Friday, December 5, 2008

Unnecessary panic?

A cosmetics industry representative interviewed for this story pointed out that the EWG report "lacks many of the rigors that you would normally associate with a real scientific report," such as a large study population and control or placebo groups.

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"They're presenting some very alarming assertions that are not supported by the methodology they used," says John Bailey, PhD, chief scientist of the Personal Care Products Council.

As for the EWG–referenced studies suggesting the dangers of cosmetic ingredients, Bailey says, "Many of these studies involve cell cultures where you take cells out of the body and you expose them to very high concentrations of a material." That’s not the same, he says, as looking at "real use and actual exposure [in which] products are applied to the skin at low levels."

Dr. Audeh is also worried about the public reaction to findings such as the EWG’s. He says such reports can result in "unnecessary panic aimed at what may be a minor or relatively unimportant source of chemical exposure."

The science is certainly preliminary in this field. Even if cosmetics ingredients do prove harmful in further studies, scientists also have yet to pinpoint the exact mechanism by which hormone-disrupting chemicals may affect breast health.

Is there a direct impact when you paint your nails with polish containing phthalates, for instance? Or do the chemicals amplify preexisting risk factors for breast cancer—such as family history or genetic predisposition?

"Not everyone who's exposed to a given environmental influence reacts the same way," explains Dr. Smith. "But our experience shows us that there's an interaction between the environment and one's underlying biology and genetics. Teasing out the exact effects is going to take time."

Research on men and boys
Much of current research into hormone-disrupting agents focuses on men and boys, and some of it is alarming. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, for instance, suggested that lavender and tea tree oils caused several prepubescent boys to develop breasts.

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