BEIRUT: Lebanese consumers could be exposing themselves to carcinogenic chemicals used widely in cosmetics and drugs on the Lebanese market, a former Lebanese lawmaker warned Monday.
Former MP Ismail Sukkariyeh told The Daily Star Monday that the presence of parabens in many cosmetic and pharmaceutical products could be linked to increased rates of breast cancer in the country.
While the Health Ministry repeatedly refused to officially comment on Sukkariyeh’s statement, an official at the ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Lebanon would consider banning products containing cancer-causing ingredients once there is international consensus on their danger.
Parabens, which are used primarily as a preservative against a number of bacteria in cosmetic products like deodorants, medicine and food, were largely considered safe until British experts found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer some seven years ago.
Scientists found traces of parabens in 18 of 20 tissue samples in their study, entitled “Significance of the Detection of Esters of p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid (Parabens) in Human Breast Tumours,” which Doctor Philippa Darbre and her colleagues at the British University of Reading published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology.
Though Darbre said that additional research was required to directly link parabens to cancerous tumors, her research suggests that parabens are likely absorbed into the human body from underarm cosmetics like deodorants and remain inside the body.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Sukkariyeh said that the accumulation of these chemicals in the body could result in breast cancer and other cancers.
“An increasing amount of consumption of this chemical through cosmetics and drugs might lead to breast cancer and, by acting as a carcinogen, could limit fertility among men,” said Sukkariyeh.
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the country and the number of women being diagnosed with the disease has in increased in recent years.
Research interest on parabens and similar chemicals has exploded in the past year, but most countries in the world have not taken action on the issue. One of the world’s largest health agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, says that there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the chemical.
But in a vote in May, the French National Assembly banned the use of parabens and two similar classes of chemicals, phthalates and alkylphenols, in consumer goods.
Some two weeks after the vote, the French daily Le Monde published the names of 400 drugs that contain parabens, phthalates and alkylphenols.
Many researchers say those three chemicals mimic estrogens in the female body.
The chemicals are ingredients in a variety of drugs, including Biafine (used for treating skin burns), Drill (used in cough syrups) and Zyrtec (anti-itching and sneezing). These and dozens of the drugs mentioned in Le Monde are widely available in the Lebanese market.
In addition to a lack of technical expertise inside the government on drug control policy, a lack of political will has also hampered the establishment of a National Committee for Food and Drug Safety in the Lebanon. The right to oversee the food and drug industry has been a contentious issue among rival ministries in successive governments.
According to Sukkariyeh, the Health Ministry has failed to have a “strong voice” in the government to ban products that pose health risks to the public.
“This political class has become outdated and ignorant to the needs and the safety of the people,” said Sukkariyeh, who has been active in the field of public health for more than 15 years.
“The time has come for the Health Ministry to become a new ministry, a ministry that safeguards public health ... the ministry is not simply for handling the budget and paying the dues of hospitals,” he added.
The former Baalbek MP called on both the Health Ministry and the Order of Pharmacists to take decisive action on the matter. “The Health Ministry should quit its financial role and take its original founding role,” said Sukkariyeh, adding that the Health Ministry was established on the slogan of “Care, Prevention and Awareness.”
According to the official at the Health Ministry, if parabens are proven to be cancerous by the international community, the Lebanese government will quickly ban them from the market. “Many governments have still not acted ... we cannot simply build our judgment on one result,” said the official.
Consumers of cosmetic products and medicine might have a difficult time determining whether a product contains parabens as such ingredients are usually listed under different names like methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben.
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