Parabens
CATEGORY: Endocrine disruptor
USED IN: Preservatives for food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics
Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as anti-microbial preservatives in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics products, including underarm deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the gastrointestinal tract and blood. Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors. The particular parabens were found in relative concentrations that closely parallel their use in the synthesis of cosmetic products. Parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults.
Parabens have been shown to be weak estrogen mimickers, binding to the cellular estrogen receptor (ER). They also increase the expression of genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro.
See below for a table of cosmetics chemicals, including parabens, linked to increased breast cancer risk. A PDF of this table is also available.
For references, see State of the Evidence 2008.
