Education Center

The Great Paraben Debate

by Steve Reed

My wife subscribes to Dr. Andrew Weil’s Wellness newsletter. She’s a ten-year breast cancer survivor and we continue to do our research, following our commitment to leave no stone unturned. In an issue of the Wellness letter late last year, Dr. Weil wrote about parabens and their possible link to breast cancer.

My wife immediately went through all her lotions, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, lip balms, and cosmetics - and discovered that nearly all of them contained derivatives of paraben like methyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, and propyl-paraben.

“Why didn’t the doctors tell us about this?” she asked. It’s a good question. Why don’t the doctors tell us about these risks? Either they don’t know or their occupation does not allow them to offer advice that is not clothed comprehensively in empirical research and FDA approvals.
Of course, once we began deeper research, we discovered the paraben issue isn’t quite as simple as we first thought.

When Vashon Organics began researching the organic and natural products we intended to offer our customers, we were staggered by the discovery that although our skin is our largest organ - experts estimate that up to 60% of everything we put on our skin makes its way into our systems - our United States government did very little to regulate what manufacturers put into the products they sell us for skin care.

Some of the best known personal product brand names include petrochemicals in their products. Most of them include derivatives of paraben as fixatives, just to give their products a longer shelf life. Parabens are synthetic chemicals that are used in many household products, including cosmetics, food, deodorants and antiperspirants. Because parabens present an antimicrobial action, they are used as preservatives. All they really accomplish is to give a product a longer shelf life.

Since 2000, thirteen studies have shown that various types of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyol and benzyl) act like estrogen in animals and in human tissue. However, parabens only act like estrogen when applied to the skin, not when ingested.

A 2004 study in the United Kingdom found traces of five parabens in breast cancer tumors of 19 out of 20 women. Dr Philippa Darbre and colleagues at the University of Reading in the UK are the scientists who carried out the tests. Their report, published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, suggested the chemicals had seeped into the tissue after being applied to the skin. “This is the first study to show their accumulation in human tissues,” said Dr Darbre. “It demonstrates that if people are exposed to these chemicals (parabens), then the chemicals will accumulate in their bodies.”

Dr Darbre believes there may be cause to be concerned about their findings. “Detection (of parabens) in human breast tumors is of concern, since parabens have been shown to be able to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen.”

Some people are especially sensitive to estrogen. For instance, since the female hormone is implicated in most breast cancers, many breast cancer patients are on medications to effectively block all estrogen in their systems. But how risky is a substance that shows up in our bodies in low quantities and mimics estrogen at a low level?

The American Cancer Society says it’s too soon to claim that parabens cause cancer. The Breast Cancer Fund says that while research continues, the accumulated evidence makes a compelling case for taking precautions. The Organic Consumers’ Association says that everyone should err on the side of caution, regardless of proof of risk or not. The US cosmetics industry insists that parabens are safe - after all, they are approved for use according to our regulations. Of course, the issue of whether or not our FDA and USDA are adequately safeguarding our citizens with regard to personal care products is another subject entirely.

Clearly more testing must be done. If further research finds that parabens are found at similar levels in the tissue of a healthy breast of subjects who have breast cancer, it might suggest that parabens do not play a major role in the development of breast cancer. If further research finds that parabens are present at similar levels in the breast tissue of women who do not have breast cancer, but have used personal care products that contain parabens for a similar length of time as the previous test subjects, it might also suggest that parabens do not contribute to the development of breast cancers.

At this time, the presence of parabens in other body tissues (and healthy breast tissue) has not been studied. No one can say that parabens only accumulate in breasts, nor can anyone say that parabens don’t only accumulate in breasts. No one can say with any certainty that parabens cause any kind of cancer, nor can anyone say with any certainty that parabens don’t cause any kind of cancer.

Confused? You should be. The bottom line, as always, is it’s your body so you’re going to have to make up your own mind. In my home, my wife does not use products that contain parabens. I, on the other hand, nearing sixty years of age and a Parkinson’s patient, worry very little over a small amount of estrogen mimicry. In fact, my wife would be the first to tell you that I could probably use a little more estrogen.

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