumors tested by oncology expert Philippa Darbre, a lecturer in cellular and molecular biology at Britain's Reading University. In addition, the level of parabens in four of the samples was so high, it could have a damaging biological effect on cells, she told the London Sunday Times.
Previous research has shown that parabens act like the hormone estrogen and promote tumor growth at the cellular level. But this groundbreaking British research goes further. "We have always been assured that parabens could not get into the body. This study shows that it does. To my knowledge, no one else has done that," Darbre explained to Reuters.
Although there appears to be a link between breast cancer tumors and parabens, it's not yet clear what the relationship is. "It's preliminary, but I think that it's a little worrisome, and I think there's definitely enough data here to suggest that more work needs to be done to look at this issue," Dr. Bert Petersen, a breast surgeon and director of the Family Risk Program at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, told HealthDayNews. "I don't think it can be dismissed." He would like to find out if women who don't have cancer have very low levels of parabens. "Then you would start to move towards maybe this isn't just an association," he said. "There might be a causal effect here." The British study findings were published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Applied Toxicology.
Parabens were present in 20 out of 20 breast cancer tumors tested by oncology expert Philippa Darbre, a lecturer in cellular and molecular biology at Britain's Reading University. In addition, the level of parabens in four of the samples was so high, it could have a damaging biological effect on cells, she told the London Sunday Times.
Previous research has shown that parabens act like the hormone estrogen and promote tumor growth at the cellular level. But this groundbreaking British research goes further. "We have always been assured that parabens could not get into the body. This study shows that it does. To my knowledge, no one else has done that," Darbre explained to Reuters.
Although there appears to be a link between breast cancer tumors and parabens, it's not yet clear what the relationship is. "It's preliminary, but I think that it's a little worrisome, and I think there's definitely enough data here to suggest that more work needs to be done to look at this issue," Dr. Bert Petersen, a breast surgeon and director of the Family Risk Program at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, told HealthDayNews. "I don't think it can be dismissed." He would like to find out if women who don't have cancer have very low levels of parabens. "Then you would start to move towards maybe this isn't just an association," he said. "There might be a causal effect here." The British study findings were published in the January/February issue of the Journal of Applied Toxicology.