Do shampoos and shower gels can cause cancer?

In the journal Cell appeared the publication of scientists who recently conducted a new study. This report caused a stir in the media, and they began to say that literally all the daily "chemistry" that we use can cause cancer. Obviously, such messages should be taken with a fair amount of sarcasm, and before making any conclusions, find out what exactly the authors of the study say.

Toxic substances

It was conducted under the guidance of scientists from the University of Cambridge, who studied the impact on human health can provide this class of chemicals, so aldehydes. Many flavors are aldehydes, and they are often found in vehicle exhaust, bath products, electronic cigarettes and building materials.

Scientists say that some aldehydes can interfere with the cellular mechanism of repair, so they decided to quantify their potentially carcinogenic effect. The team focused on formaldehydes and acetaldehydes.

Using a variety of female cancer cells incubated in these chemical compounds, the team compared the DNA present in them, before and after exposure. Particular attention was paid to the gene called BRCA2, as previous studies showed that any of its impairments lead to increased sensitivity to toxic chemicals and a change in chromosome structure.

Indeed, both aldehydes resulted in damage to BRCA2. If a person has only one working copy of this gene, his damage will lead to the failure of a key mechanism of protein recovery, which could potentially lead to cancer. That's why the mass media turned this report into a sensation and began to assert that many aldehydes contained in the usual products can increase the risk of cancer.

Key details

Nevertheless, they missed a few key details. First, the risk of developing cancer due to the use of shampoo or inhaling a small amount of vapor from electronic cigarettes is minimal. Secondly, most aldehydes exist not only in artificial products, but also in the environment.

Researchers also do not name the specific toxic level for these aldehydes, so it's completely unclear how much will be safe and which can cause real harm. Not all people are susceptible to the mutation of the BRCA2 gene, and it's still not clear why.

Are the scientists wrong?

This does not mean that mistakes were made in the study itself. The problem is that his results were distorted by the media. The study actually gives us a little idea of how important it is to study the risk of using aldehydes. However, it is incorrect to say that the use of shampoo or shower gel, for example, is an important cause of cancer in humans. The researchers only used biological models to show how specific chemicals called aldehydes can cause cancer.