Every fifth toothpaste contains harmful hormones

Hormonal pollutants in toothpaste and aftershave? What sounds repugnant is obviously a bitter reality. An investigation by the Austrian environmental organization "GLOBAL 2000" has shown that more than one third of conventional body care products contain hormonally active chemicals according to the manufacturer. Now the organization demands a waiver of the substances.
Environmentalists are investigating more than 500 personal care products
The environmental organization "GLOBAL 2000" has reviewed in a re-test more than 500 personal care products from drugstores and supermarkets based on the manufacturer's information on hormonally active ingredients. The testers came to a worrying conclusion, with 119 of the total of 531 products (22 percent) containing substances listed on the EU's list of priorities for endocrine disruptors in the top two categories, according to a recent release. Not without reason, because the substances would be used by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the worldwide increase of e.g. Cardiovascular disease and fertility disorders are related, the environmental organization continues.

Dangerous hormones in toothpaste. Image: Andrey Popov - fotolia

Parts of the cosmetics industry have already switched to "hormone-free"
At the first Global 2000 examination of care products two years ago, the share was still at 35 percent, but now parts of the cosmetics industry have begun to give up the chemicals in their personal care products. The three major Austrian providers, BIPA (Rewe-Group), Hofer and Spar, who have completely switched their own brands to "hormone-free" since 2014, started the campaign with GLOBAL 2000 environmental chemist Dr. med. Helmut Burtscher according to the message.

"The greatest hormone load showed shaving waters, which still have in about 40 percent of the products hormonally effective UV filters and UV absorbers," said the expert further. The burden of body lotions, however, had decreased from 46 to 21 percent and that of toothpastes from 20 to 11 percent, with the hormonal burden of preservatives from the group of parabens was assumed. In the shaving waters was reportedly predominantly the hormonally active UV filter Ethylhexy Methoxycinnamate available.

Pregnant women, children and fetuses particularly at risk
Although these substances have a different structure and function, but both act like the female sex hormone estrogen and led in animal experiments to hormone-damaging effects, the release said. As a result, they were listed on the EU list of suspected hormone chemicals in the categories one and two. "Hormonally effective chemicals interfere, inter alia. Hormonally controlled development processes that take place in very specific time windows of growth. Pregnant women, or the maturing fetus, as well as infants and adolescents are particularly at risk, "said environmental scientist Assoz. Professor DI Dr. med Hans-Peter Hutter, quoted in the message.

EU Commissioner to present proposal for amendment of EU regulation
According to Helmut Burtscher, this is a wealth of substances - but the situation is confusing and the data is poor. In his opinion, the EU did not act on time, because the European Commission should have long ago adopted regulations for dealing with the substances of concern, Global-2000 said. In addition, the Commission should have carried out a review of the EU Cosmetics Regulation with regard to endocrine disrupting properties by January 2015 at the latest.

Health Minister Sabine Oberhauser (SPÖ) also sees a need for action according to a statement from the ministry and addresses EU Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis: "I urge the Commissioner responsible to submit a concrete proposal for an amendment to the EU Cosmetics Regulation this year ", Says Oberhauser. Irrespective of this, it supports "the efforts of cosmetic companies to voluntarily forego the use of substances that may be endocrine disruptors. Such entrepreneurs should have the opportunity to mark their products accordingly. " (No)