Parabens. Yes or No?
Are Parabens (chemicals used to preserve food & cosmetics) safe or harmful? There is heated debate over this, with qualified dermatologists and researchers producing evidence in support of and against their use.
Main concern: Parabens emulate our estrogen, altering the amount of testosterone and estrogen levels in the body, thus causing cancerous growths.
Here are the Arguments in Support of and Against Parabens:
For-1. Parabens are necessary to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria, which can cause skin infection whence applied topically.
2. The amount used is only less than 1%
3. Scientists showing traces of Parabens in cancerous tissue have NOT studied healthy tissue to see if there are traces of Parabens there too, therefore can't truly correlate Parabens to cancer.
4. Insects and plants produce them to protect themselves from contracting mold and bacteria
Against-
1. Naturally produced Parabens such as Methylparaben (found in blueberries) are harmless because they are easily broken down by our digestive system. BUT the ones we apply topically are synthetic (because they are easier and cheaper to manufacture), therefore, they are NOT broken down so easily, and since they are used much more frequently (they are abundant in food and cosmetics) they start to build up in our system. Over time, creating hormone imbalance.
2. According to the US, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Parabens have endocrine-disrupting action when applied to the skin (it's applied to the skin through cosmetics though they claim that less than 1% is harmless)
3.EPA-Traces of Parabens that have been washed off our skin are found in our sewage treatment system and recreational waters.
4.Anything absorbed through the skin may be as high as 10 times the concentration of an oral dose.
What do you think?
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