A top doctor has issued a plea to stop using cologne and perfume due to ‘irrefutable evidence’ they’re linked to cancer and infertility.
Dr Trisha Pasricha, a professor of medicine at Harvard, said that while a quick spritz may seem harmless, even small amounts of these products could contain harmful ‘forever chemicals.’
These substances have been dubbed forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the body, where they cause untold harms.
Dr Pasricha said the most worrying chemical in perfumes are phthalates, which are used to make their scent last longer.
Studies have shown they imitate the body’s hormones and interfere with the production of – and response to – natural hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
She pointed to a statement from the Endocrine Society, which said that these studies show ‘irrefutable evidence’ that endocrine disrupting chemicals lead to a variety of health issues, including obesity, diabetes, infertility, and several forms of cancer.
The FDA says it doesn’t have enough evidence ‘that phthalates used in cosmetics pose a safety risk’ and perfume companies are not required to disclose all of their ingredients. Some phthalates are banned or tightly regulated in the UK and Europe, but many aren’t.
As the evidence mounts, Dr Pasricha advised to steer clear of fragrances altogether, especially if you have young children or are trying to get pregnant.
Dr Trisha Pasricha, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, warned against using personal care products with phthalates. Phthalates are synthetic chemicals meant to make plastic more durable and give shampoos a more flexible consistency. These are found in personal care products and even some ultra-processed foods
She told the Washington Post: ‘I recommend avoiding added fragrances altogether — in perfumes, scented lotions and shampoos, even scented detergents and antiperspirants.’” she said in an email interview.
Dr Pasricha cited a recent study of 200 adolescents in JAMA Network Open as a cause for concern.
The report round that higher urinary concentrations of phthalates found in personal care products like deodorant were linked to a 25 percent increased risk of hyperactivity issues.
And another study from the same group found that increased exposure to these chemicals was associated with worse performance in math, especially among those under more stress.
These concerns about childhood exposure led to certain phthalates being banned in children’s toys and child-care items like pacifiers and baby bottles.
Though at least nine commercially used phthalates are still authorized to be in cosmetic products in the US – compared to just one in Europe.
The FDA allows the use of nine phthalates in food contact applications, like plastic containers or cans. though they cannot be added directly to food.
However, some states have tried to crack down on these. California’s Prop 65 legislation lists six phthalates as substances known to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive harm.
Phthalates are included in the FDA’s list of chemicals the agency is currently reviewing to determine how safe they are to the food supply.
The legislation requires businesses to determine if they need to provide warning labels about safe chemical levels and has established ‘safe harbor levels’ for some listed chemicals. However, this only applies to one-third of them.
Phthalates are added to plastics to make them pliable and soft and are used in thousands of products, from plastic food wrap to vinyl flooring, garden hoses and shower curtains.
They are also estimated to be in around three-quarters of scented personal care products like deodorants, nail polish, hair gels, shampoos, soaps and lotions.
The fact they are so abundant in beauty goods may partly explain why women consistently have higher levels in their bodies than men.
Recent research has also found that ethnic minority women in the US have higher exposure during pregnancy than their peers.
The chemicals have been associated with fertility issues in both men and women.
One study in the journal Toxicological Sciences, for example, found that female mice exposed in the womb to the same phthalate mixtures detected in pregnant women were born with fertility issues, which they then passed on to their female offspring.
Hundreds of products have been revealed to contain forever chemicals that can have adverse effects on people’s health
Ultra-processed foods such as the above have been shown to contain high levels of BPA and phthalates, which are used to make plastic. The above are products tested by watchdog Consumer Reports
Additional research has found that higher levels of phthalates in women’s urine could reduce their likelihood of getting pregnant and increase their risk of pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation.
And researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that exposure to the fragrance musk ambrette could increase the risk of early puberty in girls, as children and teens have started wearing makeup and perfume at earlier ages.
Earlier puberty in girls has been linked to a complications like increased risk for obesity, heart disease, breast cancer, and psychological problems.
The FDA has removed musk ambrette from its list of fragrances ‘generally recognized a safe.’ It’s also restricted in Canada and the EU.
However, the NIH authors write, musk ambrette has still been detected in some water sources and fragrances, including several on online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy.
Meanwhile, a Polish study showed that phthalate exposure in men lowered their sperm quality and sperm count, decreasing the chance of conceiving.
Phthalates are also considered possible human carcinogens, meaning they can increase the risk of some forms of cancer, namely those linked to hormone production like thyroid and breast cancer.
A study in the journal Breast Cancer Research, for example, found that higher urinary levels of phthalates were associated with an up to 32 percent increased risk of breast hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
The above graph shows the results from a 2018 George Washington University study, which found that people who ate fast food had 35 percent higher phthalate levels than those who mostly ate grocery store food
To reduce your exposure to phthalates, Dr Pasricha suggests opting for shampoos that are listed as ‘fragrance-free’ or ‘phthalate-free,’ as well as limiting canned and ultra-processed foods and avoiding heating plastic.
One 2018 study from George Washington University, for instance, found that people who reported consuming more restaurant, fast food, and cafetaria had phthalate levels 35 percent higher than those who mostly ate food from the grocery store.
She wrote: ‘As a doctor, I know we sometimes need to pick our health-care battles wisely.
‘But what we’re discovering about how exposure to EDCs impacts an individual’s sperm or egg cells is deeply concerning.’
In a 2016 study, 100 teenaged girls in California were provided with fragrence-free personal products for three days.
They saw their levels of several urinary phthalate compounds drop by up to half.