Medical and Hospital News  
INTERN DAILY
Study Suggests That Being Too Clean Can Make People Sick

There is growing concern among the scientific community and consumer groups that these EDCs are dangerous to humans at lower levels than previously thought.
by Staff Writers
Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Nov 30, 2010
Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.

Triclosan is a chemical compound widely used in products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, pens, diaper bags and medical devices.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in many plastics and, for example, as a protective lining in food cans. Both of these chemicals are in a class of environmental toxicants called endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which are believed to negatively impact human health by mimicking or affecting hormones.

Using data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, U-M researchers compared urinary BPA and triclosan with cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody levels and diagnosis of allergies or hay fever in a sample of U.S. adults and children over age 6. Allergy and hay fever diagnosis and CMV antibodies were used as two separate markers of immune alterations.

"We found that people over age 18 with higher levels of BPA exposure had higher CMV antibody levels, which suggests their cell-mediated immune system may not be functioning properly," said Erin Rees Clayton, research investigator at the U-M School of Public Health and first author on the paper.

Researchers also found that people age 18 and under with higher levels of triclosan were more likely to report diagnosis of allergies and hay fever.

There is growing concern among the scientific community and consumer groups that these EDCs are dangerous to humans at lower levels than previously thought.

"The triclosan findings in the younger age groups may support the 'hygiene hypothesis,' which maintains living in very clean and hygienic environments may impact our exposure to micro-organisms that are beneficial for development of the immune system," said Allison Aiello, associate professor at the U-M School of Public Health and principal investigator on the study.

As an antimicrobial agent found in many household products, triclosan may play a role in changing the micro-organisms to which we are exposed in such a way that our immune system development in childhood is affected.

"It is possible that a person can be too clean for their own good," said Aiello, who is also a visiting associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard.

Previous animal studies indicate that BPA and triclosan may affect the immune system, but this is the first known study to look at exposure to BPA and triclosan as it relates to human immune function, Aiello said.

One surprise finding is that with BPA exposure, age seems to matter, said Rees Clayton. In people 18 or older, higher amounts of BPA were associated with higher CMV levels, but in people younger than 18 the reverse was true.

"This suggests the timing of the exposure to BPA and perhaps the quantity and length of time we are exposed to BPA may be affecting the immune system response," Rees Clayton said.

This is just the first step, she said, but a very important one. Going forward, researchers would like to study the long-term effects of BPA and triclosan in people to see if they can establish a causal relationship.

One limitation of the study is that it measured disease and exposure simultaneously and thus shows only part of the picture, Aiello said.

"It is possible, for example, that individuals who have an allergy are more hygienic because of their condition, and that the relationship we observed is, therefore, not causal or is an example of reverse causation," Aiello said.

The paper, "The Impact of Bisphenol A and Triclosan on Immune Parameters in the U.S. Population," appears online in Environmental Health Perspectives Nov. 30.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
University of Michigan
Hospital and Medical News at InternDaily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


INTERN DAILY
A USB For Medical Diagnosis
Davis CA (SPX) Nov 30, 2010
Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a plug-in interface for the microfluidic chips that will form the basis of the next generation of compact medical devices. They hope that the "fit to flow" interface will become as ubiquitous as the USB interface for computer peripherals. UC Davis filed a provisional patent on the invention Nov. 1. A paper describing the devices was pub ... read more







INTERN DAILY
Nearly 100 children hurt in China school stampede: report

S.Korea activists urge rescue of dogs left on shelled island

Seven killed as bridge collapses in China

Chaotic quake-hit Haiti votes for a new leader

INTERN DAILY
Space Ministers Emphasise Priority To Deliver Galileo And GMES

New Simulator Offers Ability To Record And Replay GLONASS And GPS

Russia To Launch New Generation Satellite In 2013

SkyTraq Introduces New GLONASS/GPS Receiver

INTERN DAILY
Apes Unwilling To Gamble When Odds Are Uncertain

Jet-Lagged And Forgetful? It's No Coincidence

Single drop of blood could reveal age

Study Reveals Neural Basis Of Rapid Brain Adaptation

INTERN DAILY
Mystery Dissolves With Calcium Pump Discovery

Size Of Mammals Exploded After Dinosaur Extinction

Whale Sharks Do The Math To Avoid That Sinking Feeling

Koalas Are Picky Leaf-Eaters

INTERN DAILY
AIDS awareness boosts global health funding

Haiti cholera death toll rises to 1,751

Up to nine cholera cases in Dominican Republic

Death toll from Haiti cholera rises to 1,721

INTERN DAILY
Chinese micro-blog re-emerges after shutdown

Empty chair for Liu at Nobel ceremony: activist

China harassing Mongols ahead of dissident release: activist

China overturns 10 percent of death sentences

INTERN DAILY
Piracy sidelines third of Taiwan's Indian Ocean tuna fleet

Dutch navy arrests 20 Somalis over S.African yacht attack

Chinese crew fights off pirates near Somalia

Pirates seize ship with 29 Chinese sailors aboard: Xinhua

INTERN DAILY
Outside View: Stocks a sucker bet?

Walker's World: Can the euro survive?

Computer meltdown leaves millions of Aussies without cash

Hong Kong developers slam 'heavy' property cooling measures


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement