FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDayNews)-- Synthetic musks that are widely used as
fragrances in products such as soaps, cosmetics and detergents may reduce the
body's ability to defend against toxic compounds, says a study in the January issue of Environmental Health Perspectives .
About 8,000 metric tons of synthetic musks are produced worldwide each year.
In laboratory research using human tissue, researchers at Stanford
University's Hopkins Marine Station found that exposure to synthetic musks
inhibited the tissue's natural defenses against toxic compounds from California
mussels. This effect persisted long after the end of the tissue's exposure to
the synthetic musks.
The synthetic musk levels used in this study were several times higher than
those found in the environment, the study authors noted. However, these musks
concentrate in fats, including breast milk, and remain in human tissue long
after exposure. This means that long-term exposure to these synthetic musks
could result in tissue concentrations high enough to impair natural cellular
defenses in humans, the authors suggested.
"While other studies have shown that humans are constantly exposed to musk
compounds, routine toxicology screens have always shown these compounds to be
nontoxic. This study's suggestion that they could harm the body's ability to
fight other toxicants certainly merits further examination," Dr. Jim Burkhart,
science editor for Environmental Health Perspectives , said in a prepared
statement.
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives news release, Jan. 4, 2005
