Environmental Medicine Update

by Dr. Marianne Marchese

Are You Putting Teflon on Your Face?

Chemicals in Cosmetics, Lotions, and Shaving Cream

Introduction

When most people hear the word Teflon, they think nonstick cooking pans. It may come as a surprise that Teflon is showing up in cosmetics, face lotions, and shaving creams/gels. Teflon is a brand name of the synthetic chemical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE was discovered in 1938 by DuPont, which branded it Teflon to use in cookware and as a lubricant for machinery. PTFE has been used in fabrics such as Gore-Tex, dental fillings, tubing, plumbing, cosmetics, and personal care products. PTFE has been used as an implant for various medical conditions including vocal cord defects, arterial grafts, orthopedic joint implants, and facial plastic surgery. There are concerns over the safety of PTFE and its additives in cosmetics.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is another synthetic chemical that has been used in the making of PTFE. PFOAs are a known toxicant and carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, and the Environmental protection Agency have deemed PFOAs as a possible carcinogenic.¹ Although the use of PFOA in nonstick cooking pans is almost phased out, it is still present in some cosmetics and personal care products.

Cosmetics

So how exactly do we know that Teflon is in cosmetics? In 2014 the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a project of the Breast Cancer Fund, began to investigate chemicals in cosmetics.² They found PFOA in several brands of face creams and lotions. PFOA is an additive and contaminant of PTFE (Teflon). PTFE showed up on the label of several personal care products and anti-aging creams. Even savvy consumers who read labels might not know that PTFE means Teflon. The Breast Cancer Fund in California and the Clean Water Action in Minnesota and Connecticut purchased cosmetic and personal care products that listed PTFE as an ingredient, and sent them to an independent lab for testing. They tested products listing PTFE as an ingredient for the presence of PFOA, which is also linked endocrine disruption and other adverse health effects.² PFOA was found in 6 of the 17 PTFE-containing products tested. Three products tested were anti-aging products and had some levels of PFOA ranging from 7 to 20 ppb. They were:

• Garnier Ultra-Lift Transformer Anti-Age Skin Corrector

• Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Moisturizer

• Cover Girl Advanced Radiance with Olay, Age Defying Pressed Powder

Environmental Working Group (EWG) provides information on personal care product ingredients based on published scientific literature. It maintains a database called Skin Deep, which outlines chemicals in cosmetics and their health effects on humans (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep). The database provides information on over 80,000 personal care products and rates the products and their individual ingredients. The rating system is 0 to 10, with 10 being the most hazardous or toxic. PTFE rates as an 8 out of 10, meaning that it has serious toxic health effects. Currently there are 76 products that contain PTFE, including common brands such as Cover Girl, Boots, Physician Formulas, L’Oreal makeup, Olay moisturizer, Lancôme, Maybelline, Gillette shaving cream, Almay and Neutrogena. Yes, PTFE is in men’s shaving cream. Skin Deep also lists PFOA as an 8 out of 10 in terms of toxicity. It is a possible contaminate in products containing PTFE, as already mentioned, as is the additive polyperfluoromethylisopropyl ether (found in 15 products) and DEA-C8-18 pPerfluoroalkylethyl phosphate (found in 7 products).

How Are PFOAs in PTFE and Then in Us?

PFOA is added to the manufacturing process of PTFE to serve as a surfactant. PFOAs keep PTFE particles from massing together when dispersed in water during manufacturing of products that contain the ingredient. Most PFOA is recovered, but often residual PFOA remains in the finished PTFE, which is then used in cosmetics. This residual amount is not supposed to be present, which is why it is referred to as a contaminate. It is a common ingredient of anti-aging products for the sleek and smooth finish that it creates.² PFOA appears to be ubiquitous in the environment, present in the air, water, and soil. It accumulates in the human body and hangs out for a long time. It has been found in blood samples from 99.7% of US adults.³ It has also been found in 100% of umbilical cord blood samples from newborns in Baltimore.⁴ In this study, higher levels of the PFOAs in cord blood of newborns were associated with both lower birth weight and smaller size, indicating an effect of PFOA on prenatal development.⁴ PFOA has other health effects as well.

Health Effects

PFOA has been shown to have endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic effects in both animal and human studies. As an endocrine disruptor, PFOA in even small concentrations could lead to adverse health outcomes, as seen in a study done in 2009. Conducted within the National Institutes of Health Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers (BCERC), this study looked at 689 girls ages 6 to 7 and followed them through puberty. PFOA was found in greater than 95% of the girls showing a high body burden for this population. Those with higher blood levels, which was relatively low (median level in blood 6.4 ng/ml), experienced late onset of menstruation and breast development. ⁵ Both conditions are risk factors for the development of breast cancer. The PFOA median blood level of 6.4 ng/ml found in this study is relatively low, with 24.9% of the girls in the study having values above the 95th percentile for children 12 to 19 years (NHANES 2003–2004 population level was 8.6 ng/ml). The mechanism of endocrine disrupting action is unclear. In another study, researchers found that women afflicted with breast cancer had approximately 1.5 times higher bioaccumulation of PFOA than their cancer-free peers.⁶ PFOAs have been linked to thyroid disease and alteration of estrogen and testosterone in both men and women.^7,8

The American Cancer Society has investigated the health effects of PTFE in consumer products. Although PTFE by itself appears to be noncarcinogenic, as mentioned earlier, the additives or contaminants used in the manufacturing of PTFE products have a link to cancer. Animal studies show additives such as PFOA used in products containing PTFE are linked to tumors of the liver, testicles, mammary glands (breasts), and pancreas in these animals.⁹ Studies on humans have looked at people exposed to PFOA from living near or working in chemical plants. Some of these studies have suggested an increased risk of testicular cancer with increased PFOA exposure as well as kidney cancer and thyroid cancer.⁹ Other studies have suggested possible links to prostate, bladder, and ovarian cancer. But not all studies have found such links, and more research needs to be done. Most research has been done on the effects of inhaling PTFE, since its main use has been in nonstick cooking pans and PFOA is released when the pan is heated. But studies also show exposure through air pollution and drinking water. More research needs to be done on topical application of these chemical in cosmetics. Currently this leaves consumers wondering if it’s safe to use personal care products that contain PTFE.

Regulation

In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency and some manufacturers of PFOA agreed to reduce factory emissions and levels in cooking products 95% by 2010 and completely eliminate PFOA from manufacturing emissions and cooking product contents by the end of 2015. Since these chemicals remain in air, soil, and water for years the potential for contamination from the environment and other sources continues. As seen earlier, body burden studies conducted in 2009 show PFOA in 95% of people sampled. The EPA does not regulate the use of these chemicals in cosmetics but, knowing that they are an environmental contaminate, set a health advisory for levels above 0.4 ppb in drinking water. Remember that levels in cosmetics have been found as high as 20 ppb.

Most people assume that the Food and Drug Association regulates the safety of chemicals in our products, but loopholes in federal laws allow the cosmetics industry to put virtually any chemical into a cosmetic or personal care product with no premarket FDA safety testing or review, and no monitoring of health effects. Due to consumer concerns and the advocacy of environmental groups, many companies are voluntarily phasing out the use of these and other harmful chemicals from cosmetic and personal care products. Safe Cosmetics has a site where people can learn how they can take action and pressure Congress and regulators to ensure cosmetics and personal care products are safe: http://www.safecosmetics.org/take-action.

Summary

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluorinated compound found in consumer products. It is used most widely in personal care products and cosmetics because it provides a smooth, sleek finish. It has been found in popular brands of foundation, pressed powder, loose powder, bronzer, blush, eye shadow, mascara, shave gel, lip balm, and anti-aging cream. PTFE is manufactured using perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which may leave residual amounts of PFOA in the final ingredient. There is clear evidence that PFOA, which can be a contaminant of PTFE-containing consumer products, has adverse health effects. Since there is little regulation of chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products, it is up to consumers to educate themselves and make healthy choices. For example, stay away from products with these ingredients on their labels: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyperfluoromethylisopropyl ether, DEA-C8-18 perfluoroalkylethyl phosphate, and Teflon. Chose products with no added fragrance, since these chemicals are often only listed on the label as “fragrance.” It is up to physicians and patients to pressure federal regulators and companies to manufacture products free of harmful chemicals such as PTFE and PFOA. Learn more by watching an archived webinar on this topic by Dr. Anne Marie Fine through the Naturopathic Academy of Environmental Medicine: www.naturopathicenvironment.org.

Dr. Marchese is the author of 8 Weeks to Women’s Wellness. She received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in 2002. Dr. Marchese maintains a private practice in Phoenix, Arizona, and teaches gynecology at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. She was named in Phoenix Magazine‘s Top Doctor Issue as one of the top naturopathic physicians in Phoenix. Dr. Marchese lectures on topics related to women’s health and environmental medicine throughout the US and Canada. www.drmarchese.com.

Notes

1. Teflon and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) [online article]. American Cancer Society. January 5, 2016. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid–pfoa. Accessed July 29, 2016.

2. Rasanayagam S et al. Anti-aging secrets exposed [online report]. Breast Cancer Fund/Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. http://www.safecosmetics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Anti-aging-secrets-exposed-report.pdf. Accessed July 29, 2016.

3. Calafat AM et al. Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals in the US population: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 and comparisons with NHANES 1999–2000. Environ Health Perspect. 2007;115:1596–1602.

4. Apelberg BJ et al. Determinants of fetal exposure to polyfluoroalkyl compounds in Baltimore, Maryland. Environ Sci Tech. 2007;41(11):3891–3897.

5. Pinney S et al. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and pubertal maturation in young girls. Epidemiology. 2009;20(6):S80.

6. Bonefeld-Jorgensen EC et al. Perfluorinated compounds are related to breast cancer risk in Greenlandic Inuit: a case control study. Environ Health. 2011;10,88. Available at http://www.ehjournal.net/content/10/1/88.

7. Long M, Ghisari M, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC. Effects of perfluoroalkyl acids on the function of the thyroid hormone and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2013;20(11):8045–8056.

8. White SS, Fenton SE, Hines EP. Endocrine disrupting properties of perfluorooctanoic acid.  J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2011;127(1):16–26.

9. Teflon and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) [online article]. American Cancer Society. January 5, 2016. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid–pfoa. Accessed July 29, 2016.