| Ingredient of Concern | # of products | Health Effects | References (respective to effects) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progesterone | 23 | Reasonably Anticipated to be a Human Carcinogen; Known Human Carcinongen | [NTP, 2002]; [OEHHA, 2004] |
| Coal Tar | 4 | Known Human Carcinogen | [NTP, 2002]; [IARC, 2004]; [UNECE, 2004]; [EU Directive 67/548/EEC] |
| Lead Acetate | 1 | Known Reproductive Toxicant; Known Human Carcinogen | [NTP, 2002]; [OEHHA, 2004]; [UNECE, 2004]; [EU Directive 67/548/EEC] |
| Parabens | 26 | Endocrine Disrupter | [Byford et al., 2002], [Darbre et al., 2003], [Darbre et al., 2002], [Inui et al., 2003], [Lemini et al., 1997], [Okubo et al., 2001], [Pedersen et al., 2000], [Routledge et al., 1998], [Kang et al., 2002], Oishi, 2002a], [Oishi, 2002b] |
| Resorcinol [1] | 57 | Endocrine Disrupter; Possible Carcinogen | [European Commision, 2002]a, [Lederer, 1982]a; [IARC, 2004] |
| Phenol | 3 | Toxic to skin; Not Classifiable as to Human Carcinogenicity | [UNECE, 2004; EU Directive 67/548/EEC]; [IARC, 2004] |
| Carrageenan | 109 | Possible Human Carcinogen | [IARC, 2004] |
| Talc (w/ any asbestiform fibers) | 822 | Known Human Carcinogen | [IARC, 2004] |
| Silica (crystalline) | 862 | Known Human Carcinogen | [IARC, 2004] |
[1] A Hazard was determined using toxicity and exposure analyses detailed for resorcinol in European Commision, 2002 and Lederer 1982, incorporating exposure assumptions from directions for use for resorcinol-containing products. Assumption of 1 application of 2% resorcinol once/week to three/day was replaced with exposure assumptions consistent with label directions; e.g.: "Cover the entire affected area with a thin layer one to three times a day Because excessive drying of the skin may occur, start with one application daily, then gradually increase to two or three times daily if needed," from directions for use for Clearasil Adult Care Acne Treatment Cream (containing 2% resorcinol)
[UNECE, 2004; EU Directive 67/548/EEC]: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (2004). The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/publi/ghs/officialtext.html. (Part 3: Health and Environmental Hazards);
[OEHHA, 2004]: Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHAA) (2004). State of California Environmental Protection Agency. Chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/files/41604list.html.
[NTP, 2002]: National Toxicology Program (2002). Report on Carcinogens, Tenth Edition; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, December 2002. Available online at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/roc/toc10.html.
[IARC, 2004]: International Agency for Research on Cancer (2004). IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans and their Supplements: A complete list. Available online at http://monographs.iarc.fr/monoeval/allmonos.html.
Product counts are based on products sold on Drugstore.com. Downloaded from http://www.drugstore.com/ in April 2004.
Byford, J. R., Shaw, L. E., Drew, M. G., Pope, G. S., Sauer, M. J., and Darbre, P. D. (2002). Oestrognic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 80, 49-60.
Darbre, P. D., Byford, J. R., Shaw, L. E., Hall, S., Coldham, N. G., Pope, G. S., and Sauer, M. J. (2003). Oestrogenic activity of benzylparaben. Journal of Applied Toxicology 23, 43-51.
Darbre, P. D., Byford, J. R., Shaw, L. E., Horton, R. A., Pope, G. S., and Sauer, M. (2002). Oestrogenic activity of isobutylparaben In vitro and In vivo. Journal of Applied Toxicology 22, 219-226.
European Commission (2002) European commission study on the scientific evaluation of 12 substances in the context of endocrine disrupter priority list of actions. [http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/endocrine/
documents/wrc_report.pdf]
Inui, M., Tetsuya, A., Takenaka, S., Inui, H., Nakazawa, M., Ueda, M., Watanabe, H., Mori, C., Iguchi, T., and Miyatake, K. (2003). Effects o f UV screens and preservatives on vitellogenin and choriogenin production in male medaka (Oryzias latipes). Toxicology 194, 43-50.
Lederer, W.H. (1982) Resorcinol Ð Thyroid Effects. In CANTOX (2000).
Lemini, C., Silva, G., Timossi, C., Luque, D., Valverde, A., and Gonzales-Martinez, M. (1997). Estrogenic effects of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in CD1 mice. 130-134.
Okubo, T., Yokoyama, Y., Kano, K., and Kano, I. (2001). ER-dependent estrogenic activity of parabens assessed by proliferation of human breast cancer
Pedersen, K. L., Pedersen, S. N., Christiansen, L. B., Korgaard, B., and Bjerregaard, P. (2000). The preservatives ethyl-, propyl- and butylparaben are oestrogenic in an in vivo fish assay. Pharmacology & Toxicology 86, 110-113.
Routledge, E. J., Parker, J., Odum, J., Ashby, J., and Sumpter, J. P. (1998). Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are estrogenic. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 153, 12-19.
Kang, K.-S., Che, J.-H., Ryu, D.-Y., Kim, T.-W., Li, G.-X., and Lee, Y.-S. (2002). Decreased sperm number and motile activity on the F1 offspring maternally exposed to butyl p-hydroxybenzoic acid (butyl paraben). Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 64, 227-235.
Oishi, S. (2002a). Effects of butyl paraben on the male reproductive system in mice. Archives of Toxicology 76, 423-429.
Oishi, S. (2002b). Effects of propyl paraben on the male reproductive system. Food and Chemical Toxicology 40, 1807-1813.