GCH Research

New study finds associations between use of skin care products and exposure to potential developmental toxicants

mthomp7 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:15:40 +0000

New study finds associations between use of skin care products and exposure to potential developmental toxicants mthomp7 Wed, 09/04/2024 - 09:15

In This Story

Michael S. Bloom, PhD, MS, FACE

Use of skin care products is associated with exposure to phthalates and phthalate-replacement chemicals in young children, according to the new and first-of-its-kind study at ��AV's College of Public Health.

A new study led by primary investigator Michael S. Bloom, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason’s College of Public Health, has found that use of skin care products including lotions, hair oils, hair conditioners, ointments, and sunscreen is associated with higher levels of phthalates in children’s urine. The associations depend in part upon the child’s racial and ethnic identity and their sex as assigned at birth. The study was co-authored by two George Mason Master of Public Health alumni, Juliana Clark and Kelly Garcia.

A new study led by primary investigator Michael S. Bloom has found that use of skin care products including lotions, hair oils, hair conditioners, ointments, and sunscreen is associated with higher levels of phthalates in children’s urine. Photo by Michelle Thompson/College of Public Health

“This is the first study to suggest that different skin care products used by young children may differentially increase exposure to endocrine-disrupting phthalates and phthalate replacements in young children,” said Bloom.

Phthalates and phthalate-replacement compounds are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they may interfere with the body’s hormones. Exposure to these chemicals in early childhood has been associated with neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and metabolic disease concerns in previous studies. Some of these chemicals are often used as carriers for the active ingredients in skin care products; others may be used in plastic packaging.

The study collected medical data from 630 children between the ages of 4 and 8 from 10 different sites across the United States, including a clinical examination and a urinalysis. The child’s parent or guardian was also asked to complete a survey within 24 hours prior to the child’s examination, which included questions regarding the child’s sociodemographic information (race/ethnic identity, sex assigned at birth, etc.). It also asked parents to list all the skin care products, including lotions, soaps, shampoos, oils, and cosmetics, that were applied to the child’s skin in the 24 hours prior to their examination, with as much specificity as possible regarding the product type and brand or generic name.

“We found associations between recent use of different skin care products and higher concentrations of phthalate and phthalate-replacement compounds,” said Bloom. “There were different relationships between the use of skin care products and the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in children depending on their racial and ethnic identities and their sex assigned at birth. We also found that distinct patterns of using multiple skin care products were predictive of higher concentrations of phthalates and phthalate replacements.”

While Bloom and his team say that further studies are necessary to confirm these findings, the results suggest that children in different racial and ethnic groups may experience different levels of risk for exposure to phthalates. In particular, they found the highest levels of phthalates and phthalate replacements in the urine of non-Hispanic Black participants. The differences may correlate to brand availability and preferences, methods and timing of product application, and/or the frequency of use by children with different racial and ethnic identities.

“The results can inform policies to address the use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in skin care products that may be used on children and to help advise parents’ decisions about using products to limit their children’s exposure to potential developmental toxicants,” said Bloom.

“Impact of skin care products on phthalates and phthalate replacements in children: the ECHO-FGS” was published online in Environmental Health Perspectives in September 2024. This research was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) study.

Additional authors include: Juliana Clark, ��AV; John L. Pearce, Medical University of South Carolina; Pamela L. Ferguson, Medical University of South Carolina; Roger B. Newman, Medical University of South Carolina; James R. Roberts, Medical University of South Carolina; William A. Grobman, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Anthony C. Sciscione, Christiana Care Health System; Daniel W. Skupski, New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital; Kelly E. Garcia, ��AV; John E. Vena, Medical University of South Carolina; Kelly J. Hunt, Medical University of South Carolina; the ECHO-FGS study group.

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Master of Public Health

Environmental Chemicals

Research

New research describes the leisure motivations that underpin young U.S. adults' recreational cannabis use

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 15:40:21 +0000

New research describes the leisure motivations that underpin young U.S. adults' recreational cannabis use Mary Cunningham Mon, 06/10/2024 - 11:40

In This Story

Iulia Fratila, PhD

As of 2024, 24 states including Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., have legalized the adult recreational use of cannabis. As laws change, citizens' perceptions of the drug and reasons for using the drug have also shifted. In 2020, 34.5% of adults aged 18–25 reported using cannabis in the previous 12 months, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Health experts seek to better understand the broader implications of legalization and individuals’ motivations and attitudes related to cannabis use.

Iulia Fratila, assistant professor in ��AV’s College of Public Health

New qualitative research by Iulia Fratila, assistant professor in ��AV’s College of Public Health, and Liza Berdychevsky, associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, describes in what ways young adults (aged 18–30) view cannabis as a recreational and leisure pursuit.

“Recreational cannabis legalization and liberalization is shifting across U.S. states. More holistic approaches to understanding perceptions of cannabis benefits and leisure motivations are scarce due to the longstanding criminalization of cannabis,” said Fratila, the principal investigator. “This research provides novel insights into cannabis users' leisure motivations of use and perceived benefits, which can be leveraged strategically in public health and drug education efforts in the societal transition from criminalization to normalization and commercialization trends concerning cannabis.”

Participants in Fratila and Berdychevsky’s study suggest cannabis can offer a leisure state of mind (e.g., experiencing flow, relaxation, and meditative state), as well as represent a leisure pursuit reserved for free time (e.g., using cannabis as a reward for free, post-obligations time outside of daily demands). Additionally, participants described how cannabis serves as a leisure activity itself (i.e., the act of getting high) and/or as an activity that accompanies other leisure pursuits and socialization (e.g., getting high and going to the movies), while providing pleasurable outcomes (e.g., feeling enjoyment, engaging in humor, enhancing senses).

“Participants discussed the ways that their recreational cannabis consumption represents a controlled and calculated risk-benefit leisure choice that is successfully managed for their overall well-being. Their narratives highlight that this perceived leisure pursuit does not necessarily interfere with their otherwise productive lives,” said Fratila.

These insights can inform harm reduction approaches to cannabis education that may be more effective considering the cannabis legalization and liberalization landscape. Health educators and health promoters can discuss cannabis risks and potential negative health outcomes while acknowledging the desired benefits cannabis users anticipate.

Fratila warns about the impacts of widespread legalization and the emerging recreational cannabis markets, which highlights another meaningful implication connected to the study findings. “Under prohibitory regulations, recreational cannabis use has been explicitly framed as deviant, criminal, harmful, life-wrecking, and void of any potentially desirable leisure qualities (e.g., pleasure, socialization). This study showcases the cannabis users’ understanding of cannabis as normative recreation and the anticipated leisure benefits,” said Fratila.

She further explained, “However, this is a cautionary tale because these desirable qualities may be easily exploited. More specifically, society may be facing a new conundrum with the commercialization of recreational cannabis as the switch from criminalization to commercialization overly simplifies and glamorizes the leisure meanings of cannabis for profitable gain.”

Public health experts and scholars will need to be at the front lines, in collaboration with other fields, to monitor how cannabis is repositioned and accommodated in a cannabis-friendly society, according to Fratila. Specifically, it will be important to spearhead effective health promotion efforts that minimize any related harms and maximize well-being.

This was a qualitative research project utilizing hermeneutic phenomenology, a research method to study how experiences affect everyday practices, and in-depth interviewing with 16 individuals (ages 18–30) living in the U.S. states with legalized recreational cannabis.

“Phenomenological Exploration of Young Adults’ Recreational Cannabis Use Experiences and Associated Leisure Meanings” was published in the Journal of Leisure Research in June 2024. This research was not funded.

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