Other Carcinogens

1. Other Carcinogens

1.1 Sorbic Acid

Sorbic acid consists of a white free-flowing powder that is obtained from the berries of the mountain ash and is also made from chemicals in the factory. It is used in cosmetics as a preservative and humectant. A mold and yeast inhibitor, it is also used in foods, especially cheese and beverages. It is also used as a replacement for glycerin in emulsions, ointments, embalming fluids, mouthwashes, toothpastes and various cosmetics. A binder for toilet powders and creams, it produces a velvet-like feel when rubbed or, the skin.

When injected subcutaneously in 2,600 milligrams doses per kilogram of body weight, it causes cancer.

Sorbic acid is often added to dried fruit, so be sure to read the labels when purchasing packaged fruit.

1.2 Plastic Food Wrap and Packaging

Plastic food wrap is a petroleum product and is not biodegradable. Some wraps create toxic smoke when burned. In 1975 the FDA approved a plastic acrylonitrile Coke bottle. But in 1977 rats fed large doses of acrylonirile lost weight and developed abnormalities, such as lesions of the central nervous system. Another study showed migration of the chemical into the contents after the Coke bottle was kept at a temperature of 120 degrees for six months. The FDA proposed a ban on the product.

An FDA official noted that acrylonitrile is not the only troublesome chemical. Some types of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packages are also carcinogens. PVC liquor bottles were prohibited in 1973, although PVC is used in other packages. Other commonly-used plastics in the $15 billion a year food-packaging industry are also toxic.

1.3 Hair Coloring

More than 33 million Americans use hair coloring in an effort to cover gray or to change their appearance. Permanent hair-coloring products change the color of the hair. They cannot be shampooed away but remain until the hair grows out or is cut off. There are basically three types: natural organics, synthetics, and met allies.

Researchers at NCI tested hair-dye chemicals for their ability to cause cancer by feeding them to rats and mice. Preliminary results showed that six hair-coloring ingredients are indeed carcinogenic in animals: 4-methoxy-m-henylenediamine, 4-MMPD (commonly used in permanent hair color); 2,4-toluene diamine (used in a few permanent hair colors); 4-amino-2-nitrophenol and 2-nitrophenylenediamine (used in many gold and reddish shade highlighters); direct black 38 and direct blue 6 (no longer manufactured).

Bruce Ames reported in 1977 that 150 of the semipermanent hair dyes he tested were mutagenic. An estimated 70 to 70% of the substances that are known carcinogens show up as mutagens in his test. In January 1978 NIOSH reported that a new study of beauticians and cosmetologists show they have a higher than expected incidence of six kinds of cancer. That study, along with NCI’s findings, led NIOSH to recommend that 2,4,diaminoanisole be treated as a human carcinogen. On April 6, 1978, the FDA issued an order that manufacturers place a warning on the label of some permanent hair dyes that reads: “Warning: contains an ingredient that can penetrate your skin and has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”

Do not use any kind of hair colorings. There is nothing more beautiful than your natural color.

1.4 Cosmetics

In relation to cosmetics, we read that “in spite of the progress made, some carcinogens are probably still present in toilet or cosmetic preparations.” Not all the dyes used in lipstick and other materials have been subjected to adequate biological tests. Chloroform, which induces liver tumors in mice, still appears to be added to some toothpaste as a flavor.

Estrogens are used in some skin creams. The use of these preparations was approved provided that they were used only by women aged over 30 years, that they did not contain more than 350 international units of estrogenic hormone per gram, and that not more than 15 grams of preparation were used per week. However, the administration of even small amounts of (estrogen to post-menopausal women might facilitate the growth of hormone-dependent mammary cancer. Hormone creams should not be used by anyone. They can upset the endocrine system and result in a host of problems.