FPIN NEWS

Volume 1         Issue 1           October 2002

With the increase in use of scented products over the past three decades problems have emerged. The fragrance industry is highly secretive and there is little oversight by regulatory agencies. Those that have health problems triggered by fragrance find information difficult to obtain.

I developed respiratory sensitivity to a common fragrance chemical in the late 1980s. I too, had found there was little readily available information. I started researching the information I could find. The more information I gathered, the more I became convinced that there were serious health concerns related to fragrance.

I soon realized that I was not the only one that negatively affected by fragrance. Others were seeking information as well. There were plenty of accounts of fragrance triggering allergies, asthma, migraines headaches, and other health problems. With the exception of skin allergies, there was very little medical and scientific data that gave insight into why fragrance caused these problems. The information that was available was widely scattered and not readily accessible.

FPIN’s purpose is to make information readily accessible, to educate, and to participate in activities focused on safety of scented products.

Five years since its inception, FPIN has become the most comprehensive web site on health concerns related to fragrance. It has become an important resource for those that are fragrance sensitive. FPIN News is the newest addition to the website.  Betty Bridges, Editor

Do synthetic musk compounds play a role in breast cancer? In a just published study in the October issue of Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, human breast cancer cells were exposed to synthetic musk compounds.(1) There was a significant increase in growth rate of the breast cancer cells. Further testing indicated the increase in growth rate of the cells could be attributed to estrogenic properties of the musks compounds.

Synthetic musk compounds are found in scented products of all types. They have been found to accumulate in human adipose tissue and are breast milk in the general population.(2) Animal studies indicate some of these compounds also cross the placental barrier and there is exposure to the developing fetus.(3) Several other studies have also indicated synthetic musks and other fragrance materials have estrogenic effects.(4,5)

Musk xylene is a suspected carcinogen in animal studies.(6) Musk ketone was a co-mutagen in studies using human liver cells and amplified the mutagenic effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.(7) Smoking is a source of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and raises concerns that exposure to musk compounds may increase cancer risks for smokers, especially for women smokers.

The presence of materials that are suspected to be carcinogens or co-carcinogens in breast tissue should be of major concern. Women tend to use and have more exposure to scented products, as they have traditionally been the users of cosmetics, household items and other products that contain added scent. That these compounds have estrogenic effects is of added concern. Even if they have no affect on the development of breast cancer, their presence could conceivably accelerate the growth of estrogen sensitive cancers.

Ironically the cosmetic industry's programs designed to help women regain confidence after breast cancer, may in fact be detrimental to their health.

References:
1. Bitsch N, Dudas C, Korner W, Failing K, Biselli S, Rimkus G, Brunn H. Estrogenic activity of musk fragrances detected by the e-screen assay using human mcf-7 cells. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2002 Oct;43(3):257-64.
2. Ott M, Failing K, Lang U, Schubring C, Gent HJ, Georgii S, Brunn H. Contamination of human milk in Middle Hesse, Germany--a cross-sectional study on the changing levels of chlorinated pesticides, PCB congeners and recent levels of nitro musks. Chemosphere. 1999 Jan;38(1):13-32.
3. Suter-Eichenbeger R, Altorfer H, Lichtensteiger W, Schrumpf M. Bioaccumulation of musk xylene (MX) in developing and adult rats of both sexes. Chemosphere. 1998 Jun;36(13):2747-62.
4. Geldof AA, Engel C, Rao BR. Estrogenic action of commonly used fragrant agent citral induces prostatic hyperplasia. Urol Res. 1992;20(2):139-44.
5. Seinen W, Lemmen JG, Pieters RH, Verbruggen EM, van der Burg B. AHTN and HHCB show weak estrogenic--but no uterotrophic activity. Toxicol Lett. 1999 Dec 20;111(1-2):161-8.
6. Maekawa A, Matsushima Y, Onodera H, Shibutani M, Ogasawara H, Kodama Y, Kurokawa Y, Hayashi Y. Long-term toxicity/carcinogenicity of musk xylol in B6C3F1 mice. Food Chem Toxicol. 1990 Aug;28(8):581-6.
7. Mersch-Sundermann V, Schneider H, Freywald C, Jenter C, Parzefall W, Knasmuller S. Musk ketone enhances benzo(a)pyrene induced mutagenicity in human derived Hep G2 cells. Mutat Res.2001 Aug 22;495(1-2):89-96.

Action Items

If you are concerned about health risks associated with scented products or have adverse health effects from scented products there are some things you can do.

¨ As a Consumer

1) Do not wear perfume, cologne, or other scented  products.

2) Replace the scented hair, skin, laundry and other personal care and household products used by you and your family with unscented products.

3) Ask stores to carry more products that do not contain fragrance.

4) Tell companies that you are concerned about health risks associated with fragrance and would buy more fragrance-free products if they were available.

¨ Request Fragrance-Free Areas

1) Ask your health care provider to make their offices, medical personnel and facilities fragrance-free.

2) Request fragrance-free accommodations at work or school.

3) Request fragrance-free conferences and public meetings. For example: "For the health and comfort of participants, please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, aftershave, and scented skin or hair products."

4) Encourage the removal of air "fresheners" from public restrooms.

¨ Educate and Inform

1) Talk to your friends and neighbors, distribute brochures and facts sheets, write letters to the editor, and use other media formats to inform others of health and environmental concerns related to fragrance.

¨ Report Problems

1) Report health problems from exposure to cosmetics to:
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Office of Cosmetics and Colors (HFS-106),
5100 Paint Branch Parkway,
College Park, MD 20740-3835.
1-202-401-9725
http://www.fda.gov

2) Report health problems from exposure to
non-cosmetic products to:
Consumer Product Safety Commission
1-800-638-2772 or
https://www.cpsc.gov/incident.html

3) Report mail contaminated with fragrance to
the U.S. Postal Service. Contact your local
post office for a complaint form. Cite
Domestic Mail Manual C024: 15.0 which
states fragrance samples must not leak.

¨ Support Existing Efforts

1) Support FDA Petition #99P-1340
The Environmental Health Network of
California asks that labeling laws which
requires a warning for products whose safety
has not be substantiated to be enforced.
Send comments to
Dockets Management Branch,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Room 1061, 5630 Fishers Lane,
Rockville, MD 20852.
FAX: 301-827-6870
E-mail: mailto:fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
More information at: http://users.lmi.net/~wilkworks/FDApetition/bkgrinfo.htm

2) Support Bill HR 1747 which asks that known toxins and allergens be listed on the labels of cosmetics. You can support this bill by contacting your legislative representatives and ask that they support legislation requiring disclosure of potentially harmful ingredients in cosmetics.

¨ Initiate Action

As a citizen and consumer you can have impact at local, state, and national levels.

1) Action at a local level might include actively urging schools to provide healthier environments by limiting use of products that add to air pollution (which includes fragrance).

2) State level action might include lobbying for state governmental agencies to provide access for those that are fragrance sensitive.

3) National level action might include lobbying for laws that would ensure consumer access to labeling information that would allow avoidance of problematic ingredients and informed purchasing decisions.

Links of Interest

The Internet provides a wealth of information. However, sorting through all of the available information to find what is useful is a daunting task. Below are some links that I have found helpful.

http://www.google.com
Google is an Internet search engine that allows you to find information on the Internet.

http://www.ehnca.org
Environmental Health Network of California - site with a wealth of information and links to governmental, enivornmental, and advocacy sites.

http://www.leffingwell.com
LEFFINGWELL & ASSOCIATES - comprehensive site for the flavors and fragrance industries.

http://www.chemfinder.com
A search engine for database and chemical information. Provides links to a variety of sources containing information on chemicals. You may have to register, but it is free.

http://www.chemweb.com
Free access to searching chemical related databases. Many articles are available for a small fee.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi
Medline database can be used to locate medical and scientific citations on specific topics by using search terms. Many articles have abstracts available. This is a free service from the National Library of Medicine.

http://www.cdc.gov
The Center for Disease Control site provides valuable health information and links to the National Institute of Health sites.

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html
Thomas provides search engine and links to legislative information

http://www.fedworld.com
Locate Federal Government information

About FPIN News

FPIN News is the latest addition to the Fragranced Products Information Network site. The FPIN site and FPIN NEWS are owned, maintained, and financed by Betty Bridges.

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Information compiled 9/1/02
by Betty Bridges, RN
Fragranced Products Information Network
http://www.fpinva.org