HEALTH: Common shampoo ingredients found to harm memory cells

August 16, 2006

Common shampoo ingredients found to harm memory cells

August 7 2006

(NewsTarget) University of North Carolina researchers discovered that

when Diethanolamine (DEA) is applied to the skin of pregnant mice, it

interferes with their offspring's normal brain development.

Researchers found that DEA -- a chemical used as a wetting or thickening

agent in shampoos, soaps, hairsprays and sunscreens -- seems to block

absorption of the nutrient choline, which is essential to brain

development. While pregnant, women require extra choline so that they

may pass it on to the fetus.

" You need choline to build a baby, " said Dr. Steven Zeisel, associate

dean for research at the UNC School of Public Health. Zeisel added that

further study is required and the results should not cause too much

alarm. " At this point it is a caution, " he said, " but it would probably

be prudent to look at labels and try to limit exposure until we know more. "

The study, published in the August issue of the Federation of American

Societies for Experimental Biology's FASEB Journal, is the first to look

at DEA's affect on the brain. Prior studies had focused on its potential

as a cancer-causing agent.

Over the last several years, numerous chemicals in personal care

products that were once thought to be harmless are now being shown to be

dangerous to human health. No research has yet been conducted by anyone

on the potential for synergistic toxicities, where several different

chemicals combine to multiply their toxic effects.

The body of the average American contains more than 300 synthetic

chemicals acquired from foods, drugs and personal care products. The

combined effect of these chemicals is entirely unknown.

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