Musks in Fragrances May Weaken Immune
System, Study Says
FRIDAY,
Jan. 10 (HealthDayNews) -- Synthetic musks that are widely used as fragrances
in products such as soaps, cosmetics and detergents may reduce the body s
ability to defend against toxic compounds, says a study in the January issue of
Environmental Health Perspectives.
About 8,000 metric tons of
synthetic musks are produced worldwide each year.
In laboratory research
using mussel gill tissue, researchers at Stanford University s Hopkins Marine
Station found that exposure to synthetic musks inhibited the tissue s natural defenses
against toxic compounds from California mussels. This effect persisted long
after the end of the tissue s exposure to the synthetic musks.
The synthetic musk levels
used in this study were several times higher than those found in the
environment, the study authors noted. However, these musks concentrate in fats,
including breast milk, and remain in human tissue long after exposure. This
means that long-term exposure to these synthetic musks could result in tissue
concentrations high enough to impair natural cellular defenses in humans, the
authors suggested.
"While other studies
have shown that humans are constantly exposed to musk compounds, routine
toxicology screens have always shown these compounds to be nontoxic. This
study s suggestion that they could harm the body s ability to fight other
toxicants certainly merits further examination," Dr. Jim Burkhart, science
editor for Environmental Health Perspectives, said in a prepared
statement.
The fragrance industry, in
a prepared statement, disputed the findings.
"Fragrances and
fragrance ingredients are safe. The ingredients used to make fragrances have
been extensively researched, and fragrances have a long history of safe use
dating back hundreds of years," Glenn Roberts, executive director of the
Fragrance Materials Association, said.
"Nitromusks and
polycyclic musks (PCMs) are among the most thoroughly researched and tested
fragrance ingredients. Their safety for human health has been extensively
tested and affirmed by numerous regulatory agencies and academic scientists
around the world. The results in this paper do not impact the safe use of
nitromusks or PCMs, nor alter their environmental risk assessment,"
Roberts added.
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