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Archive for the 'Asthma' Category

ASTHMA: COSMETICS AND PERFUMES

Author: admin

02 9th, 2011

Perfumes and certain cosmetics can be as bad, if not worse, than cigarette smoke for some asthmatics. While conditions such as zinc deficiency and many allergies, especially sinusitis, tend to lower one’s sense of smell, chemically sensitive people often find they are extremely susceptible to smells and odours. This increased smell acuity is known as ‘cacosmia’ and it often indicates chemical hypersensitivity.

Although they have been part of our lives for a very long time, lotions, nail polishes, cosmetics and perfumes can lead to asthma, headache, migraine, sinusitis, skin rashes, dizziness and, in some cases, even severe mental confusion and chronic ill health in susceptible individuals. We also know that the tender immune systems of babies may be unbalanced by exposure and this may render them more susceptible in later life. People with a destabilised immune system are more likely to suffer with almost any allergy and, in some cases, severe problems like chronic viral infections and even cancer. As well as the 8000 chemicals used in cosmetics and toiletries, we are exposed to hundreds of synthetic chemical compounds, and new ones are created every year. Scientists are beginning to realise now that their cumulative effects may pose a serious health threat to many people. Each set of chemicals may add its weight to the eventual situation in which the body simply cannot cope anymore. The more we learn about chemical sensitivities, the more we are understanding that people can suffer severe physical problems from something as intangible as a smell.

In the USA around one million skin reactions from the use of perfumes and cosmetics are reported every year. They may take the form of eczema-like scaling, itching, redness, blistering or peeling when a perfume or cosmetic is applied to their skin. American dermatologists estimate that around 30 per cent of such reactions are due to the fragrance and another 30 per cent are caused by preservatives such as formaldehyde. This chemical is synthesised from methyl alcohol in huge tonnages. It is also found in cavity wall insulation, chipboard, foam rubber carpet underlay, detergents (including some ‘green’ brands), new textiles, newsprint, household and industrial cleaners, propellants, plywood, resin glue, concrete and dyes.

Skin reactions to these substances are quite visible and therefore demonstrable, and so are asthma attacks or sudden breathing difficulties. When a scent emanating from a chemical aggravates an asthmatic’s symptoms, the relationship is sometimes quite obvious. Much more difficult to prove are the myriad vague, often unmeasurable symptoms which many people experience after inhaling perfumes or the smell of freshly laundered clothing. Fabric softeners are particularly allergenic. An increasing body of scientific research suggests that such reactions can be traced to a wide number of offending chemicals. Dr Jonathon Maberly, a British National Health Service consultant who recognised the need for a specialised centre but knew the NHS would be unlikely to accept it, founded the Airedale Allergy Centre in Steeton, UK. There he tests and treats people who might be suffering from exposure to various types of chemical. The clinic uses the term ‘allergy’ in its original, broader sense — as an altered response to a substance in the environment.

But what can be so noxious about natural smells, like that of a rose, lilac or cucumber? A century ago we did not have to deal with the quantity of chemicals we are exposed to now. Today a ‘simple’ essence, as used in soap, may have some twenty ingredients, while some perfumes may have more than 100, including fixatives to retard evaporation and additives to preserve or give colour. Mixing natural and artificial essences can create a synergistic effect. The ancient art of perfumery was based on the natural perfumes, the products of plant metabolism. Essences or volatile oils of flowering plants and grasses were extracted by gentle heating or distillation.

Nowadays they are often derived from petroleum or coal, the raw materials of the chemical industry. Even flower oils are now often chemically extracted with petroleum ether, a process first used experimentally in the nineteenth century and now used on an industrial scale.

Ultimately, everything is made up of chemicals. Some synthetic ingredients in perfumes in use today are known to be highly toxic. For example nitrobenzene, a pale yellow liquid with the odour of bitter almonds, is used in the manufacture of cheaper perfumes and in the soap industry. And even chemicals which have passed safety tests with flying colours are now coming under suspicion as doubts are raised about the effectiveness of the testing methods themselves. One of the problems is that most testing is done on single chemicals, but we know that mixtures of chemicals can be far more toxic than the sum of their parts, a phenomenon sometimes called ‘the cocktail effect’. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what cross-reactions may take place in a fragrance once its ingredients have been mixed together. Research also suggests that in the case of some apparently ‘innocent’ chemicals, the initial by-products of detoxification by the cytochrome P-450 liver enzymes can be more toxic than the original chemicals themselves.

Unfortunately for those people who react adversely to these products, the trend is for ever stronger perfumes in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It’s becoming impossible to walk into a shop, wash clothes or even flush a toilet without being assailed by a waft of scents. Fragrances are added to virtually all cleaning compounds as well as to every conceivable cosmetic and toiletry item. A typical powder blusher contains 2 per cent perfume, for example. Perfumes can persist in the air and on furniture and clothing long after the person wearing them has gone. As a result of this continuous bombardment more and more people are suffering the consequences of being ‘zapped’ on a bus, in a theatre or restaurant by someone else’s scent. One of my patients told me: ‘I love perfume, but I just can’t wear any. I can sometimes use scented body creams on my arms and legs and the smallest dab at the back of my neck or behind the knees, but I cannot put any behind my ears or over my chest without experiencing severe hay-fever-like symptoms. If I get into a taxi with some of my girlfriends my eyes start to stream and my nose drips like a tap. It’s as if I’d got an instant cold. I ask, “Now girls, which of you has just put perfume on?” and one of them always has.’

One reason why too little is known about such sensitivities is that the ingredients in a fragrance are some of the best-kept trade secrets. ‘Fragrances are the only chemicals widely available to the consumer for which toxicological studies are not mandatory/ says Dr Ian White of St John’s Dermatology Centre, St Thomas Hospital, London. He sees people who suffer skin damage from these products and thinks that fragrances and cosmetics should be treated like other chemicals and labelled with all ingredients. He is outraged at manufacturers’ claims that labelling would not help the consumer and would undermine commercial success. In the USA labelling is mandatory, but Dr White considers that US regulations do not go far enough. ‘Manufacturers list as “fragrance” any of some 3000 chemicals used. All of these are absorbed by the skin and through inhalation. It’s about time consumers were given precise information.’

Some Common Cosmetic Ingredients

Acetone. A solvent used in nail polish remover and as a means of extracting ingredients from compounds.

Synthetic alcohols. If you see this sign on a label, remember these are petroleum-based compounds, which have long been suspected of being carcinogenic.

Aluminium. Many compounds used by the cosmetic industry contain this potentially toxic mineral which has been associated with senility and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also used quite extensively in pharmaceutical and toiletry products, especially anti-perspirants.

Ammonium compounds. These are often listed as hazardous compounds by various authorities.

Benzalkonium chloride. This preservative is used in some cosmetics to prevent the growth of bacteria.

2-bromo-2 nitroproprane-1 3-diole. This synthetic chemical is sometimes used as a preservative and solvent.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). A synthetic antioxidant often used to retard rancidity of oils in cosmetics.

Mercury. Apart from in dental fillings, broken thermometers or fluorescent lights, this potentially lethal chemical can be found in some skin care products such as hair dyes, in fungicides and in contaminated fish.

Colourants. These are usually divided into two groups. The first, ‘D and C, are colourants approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in drugs and cosmetics. The second group is called ‘FD and C, which means they are drugs that are also allowed in our foods. Most colour additives are dangerous, especially to asthmatics and other allergic individuals, because they contain synthetic coal tar substances and so-called ‘Azo’ dyes (artificial colourings). They are suspected to be a major cause of hyperactivity in children.

Detergents. These are the synthetic chemical industry’s answer to plain old soap. Made from petroleum derivatives, they are not as biodegradable as soaps and may in fact harm your skin and hair permanently.

Fluorinated hydrocarbons. Mostly used in aerosol cosmetics, these may well damage the environment and are certainly dangerous to your health. Use pump bottles and get a little extra exercise!

Mineral oils. Most of these are manufactured from crude oil, the kind that goes in your car engine. They are a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons separated from petroleum. Apart from the possibility of causing allergies, these chemicals will, if taken with food, bind the fat-soluble vitamins (A, E and D) and could cause deficiencies of these vitamins.

Methylene chloride. Also known as ‘carrene’ or ‘dichloromethane’, this is often used as an ingredient in hair sprays. It has recently been found to cause cancer in mice and may soon be banned by the FDA in the United States. The FDA calculated that, over a lifetime of use, hair-spray consumers may face one extra chance in a thousand of getting cancer. Professional hairdressers, says the study, may find their risk increase is ten times higher. No studies were made of the risks of drinking decaffeinated coffee).

Its use in decaffeinated coffee, however, might continue in some countries because a limit of 10 parts per million, set twenty years ago for coffee, will remain operative. When buying ‘decaf it would pay to ask exactly how the brand you choose was processed. Recent tests showed that mice and rats exposed to methylene chloride got cancers of the liver and lungs and that the higher the dose, the more tumours appeared.

*29\145\2*

ASTHMA: COSMETICS AND PERFUMESPerfumes and certain cosmetics can be as bad, if not worse, than cigarette smoke for some asthmatics. While conditions such as zinc deficiency and many allergies, especially sinusitis, tend to lower one’s sense of smell, chemically sensitive people often find they are extremely susceptible to smells and odours. This increased smell acuity is known as ‘cacosmia’ and it often indicates chemical hypersensitivity.Although they have been part of our lives for a very long time, lotions, nail polishes, cosmetics and perfumes can lead to asthma, headache, migraine, sinusitis, skin rashes, dizziness and, in some cases, even severe mental confusion and chronic ill health in susceptible individuals. We also know that the tender immune systems of babies may be unbalanced by exposure and this may render them more susceptible in later life. People with a destabilised immune system are more likely to suffer with almost any allergy and, in some cases, severe problems like chronic viral infections and even cancer. As well as the 8000 chemicals used in cosmetics and toiletries, we are exposed to hundreds of synthetic chemical compounds, and new ones are created every year. Scientists are beginning to realise now that their cumulative effects may pose a serious health threat to many people. Each set of chemicals may add its weight to the eventual situation in which the body simply cannot cope anymore. The more we learn about chemical sensitivities, the more we are understanding that people can suffer severe physical problems from something as intangible as a smell.In the USA around one million skin reactions from the use of perfumes and cosmetics are reported every year. They may take the form of eczema-like scaling, itching, redness, blistering or peeling when a perfume or cosmetic is applied to their skin. American dermatologists estimate that around 30 per cent of such reactions are due to the fragrance and another 30 per cent are caused by preservatives such as formaldehyde. This chemical is synthesised from methyl alcohol in huge tonnages. It is also found in cavity wall insulation, chipboard, foam rubber carpet underlay, detergents (including some ‘green’ brands), new textiles, newsprint, household and industrial cleaners, propellants, plywood, resin glue, concrete and dyes.Skin reactions to these substances are quite visible and therefore demonstrable, and so are asthma attacks or sudden breathing difficulties. When a scent emanating from a chemical aggravates an asthmatic’s symptoms, the relationship is sometimes quite obvious. Much more difficult to prove are the myriad vague, often unmeasurable symptoms which many people experience after inhaling perfumes or the smell of freshly laundered clothing. Fabric softeners are particularly allergenic. An increasing body of scientific research suggests that such reactions can be traced to a wide number of offending chemicals. Dr Jonathon Maberly, a British National Health Service consultant who recognised the need for a specialised centre but knew the NHS would be unlikely to accept it, founded the Airedale Allergy Centre in Steeton, UK. There he tests and treats people who might be suffering from exposure to various types of chemical. The clinic uses the term ‘allergy’ in its original, broader sense — as an altered response to a substance in the environment.But what can be so noxious about natural smells, like that of a rose, lilac or cucumber? A century ago we did not have to deal with the quantity of chemicals we are exposed to now. Today a ‘simple’ essence, as used in soap, may have some twenty ingredients, while some perfumes may have more than 100, including fixatives to retard evaporation and additives to preserve or give colour. Mixing natural and artificial essences can create a synergistic effect. The ancient art of perfumery was based on the natural perfumes, the products of plant metabolism. Essences or volatile oils of flowering plants and grasses were extracted by gentle heating or distillation.Nowadays they are often derived from petroleum or coal, the raw materials of the chemical industry. Even flower oils are now often chemically extracted with petroleum ether, a process first used experimentally in the nineteenth century and now used on an industrial scale.Ultimately, everything is made up of chemicals. Some synthetic ingredients in perfumes in use today are known to be highly toxic. For example nitrobenzene, a pale yellow liquid with the odour of bitter almonds, is used in the manufacture of cheaper perfumes and in the soap industry. And even chemicals which have passed safety tests with flying colours are now coming under suspicion as doubts are raised about the effectiveness of the testing methods themselves. One of the problems is that most testing is done on single chemicals, but we know that mixtures of chemicals can be far more toxic than the sum of their parts, a phenomenon sometimes called ‘the cocktail effect’. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what cross-reactions may take place in a fragrance once its ingredients have been mixed together. Research also suggests that in the case of some apparently ‘innocent’ chemicals, the initial by-products of detoxification by the cytochrome P-450 liver enzymes can be more toxic than the original chemicals themselves.Unfortunately for those people who react adversely to these products, the trend is for ever stronger perfumes in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It’s becoming impossible to walk into a shop, wash clothes or even flush a toilet without being assailed by a waft of scents. Fragrances are added to virtually all cleaning compounds as well as to every conceivable cosmetic and toiletry item. A typical powder blusher contains 2 per cent perfume, for example. Perfumes can persist in the air and on furniture and clothing long after the person wearing them has gone. As a result of this continuous bombardment more and more people are suffering the consequences of being ‘zapped’ on a bus, in a theatre or restaurant by someone else’s scent. One of my patients told me: ‘I love perfume, but I just can’t wear any. I can sometimes use scented body creams on my arms and legs and the smallest dab at the back of my neck or behind the knees, but I cannot put any behind my ears or over my chest without experiencing severe hay-fever-like symptoms. If I get into a taxi with some of my girlfriends my eyes start to stream and my nose drips like a tap. It’s as if I’d got an instant cold. I ask, “Now girls, which of you has just put perfume on?” and one of them always has.’One reason why too little is known about such sensitivities is that the ingredients in a fragrance are some of the best-kept trade secrets. ‘Fragrances are the only chemicals widely available to the consumer for which toxicological studies are not mandatory/ says Dr Ian White of St John’s Dermatology Centre, St Thomas Hospital, London. He sees people who suffer skin damage from these products and thinks that fragrances and cosmetics should be treated like other chemicals and labelled with all ingredients. He is outraged at manufacturers’ claims that labelling would not help the consumer and would undermine commercial success. In the USA labelling is mandatory, but Dr White considers that US regulations do not go far enough. ‘Manufacturers list as “fragrance” any of some 3000 chemicals used. All of these are absorbed by the skin and through inhalation. It’s about time consumers were given precise information.’
Some Common Cosmetic IngredientsAcetone. A solvent used in nail polish remover and as a means of extracting ingredients from compounds.Synthetic alcohols. If you see this sign on a label, remember these are petroleum-based compounds, which have long been suspected of being carcinogenic.Aluminium. Many compounds used by the cosmetic industry contain this potentially toxic mineral which has been associated with senility and Alzheimer’s disease. It is also used quite extensively in pharmaceutical and toiletry products, especially anti-perspirants.Ammonium compounds. These are often listed as hazardous compounds by various authorities.Benzalkonium chloride. This preservative is used in some cosmetics to prevent the growth of bacteria.2-bromo-2 nitroproprane-1 3-diole. This synthetic chemical is sometimes used as a preservative and solvent.Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). A synthetic antioxidant often used to retard rancidity of oils in cosmetics.Mercury. Apart from in dental fillings, broken thermometers or fluorescent lights, this potentially lethal chemical can be found in some skin care products such as hair dyes, in fungicides and in contaminated fish.Colourants. These are usually divided into two groups. The first, ‘D and C, are colourants approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in drugs and cosmetics. The second group is called ‘FD and C, which means they are drugs that are also allowed in our foods. Most colour additives are dangerous, especially to asthmatics and other allergic individuals, because they contain synthetic coal tar substances and so-called ‘Azo’ dyes (artificial colourings). They are suspected to be a major cause of hyperactivity in children.Detergents. These are the synthetic chemical industry’s answer to plain old soap. Made from petroleum derivatives, they are not as biodegradable as soaps and may in fact harm your skin and hair permanently.Fluorinated hydrocarbons. Mostly used in aerosol cosmetics, these may well damage the environment and are certainly dangerous to your health. Use pump bottles and get a little extra exercise!Mineral oils. Most of these are manufactured from crude oil, the kind that goes in your car engine. They are a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons separated from petroleum. Apart from the possibility of causing allergies, these chemicals will, if taken with food, bind the fat-soluble vitamins (A, E and D) and could cause deficiencies of these vitamins.Methylene chloride. Also known as ‘carrene’ or ‘dichloromethane’, this is often used as an ingredient in hair sprays. It has recently been found to cause cancer in mice and may soon be banned by the FDA in the United States. The FDA calculated that, over a lifetime of use, hair-spray consumers may face one extra chance in a thousand of getting cancer. Professional hairdressers, says the study, may find their risk increase is ten times higher. No studies were made of the risks of drinking decaffeinated coffee).Its use in decaffeinated coffee, however, might continue in some countries because a limit of 10 parts per million, set twenty years ago for coffee, will remain operative. When buying ‘decaf it would pay to ask exactly how the brand you choose was processed. Recent tests showed that mice and rats exposed to methylene chloride got cancers of the liver and lungs and that the higher the dose, the more tumours appeared.*29\145\2*

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ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: THE INHALED ALLERGENS – OUTDOOR ALLERGENS -IDENTIFYING POLLEN ALLERGY

Author: admin

12 11th, 2010

In order to establish whether an asthma patient is allergic to pollens, and if so to which pollen, detailed investigations are necessary.

It is first necessary to find out which plants—trees, shrubs, grasses and weeds—are present in the area. This requires survey, identification and cataloguing of all perennial as well as seasonal plants.

The next step is to ascertain which pollens are present in the air in different months of the year in the area under study. This is done by exposing vaseline-coated glass slides, placed in an instrument called pollen-catcher, to the air. The pollen-catcher is placed on top of buildings, which have a free flow of air. The air borne pollens get trapped as they pass over the vaseline coated slides. These slides are then examined under a microscope and the type and number of different pollens are counted. This is done daily, throughout the year, for three to five years. The data from these extensive observations is analysed to know:

the types of pollens present in a given region

the months in which they are present, and

their respective quantities.

With this information the pollen calendar for the area is drawn up.

Knowledge of the pollen calendar of an area is absolutely necessary for investigating a case of asthma. If, for instance, an asthmatic child shows symptoms in March and April only, it is necessary to know which pollens are present in the air during these two months.

*26\260\8*

ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: THE INHALED ALLERGENS – OUTDOOR ALLERGENS -IDENTIFYING POLLEN ALLERGYIn order to establish whether an asthma patient is allergic to pollens, and if so to which pollen, detailed investigations are necessary.It is first necessary to find out which plants—trees, shrubs, grasses and weeds—are present in the area. This requires survey, identification and cataloguing of all perennial as well as seasonal plants.The next step is to ascertain which pollens are present in the air in different months of the year in the area under study. This is done by exposing vaseline-coated glass slides, placed in an instrument called pollen-catcher, to the air. The pollen-catcher is placed on top of buildings, which have a free flow of air. The air borne pollens get trapped as they pass over the vaseline coated slides. These slides are then examined under a microscope and the type and number of different pollens are counted. This is done daily, throughout the year, for three to five years. The data from these extensive observations is analysed to know:the types of pollens present in a given regionthe months in which they are present, andtheir respective quantities.With this information the pollen calendar for the area is drawn up.Knowledge of the pollen calendar of an area is absolutely necessary for investigating a case of asthma. If, for instance, an asthmatic child shows symptoms in March and April only, it is necessary to know which pollens are present in the air during these two months.*26\260\8*