Professional
Environmental Risks of Breast Cancer in African American Women
Page 5: Personal Care Products - (Read More)
Widely used personal care products that were reported to the food and drug administration to contain estrogen in 1993:
- Queen Helene Placenta Cream Hair Conditioner (placental enzymes)
- Perm Repair with placenta
- Proline Perm Repair with placenta
- Mexican Spanish Super Gro Placenta
- Isoplus Hormone hair treatment with Quinine (contains hormone constituents)
At this time, we do not know if these products are still sold and if they are sold whether they still contain estrogen or estrogen-like chemicals. However, regular use of these hormone-containing products in the past may have contributed to increased exposure to hormones, and therefore, a greater risk of breast cancer.
From studies conducted a decade ago we know that some personal care products such as lotions, dyes, nail polishes, skin treatments, hair products, oils and creams can contain hormones and substances that act like hormones. In some cases, personal care products still contain chemicals that are known carcinogens. A few studies have shown that premature sexual development can occur due to regular exposure to personal care products containing hormones that act like estrogen. Several doctors have reported that African-American toddlers between one and three years of age developed breasts when their mothers applied hormone-containing personal care products to their scalps, or when their fathers used hormonal creams and had frequent contact with their children. When the use of these products was stopped, the premature breasts on these girls went away[1].
In 1997, review of product ingredients and testing of personal care products carried out by a U.S. military physician and pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Chandra Tiwary, revealed that some widely used personal care products, many of them hair care products, contained hormones. At this time, we do not know if these products still contain estrogen or estrogen-like chemicals, because the Food and Drug Administration does not require special labeling or testing of such products routinely to see whether they contain hormone-mimicking chemicals. We suggest that people lower their risk by learning more about the contents of the products they use.
Household Products
We know that many products are harmful or poisonous because they have warnings on the labels. Many of the products that we use to clean our homes, cars, and offices can cause serious illness or injury. These products can contain cancer-causing ingredients. In addition, tobacco smoke and indoor air pollution cause asthma and cancer, two serious health concerns for the African American community.
The Center for Environmental Oncology of UPCI advises women to take “precaution” to reduce their risk of breast cancer and other diseases by reading labels and limiting exposure to chemicals that are known or suspected to be harmful or cancer-causing.
