We loved this post from OSKIA founder Georgie Cleeve, following the debate about the dangers of parabens, and she was kind enough to share it with us:
Earlier this month, researchers at the Genesis Breast Cancer
Prevention Center at the University Hospital of South Manchester,
England, released the results of a three-year study that measured the
concentrations of five parabens at four different locations across the
human breast using human breast tissue collected from 40 women
undergoing mastectomies for primary breast cancer (J App Toxicol. Jan.
12, 2012). This most recent study found one or more paraben esters in
158/160 (99 percent) of the tissue samples, and in 96/160 (60 percent)
all five esters were present.
Because the 2004 study found parabens in human breast tumor tissue, a
global debate has been sparked and researchers are further
investigating paraben toxicity and their potential role in breast
cancer. Two studies conducted in 2005 (Golden et al., 2005; Soni et al.,
2005) determined parabens possess low toxicity; but since 1998,
research has shown parabens possess oestrogenic properties (reviewed in
Darbre and Harvey, 2008; Routledge et al., 1998), which is known to play
a central role in the development, growth and progression of breast
cancer (Miller, 1996). Although the source of the paraben could not be
identified in the human breast tissue, it was suggested that low-level
dermal absorption from personal-care products applied to the breast
region over the long term might have contributed.
According to a 2010 study, exposure to environmental oestrogens
occurs through diet, household products and cosmetics; but generally,
their concentrations are too low to cause an oestrogenic response
(Anticancer Res. 2010;30:815-28). The study found that, although the
former is true, when exposed to enough chemicals, the small doses that
accumulate in breast tissue can potentially add up to induce an
oestrogenic response.. Britain is reporting a continued disproportionate
incidence of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast
which is where many personal care products are applied. Interestingly,
the current study reported that although the source of the paraben could
not be identified, parabens were found in 7/40 patients who reported
never having used underarm cosmetics in their lifetime.
"The intriguing discovery that parabens are present even in women who
have never used underarm products raises the question: where have these
chemicals come from?" said Lester Barr, consultant surgeon at the
University Hospital of South Manchester and Chairman of the Genesis
Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal, which part sponsored the recent 2012
study.
Why do parabens collect in the breast? Because of the fatty nature of
human breast tissue, it's a prime target for lipophilic and hydrophilic
pollutant chemicals that possess a range of endocrine-disrupting
properties and genotoxic activity (CML – Breast Cancer.
2010;22(4):113-22). With regards to breast cancer, this is a concern
because of their ability to mimic or interfere with the action of
estrogen.
The difference between plant-based phytoestrogens such as soybeans,
legumes, cereals and hops that have estrogenic activity is they can be
consumed in relatively large amounts via diet, but they are cleared from
the body relatively quickly; however, manmade POPs (persistent
organochlorine pollutants) used in agriculture such as herbicides and
pesticides, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) also possess estrogenic
activity; but because of their lipophilic properties, they are passed
up the food chain dissolved in dietary fat, and are not cleared from the
body easily, causing them to accumulate in fatty tissues, according to
an article, "Personal Care Products and Breast Cancer," written by
Philippa D. Darbe, M.D., leader in oncology, School of Biological
Sciences, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of
Reading, England. The article cited classes of personal care products
that are exposed to the breast area, including shaving creams, skin and
sun care products, feminine hygiene, fragrances, hair care products,
etc.; in addition to chemicals used in personal care products that have
shown oestrogenic activity (in vitro and in vivo), including aluminum
chlorhydrate, which is used in antiperspirants, a product almost
everyone uses on a daily basis. This past fall, researchers at the
California Pacific Medical Center reinforced the concern bisphenol-A
(BPA), and methylparaben (MP), at low concentrations, can have adverse
health consequences such as an increased risk of breast cancer
(Carcinogenesis. Sept. 1, 2011). So not only are the chemicals inside
personal care products a concern, but is plastic packaging is, too.
Although there seems be a hefty amount of research linking parabens
in breast tissue, Darbe told Inside Cosmeceuticals: "There is no proven
link with breast cancer either of parabens or any personal care product;
however, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; we simply do
not know one way or the other. If these chemicals did not enter the
human breast, then there would be no question. The fact that they are
there needs more research to find out if they can cause any adverse
effects from their presence either alone or in combination. Personally, I
have always felt that the issue is bigger than parabens alone—that is
not to say that I do not hypothesize that parabens play a role, but
rather that the overall picture involves more than just parabens."
So the question is no longer if personal care products can be
absorbed into the body (which clearly they can be, according to their
measured presence), but whether or not there is a causal relationship
between individual or combinations of chemicals and the development of
breast cancer, which is still to be determined. I think no matter if
this relationship has been confirmed or denied or explained, there is
something to say about repeatedly finding parabens in breast tissues.
Think about the Mortician's Mystery—it's frightening to know just how
much our personal care products can affect the endocrine system, among
others. As I write this, I'm having disconcerting thoughts of my
aluminum-laden deodorant that I apply daily and what that may be doing
to my body.
Alissa Marrapodi, Inside Cosmeceuticals Jan 2012.
Many thanks to OSKIA for sharing this piece, http://www.oskiaskincare.com/blog/
