The pursuit of beauty has always meant making some sacrifices – look at traditional scarification, the current trend for tattoos, and the torture known as Brazilian waxing. Still, those are all intentional choices with known effects. But even something as seemingly innocent as hair styling may have unforeseen consequences.
Most hairsprays are in aerosol form – making them potentially hazardous for disposal, as well as indoor pollutants. Now a new study in Environmental Health Perspectives points to a possible link between long-term exposure to hairspray and genital defects in male babies. Hypospadias is one of the most common congenital conditions affecting boys, where the urethra opens below the end of the penis. Surgery may be necessary, depending on the degree of displacement.
Casual use of hairspray is not the issue. But women who work with hairspray do seem to have a higher risk. In fact, incidence was two to three times higher in boys born to women who were exposed in the workplace. Hypospadias has become more common in recent years, with 4 to 24 cases per 10,000 births in Europe and an even higher rate in the US. In Canada, it occurs in 1 out of every 250 births (corresponding to 40 in 10,000 for comparison to Europe). The current findings point to one possible factor.
The study does not draw a direct link between hypospadias and hairspray, but suggests an intriguing relationship based on a sample of nearly 1000 women. The likely culprit could be phthalates, plasticizing chemicals used in a wide range of items. Diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, along with several metabolites (monoethyl phthalate and mono-n-butyl phthalate) have androgen-reducing effects, and there have been some genital changes measured in other studies. Inhaling phthalates has a stronger effect than ingestion or other routes of exposure – making hairspray a particularly efficient vehicle for uptake.
Countries have taken different stances on phthalates. For example, in July 2008, the US banned six phthalates from children’s toys and cosmetics, following the lead of the European Union. In Canada, while phthalates are being monitored, only one has been labelled as a toxic substance for management purposes.
Before a solid connection is made, more research is necessary. For a start, although phthalates are known to be hormone disruptors, the mechanism for such an effect needs to be understood. In the meantime, pregnant women are advised to avoid repeated high exposure to hairspray. Phthalates are found in other cosmetics as well, so it might be prudent to minimize use of lotions and other beauty products over the first trimester. Choose phthalate-free products whenever possible. And keep taking folic acid, since it appeared to reduce the risk of hypospadias in the study.
Photo credit: Heather Sanders
