All is not rosy in commerce, and even less so on the perfume market. THE Washington Post recently shared via its medical journal that many perfumes are infused with phthalates, a family of potentially harmful chemicals that allow fragrances to last longer.
The risks of phthalates contained in perfumes
With phthalates, the risks are not unknown. We also know that these chemicals are dangerous for young people, notably with their ban in children’s toys in the United States.
However, there are no restrictions for perfumes (kings of gifts) and care products containing them, including soaps and shampoos. You therefore need to be informed to know that you need to be careful with these substances.
Andrea Gore, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin, told the outlet: “I recommend avoiding added fragrances altogether – in perfumes, scented lotions and shampoos, even scented detergents and antiperspirants”.
Please note, phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors. This simply means that they interfere with the normal functioning of the hormonal system, and therefore the production and regulation of hormones.
“This comes with considerable development risks. A study cited by le Washington Post linked high phthalate concentrations in urine to a 25% increased risk of ADHD-related behaviors in adolescents,” reports Futurism.
Effects on adults
Children are not the only ones impacted by phthalates. Indeed, these chemicals are also associated with cardiovascular disease in adults.
For example, a 28-day study without phthalates in beauty products on women showed that the presence of these substances had considerably decreased in their urine, and especially reduced the expression of genes associated with cancer.
Although data on humans are not yet sufficient to prove negative effects, data on animals have already done so.
“If a chemical has endocrine disrupting effects in animals, it is extremely certain that this will also be the case in humans […] The hormones of the endocrine system are structurally and functionally similar, if not identical, in non-human and human animals,” shares Andrea Gore.
Knowing that we are talking here about a single source of endocrine disruptor, associated with the transition to cardiovascular diseases, it is clear that the composition of everything we use scares us more and more.
It is therefore time for public authorities to raise awareness, and for governments to restrict the use of harmful substances such as phthalates on health.
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