Toxic Exposures And How They’re Linked To Heightened Risk Of Cancer

What Are The Most Dangerous Chemicals Found In Cosmetics?

Recent studies have shown some interesting and important findings about exposures to endocrine disrupters and our risks for cancer. A study investigated the risks for breast cancer linked to the use of hair dyes, which are known to contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

What Are Endocrine Disrupters And Where We Use Them?

The endocrine system is a system of glands and organs that create, store, and secrete hormones into the body, affecting different tissues. When functioning normally, the endocrine system works with other systems to regulate your body's healthy development and function throughout life.
The term endocrine disrupters covers a wide range of chemicals both natural and synthetic that are present in our environment. These elements interact with the estrogen receptors in our body and they influence how other hormones work, in ways that are understood to lead to the development of cancer, including breast cancer. Examples of acknowledged endocrine disrupters include the synthetic estrogen DES, dioxins, and the pesticide DDT.
Endocrine disrupters also include substances that are associated with elevated cancer risk. One of these chemicals is bisphenol A (BPA). BPA and similar substances are extensively utilized in plastic bottles and canned food liners. Many studies have found that this chemical is associated with an increase in breast cancer risk, especially when the exposures happen early in life.
Some endocrine-disrupting chemicals are very slow to break-down in the environment. This makes them potentially hazardous over time.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can cause adverse effects in animals. There is a limited scientific information on potential health problems it can cause in humans. People are typically exposed to multiple endocrine disruptors at the same time, so this is why assessing public health effects is difficult.

Most Common Endocrine Disruptors

• Perchlorate is a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries.

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are commonly used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and a non-stick pan.

• Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity.

• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets.

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are used to make electrical equipment like transformers and in hydraulic fluids.

• Triclosan may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products like liquid body wash.

• Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers.

• Dioxins are a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching.

• Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible, they are also found in some food packaging and cosmetics.

Hair Dyes And Their Connection To Heightened Breast Cancer Risk

Hair dyes are a product most often used by women, and lately more and more by men as well. Unfortunately, almost all hair dyes contain BPAs. A number of studies have looked at whether using hair dyes increases cancer risk, but the results have been inconsistent.
To better understand this risk, a mass of over 50,000 women enrolled between 2003 and 2009 in a large, still ongoing initiative to learn about the causes of breast cancer. None of the women had a personal history of breast cancer at the time they enrolled, but all had sisters who had had a breast cancer diagnosis.
In the current study, researchers examined the use of hair dyes by women enrolled and whether using hair dye increased their risk for breast cancer. The study found that women who often used permanent hair dye were 9% more likely to get breast cancer at some point in life than women who didn’t use hair dye at all. The increase in risk was greater for African American women in the test group. They had a 60% increased risk for breast cancer when they used permanent hair dye every 5 to 8 weeks or even more often than that.
The researchers also pointed out the fact that the measurement discrepancies found for BPA very likely extend to other environmental contaminants as well.

What Can We Learn From This?

We are exposed to many things that could potentially contribute to breast cancer, and it is unlikely that any single factor explains a woman’s risk. Avoiding these chemicals might be one more thing women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer.
However, experts have long said that it’s not just one type of exposure, but the impact of cumulative exposures over a lifetime, as well as the interaction of multiple environmental contaminants, that lead to increased cancer risk.
It would seem that is why accurately measuring exposure levels is critical. Not surprisingly, technologies for measuring exposures have improved over the decades. Updating those measurement techniques and standards seem just as important, if not more so, than any steps individuals might take to reduce use of any one type of product.
We at H&B still believe that everybody should learn more about this, do their best to read the product labels, and apply this knowledge in choosing their body- care products.