Chemicals in Makeup and Shampoo Linked to Cancer, Study Suggests
Studies have been made for the past 37 years on formaldehyde as a carcinogenic substance and a cause of leukemia, and yet another paper was published recently bolstering the claim that the chemical found in everyday items could be an "important cause of cancer."
Formaldehyde is found in tobacco smoke, glue, building materials and fossil fuel-powered automobile combustion emissions. This is also found in occupational settings including the furniture, textile and construction industries. It is further used in manufacturing adhesives and paper products.
Many are therefore exposed to this chemical. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) first tagged formaldehyde as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" in 1981. NTP upgraded the listing in 2011 to "known to be a human carcinogen" in its 12th Report on Carcinogens.
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Recently, experts from Cambridge University found that formaldehyde "stalls and destabilizes" structures involved in DNA replication and "selectively depletes" the BRCA2 gene that helps suppress tumors. Individuals who inherited a faulty BRCA2 gene are more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of these chemicals. Since tumors are not suppressed, it can lead to cancer in people with a faulty copy of the gene.
An even bigger cause for worry is that nearly one in five cosmetic beauty products contains a substance that generates formaldehyde. These products include nail color and polish, hair dye and straighteners, false eyelash adhesives and some shampoos.
But a cancer epidemiologist downplayed the findings and described it as "rather misleading." Prof. Paul Pharoah, who is also from Cambridge University, said the link between formaldehyde and cancer had been known "for a long time," much like alcohol intake's association with increased risk of breast cancer.
According to him, many things like toast, coffee, sunlight and granite are carcinogenic, but the effect is so low they are not considered major health problems. "While [the study] is important in helping us to understand the biology of cancer, it has no immediate implications for the general public." Pharoah explained.
