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Mutagenicity of cosmetic containing Kathon®
180
Information Section
measure attention) (Bruner et aL, Lancet 1996, 348, 992).
Styrene and loss of colour vision An assessment of 203 workers in the tibreglassreinforced plastics industry of Canada and Italy has concluded that workplace styrene levels above 4 ppm impair colour vision (Campagna et al., Neurotoxicology 1996, 17, 367).
Chlorophenates exposure and male reproductive effects An increased risk of developmental effects (congenital anomalies of the eye and genital organs, and anencephaly and spina bifida) has been reported in a group of 19,675 offspring born to fathers exposed (for at least I yr) to chlorophenate wood preservatives in British Columbia sawmills. The investigators concluded that "additional studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which paternal exposure to chlorophenates affects the reproductive outcomes of offspring, as well as to determine whether it is the dioxin contaminant that is the etiologic agent" (Dimich-Ward et a£, Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health 1996, 22, 267).
Contact dermatitis from the dental material BAC-ester chloride Allergic contact dermatitis to a substance referred to as BAC-ester chloride, *beta-phenylethyldibutylacetic acid-ethylester-ammonium chloride', developed in a 37-yr-old German woman. She had worked as a dental technician for nearly 20 yr, and for almost 2 yr had come into contact with a dental prosthesis material containing the suspect agent. Patch tests (48-hr covered contact) with 10% in petrolatum, confirmed her allergy (Straube et aL, Contact Dermatitis 1996, 35, 103).
Is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether mutagenJc? Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether was recently reported to be mutagenic in the bacterium Salmonella Orphimurium (Ames test) in the presence and absence of a metabolic activation system. A repeat of this study by a different group of investigators using the same tester strain (TA97a) has failed to confirm the earlier finding of mutagenic potential. No convincing reason for the disparity was discovered (Gollapodi et al., Mutation Research 1996, 370, 61).
Genotoxicity of 4-chloro-o-toluidine 4-Chloro-o-toluidine has been found to be weakly mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium bacteria (Ames test) when tested in the presence of a
rat-liver metabolic activation system. There was no evidence of chromosome effects in human lymphocyte cells or of spindle damaging effects in Chinese hamster cells, both tested in culture with and without metabolic activation (G6ggelmann et al., Mutation Research 1996, 370, 39).
Dermatitis from phthalates in computer mouse Two French women each developed eczema of the right hand after working with a computer mouse. Patch tests identified the culprits as the phthalate plasticizer constituents. One worker reacted to diethyl phthalate and the second to dimethyl phthalate at patch test concentrations of 5% in petrolatum (Capon et aL, Contact Dermatitis 1996,
3s, 57). Allergy to ammonium bisulfite A patient who developed dermatitis when using a bleaching cream reacted positively in patch tests to ammonium bisultite present in the cream at 0.45%. The patch test response was seen even at the lowest tested aqueous concentration of 0.1%. Sodium bisulfite also elicited positive patch test responses. Although reports of contact dermatitis due to sultites are not uncommon, the investigator suggested this report might be the first of an allergic reaction to ammonium bisulphite (Pambor, Contact Dermatitis 1996, 35, 48).
Mutagenicity of cosmetic products containing Kathon~ A team from the University of Texas has detected mutagenic activity in Salmonella ryphiraurium bacteria (Ames tests) for a number of cosmetic products which listed methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, the components of Kathon ® biocide, on their ingredients labels. Noting the widespread use of Kathon in cosmetics, and the "limited" carcinogenicity data available, the investigators called for *additional and adequate carcinogenicity testing or the replacement of Kathon... with a potentially less toxic biodde" (Connor et aL, Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1996, 28, 127).
Smoking and death A lifetime of smoking appears to halve the chances of living beyond 70 yr. A group of over 7700 British men, aged 40-59 yr at the start of the study, have been followed up for 15 yr during which time almost 1300 had died. At the initial screening, 3151 of the men reported that they had begun smoking before the age of 30 yr and most remained smokers for much of their lives. There were 560 (18%) deaths during follow-up in this group. Of 1624 men
Information Section
measure attention) (Bruner et aL, Lancet 1996, 348, 992).
Styrene and loss of colour vision An assessment of 203 workers in the tibreglassreinforced plastics industry of Canada and Italy has concluded that workplace styrene levels above 4 ppm impair colour vision (Campagna et al., Neurotoxicology 1996, 17, 367).
Chlorophenates exposure and male reproductive effects An increased risk of developmental effects (congenital anomalies of the eye and genital organs, and anencephaly and spina bifida) has been reported in a group of 19,675 offspring born to fathers exposed (for at least I yr) to chlorophenate wood preservatives in British Columbia sawmills. The investigators concluded that "additional studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which paternal exposure to chlorophenates affects the reproductive outcomes of offspring, as well as to determine whether it is the dioxin contaminant that is the etiologic agent" (Dimich-Ward et a£, Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health 1996, 22, 267).
Contact dermatitis from the dental material BAC-ester chloride Allergic contact dermatitis to a substance referred to as BAC-ester chloride, *beta-phenylethyldibutylacetic acid-ethylester-ammonium chloride', developed in a 37-yr-old German woman. She had worked as a dental technician for nearly 20 yr, and for almost 2 yr had come into contact with a dental prosthesis material containing the suspect agent. Patch tests (48-hr covered contact) with 10% in petrolatum, confirmed her allergy (Straube et aL, Contact Dermatitis 1996, 35, 103).
Is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether mutagenJc? Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether was recently reported to be mutagenic in the bacterium Salmonella Orphimurium (Ames test) in the presence and absence of a metabolic activation system. A repeat of this study by a different group of investigators using the same tester strain (TA97a) has failed to confirm the earlier finding of mutagenic potential. No convincing reason for the disparity was discovered (Gollapodi et al., Mutation Research 1996, 370, 61).
Genotoxicity of 4-chloro-o-toluidine 4-Chloro-o-toluidine has been found to be weakly mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium bacteria (Ames test) when tested in the presence of a
rat-liver metabolic activation system. There was no evidence of chromosome effects in human lymphocyte cells or of spindle damaging effects in Chinese hamster cells, both tested in culture with and without metabolic activation (G6ggelmann et al., Mutation Research 1996, 370, 39).
Dermatitis from phthalates in computer mouse Two French women each developed eczema of the right hand after working with a computer mouse. Patch tests identified the culprits as the phthalate plasticizer constituents. One worker reacted to diethyl phthalate and the second to dimethyl phthalate at patch test concentrations of 5% in petrolatum (Capon et aL, Contact Dermatitis 1996,
3s, 57). Allergy to ammonium bisulfite A patient who developed dermatitis when using a bleaching cream reacted positively in patch tests to ammonium bisultite present in the cream at 0.45%. The patch test response was seen even at the lowest tested aqueous concentration of 0.1%. Sodium bisulfite also elicited positive patch test responses. Although reports of contact dermatitis due to sultites are not uncommon, the investigator suggested this report might be the first of an allergic reaction to ammonium bisulphite (Pambor, Contact Dermatitis 1996, 35, 48).
Mutagenicity of cosmetic products containing Kathon~ A team from the University of Texas has detected mutagenic activity in Salmonella ryphiraurium bacteria (Ames tests) for a number of cosmetic products which listed methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, the components of Kathon ® biocide, on their ingredients labels. Noting the widespread use of Kathon in cosmetics, and the "limited" carcinogenicity data available, the investigators called for *additional and adequate carcinogenicity testing or the replacement of Kathon... with a potentially less toxic biodde" (Connor et aL, Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis 1996, 28, 127).
Smoking and death A lifetime of smoking appears to halve the chances of living beyond 70 yr. A group of over 7700 British men, aged 40-59 yr at the start of the study, have been followed up for 15 yr during which time almost 1300 had died. At the initial screening, 3151 of the men reported that they had begun smoking before the age of 30 yr and most remained smokers for much of their lives. There were 560 (18%) deaths during follow-up in this group. Of 1624 men