Breast cancer awareness is an issue at the forefront of both the American and the medical community. According to The American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death in women right behind lung cancer. The chance of a women having invasive breast cancer at some point in her life is a little less than 1 in 8. That’s some scary information. Add to it information indicating parabens are linked to breast cancer, and it’s no wonder we’re all worried.
Here’s what you should know: Parabens are xenoestrogens, which means they produce an effect in the body that mimics that of estrogen. There are actually different classifications of estrogens, some of which occur in plants (phytoestrogens) and even fungi (mycoestrogens). Xenoestrogens are chemically different from the estrogen that occurs naturally in our bodies, and estrogens that pharmacologically have an intended estrogenic effect, like birth control, are a whole different category.
There are scientific studies that link the effects of xenoestrogens to the disruption of the endocrine system which can lead to a whole host of negative health issues. The problem is there are no studies (at least, not ones I was able to locate) that produced enough evidence to conclude that the use of parabens in personal-care products directly cause any type of cancer, including breast cancer. The studies that have been done to test the estrogenic effects of parabens in the body found that the result was extraordinarily negligible. Industrial, agricultural, and chemical companies have all helped to introduce various types of these chemicals into our daily lives over the past 70 years. That is part of what makes it so difficult to determine the root cause of many of our current health concerns, which range from allergies to cancer.
There are concerns that parabens illicit allergic reactions, which they do….rarely. Of course, more and more people are also developing allergies to things like oranges, milk and wool, but no one is pulling those from the supermarket shelves. On healthy, unbroken skin, the majority of people do not experience any reaction to parabens. If you’re experiencing skin irritation or sensitivity, removing products with all types of chemicals is a good place to start to help find the cause.
My intention, in taking on the project of doing an independent assessment of parabens was to examine each of the most concerning claims regarding their potential health risks and provide a fair assessment of whether or not those risks merited taking action to eliminate parabens from our products. Well, let me tell you this folks, the rabbit hole is deep. Really deep. So, after what felt like endless hours of researching and reading studies, scientific abstracts and articles, I have arrived at the conclusion that anyone who is concerned about the safety of parabens should read the FDA’s statement regarding the safety of parabens, released in 2005 and updated in 2007. While the potential, long-term effects of parabens are still being studied, I am surprised to find myself saying that I think this is actually a very fair assessment.
The only thing I would add: I believe that in the grand scheme of all the dangerous chemicals and toxins we’re exposed to on a daily basis, parabens are truly the least of our worries. Especially when used minimally and only when necessary, parabens are a far safer alternative to other, newer, less studied preservatives (like phenoxyethanol). While I’m not condoning the unbridled use of parabens, rather than spend our resources trying to determine exactly how safe or unsafe they are, we should be putting our efforts into developing ways to preserve our products without chemical of any kind.
photo courtesy iStockphoto
Resources:
http://www.alive.com/6951a17a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=59
http://www.naturalnews.com/022207_parabens_personal_care_products_health.html
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/83/8346specialtychem3.html
Shayna Teicher
After nearly three years managing a bath and beauty boutique, Shayna decided to go out on her own and open Butterfly Effect, a holistic, eco-conscious beauty boutique located in Sarasota, Florida. Our very own “Beauty Chick”, read Shayna’s other intriguing articles and product reviews here.
One thing many people don't realize is that just 5 percent of all cancer research funds are devoted to prevention. Charlotte Hayley made the first ribbons for breast cancer in order to raise awareness about this, and they were peach coloured, not pink. She was asked to join the new Breast Cancer Research Foundation, but refused because she thought it was too commercial. So they just chose to pick a different colour, and that's why the ribbons are pink today.
When you consider all the chemicals we are all exposed to, it's no wonder cancer rates are so high. If we had better research into these causes, we could identify the worst chemicals and ban them. Prevention could save a lot of lives, but unfortunately there are many vested interests that are blocking this research.
Well said Canada Guy! I've often wondered why companies even bother using harsh and potentially hazardous chemicals once preliminary research shows there may be even a slight chance they are connected to cancer and other diseases.