Posted on 12/06/2004 7:41:20 AM PST by unspun
MONDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDayNews) -- Experiments with the brain cells of rats show that contact with an ingredient found in shampoos, hand lotions and paint causes neurons to die.
The chemical, methylisothiazolinone (MIT), belongs to a class of compounds called biocides. These are used in the manufacture of many common household products and industrial water cooling systems to prevent bacteria from developing.
According to the National Institutes of Health, brands containing MIT include the shampoos Head and Shoulders, Suave, and Clairol, as well as Pantene hair conditioner and Revlon hair color.
"As far as I can tell, no neurodevelopmental testing has been done on MIT," said lead researcher Elias Aizenman, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Aizenman said he is concerned that without such testing it is not known if, for example, a pregnant woman who is exposed to MIT could put her fetus at risk for abnormal brain development. People working directly with MIT are those most at risk, he said.
In earlier experiments with rat brain cells, Aizenman's team found that direct exposure to MIT in concentrations like those found in hand cream was enough to kill neurons. In the current series of experiments, also with rat cells, the researchers found that a long exposure to low concentrations of MIT caused a malfunction in the ways neurons communicate with each other.
"One of the things that this compound was very good at was preventing neurons from communicating with other neurons," he said.
Aizenman presented his findings Dec. 5 at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Whether long-term exposure to products containing MIT is dangerous is not known, Aizenman said. "Can I say that these products are safe to use? No," he said. "Can I say that these products are unsafe to use? No."
Aizenman believes that testing needs to be done to determine if MIT is harmful to humans in the concentrations found in household products.
"It appears that the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] does not require neurodevelopmental testing," Aizenman said. "That is bothersome. Maybe there are substances that have made it into general use that could be damaging to the nervous system. Regulators need to take a hard look this and require more tests."
The work that Aizenman has been doing "is important in understanding the things that people are exposed to on a chronic, daily basis," said Beth Ann McLaughlin, an assistant professor of pharmacology at Vanderbilt University.
McLaughlin added that people using products containing MIT should be skeptical. "There is a healthy dose of skepticism that needs to come when using any products or being intensely exposed to any compound," she said.
"These findings are expected," said Gerald McEwen, vice president for science at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. "MIT is a biocide. The purpose of it is to kill bacteria. You would expect it to be detrimental to any type of cells."
McEwen said that direct exposure to high concentrations of MIT will be irritating to the skin, because it can damage skin cells. However, he doesn't believe that MIT poses any dangers to consumers in the low concentrations found in household products.
"The ability of MIT to cause neurotoxicity has been studied," McEwen said. In animals exposed to MIT, there has been no hint of neuro-damage, because MIT affects only the cells it touches and there is no way for it to get into the bloodstream and go to the brain, he said.
"It can't get to your brain cells, period," he emphasized.
MIT has been approved as a biocide by the EPA, which looked at the neurological effects, McEwen added. This information was published by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, an industry program that reviews the safety of cosmetic ingredients, he explained.
However, McLaughlin remains concerned. "The quantity of compounds that we can make that make the quality of life wonderful, in the short term, is growing," she said. "But we are lagging in our understanding of what those compounds can do to our health and our children's health."
More information
The National Institutes of Health has a list of household products containing MIT.
|
');
//-->
|
Duuuuuhhhhh .... huh?
< |:)~
Was hoping to see Breck on the list.....it would explain John "Silky Pony" Edwards's delusional tendencies
Products made without animal testing are usually better anyway.
Human beings are NOT rats. Apart from having a bald pate, I'm hard pressed to figure whether daily use of shampoo has made me dumber. Its comforting to know I am still posting here.
Do these IDIOTS know how long I have been washing my rat's brain with methylisothiazolinone?!?!?!?!?!? GAAAAAAH
Absolutely false. Otherwise the french and michael moore would be the smartest people in the world because they wouldn't touch hygenic products with a 10 foot pole.
Wunnerful story.
This explains former Senator John "Breck Girl" Edward's brains.
"Products made without animal testing are usually better anyway."
Would you care to elaborate?
Well By God this will finally put an end to the unsafe practice of washing rats' hair with shampoo.
Shucks I thought they were talking about the denizens of DU - I was going to send them some.................
Unless, of course, the researchers themselves had been using MIT-laced shampoo as well; then maybe they wouldn't have noticed.
I would think that was made blatantly obvious by their two well-coifed candidates in the last election.
I suppose if a pregnant woman took out her brains to give
them a shampoo, her neurons would have a lot more to worry
about than some ingredient.
This is another case of wacko science creating a scare by
using an ingredient in ways impossible in real life.
Head and Shoulders, Suave, and Clairol, as well as Pantene hair conditioner and Revlon hair color all being used over at DU.
Note to self: Do not wash rats with shampoo.
It's really only a problem if you don't LATHER, RINSE, and REPEAT.
Ugly in her glamour shots even.
I guess this study should be ignored because it uses animals as test subjects. It would be much more moral to use humans. Maybe some of the PETA Freaks will volunteer.
I'll have to be more careful when I wash my pet rats' brains.
"MIT has been used in shampoo for decades. If there had been a problem, someone would have noticed by now."
UNLESS their brains were too addled from shampoo use!
I have noted that whenever I pour shampoo into rat's brains, they do tend to act sluggishly. My Junior Mr. Wizard chemical science lab contains all the ingredients necessary to verify any hypothesis you like.
see, this is what i was thinking.
those liberals just want us to be more like our old-world counterparts where we don't quite bath on a daily basis....
And they obviously Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
Don't buy shampoos made by companies that test on animals. Read the back of the label. Plenty of mainstream products don't put dye in animals eyes, etc.
Products made without animal testing are usually better anyway.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
This is such horsedoodle. You are on the wrong board, try DU you will fit right in.
JH
I just washed my brain and I can't do a thing with it!
Asteroid Impact, Same Sex Marriage, Massive gamma ray burst from an outside the solar system event, BSE nvCJD, SARS, Smallpox, Ebola ,Flu- (human, bird, swine, duck, chicken), Salmonella, Carbs, Fat, Protein, Terrorists, Anthrax, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Too little ozone, Too much ozone, Global warming, Global cooling, Global Warming Chaos, Pesticides, Deer ticks, Nerve gas, Dirty bombs, Haliburton, SUVs, Guns, Acid rain, Too much Rain, Too little Rain, Nuclear power, Non-nuclearpower, Nuclear war, Conventional war, Wind Turbines shredding endangered birds, Obesity, Starvation, BCS, The Yankees with A’Rod, NCAA Basketball Tournament Selections, Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes ,Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards, Akitas, green ketchup, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Pet spiders, Yard Sale Congestion, Red King Crabs, Shadow people, Cattle mutilations, Junk Science, Supersize fries, ”Our worst fears were confirmed”, steroids in baseball, microwave popcorn, HIV, Peak Oil, Cholesterol both LDL and HDL, second hand smoke, Google Telephone Searches, backyard nuclear reactor, Nitrogen pollution, Carbon Dioxide Reported at Record Levels, Dangerous' Curry Colourings Cataracts from computers, brain tumors from cell phones, fire ants, killer bees, killer tomatoes, killer clowns the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Terrell Owens and Ron Artest, Exploding cell phones, cryptococcus gattii, methylisothiazolinone (MIT) ... …
The fact that NOT ONE poster thus far has noticed that critical fact makes me suspect all of you!
I wouldn't rule out a massive anti-meth effort just yet...
Gee, does this mean "Dumb Blonde" really is?
It's called faith.The
Global Warming
Endangered species
Islam is a religion pf peace...
...variety.
Flush the NYC sewers with Head and Shoulders. The Rats will die and the sewers will be moist, full-bodied and shiny!
Bwahahahaha
You really need to pass that on to Procter and Gamble.
Who'd a thunk that H&S could clean up New York City!
(Someone better not warn Billary and the other Rats!)
That's BS..!!
I hope Rush doesn't use this stuff on ditto-heads. According to the liberals, he's been washing my brain for years.
Ya beat me to it.
Yes she is, isn't she?
Is that why so many democRATS don't bathe?
I was surprised no one else had said it first.
That's just great - now libs have another reason not to wash their hair... yuck
I want a pony
Direct exposure? As in, they put MIT on the rat brain cells? I mean, how many common substances do you have around the house that probably shouldn't be spread on brains?
Does this explain the "dumb blondes" phenomenon? Valley girls, "bubble heads," etc. [irony]
"Products made without animal testing are usually better anyway."
No doubt this is a vivisection proponent. Vivisection of the unborn....
"Head and Shoulders, Suave, and Clairol, as well as Pantene hair conditioner and Revlon hair color all being used over at DU."
We have W Catsup. I say we come up with GOP Shampoo and donate it via the U.N. Care for Hair Program to the Democratic Party. Heck, even let Kofi and his son Tofu "The Do" Annan try to make a buck off it.
There are a lot of ingredients which are dangerous. This is a sensationalist headline. Shampoos are rinse off products so they probably have a very low risk because you rinse it away.
If you are concerned about this ingredient, I'd avoid lotions and creams and others leave-on products which will absorb that have this ingredient. Shampoo doesn't stay on long enough to worry - unless you are a a hairdresser and are exposed to shampoo a lot.
From what I know, this ingredient is sold to cosmetic manufacturers principally for rinse off products and is not recommended for creams and lotions (but that doesn't mean some people don't use it for leave-on products).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.