Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology

Biography

Biography: Yalavarthy Prameela Devi

Abstract

Personal care products refer to a wide variety of items that are found in the health and beauty sections of drug and departmental stores. Some of these products are cosmetics which includes skin moisturizers, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail polishes, eye and facial makeup preparations, shampoos, hair colors, toothpastes and deodorants and also covers some drugs like skin protectants (lip balms and diaper ointments), mouthwashes marketed with therapeutic claims, antiperspirants and treatments for dandruff or acne. Most personal care products on the market contain toxic chemicals like triclosan, parabens, phthalates, synthetic colors, fragrance, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), formaldehyde and toluene. These chemicals linked to hormonal imbalance, reproductive health problems and even cancer. Many of these chemicals in personal care products have never been tested for safety and may also accumulate and interact in potentially harmful ways. The load adds up quickly day after day as we swallow, breathe in and lather up and these toxins enter into our bodies and may have lasting impact. Many people may not realize that ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products can enter into the environment and harm the environment and may have adverse effects on plants animals and humans. Sorption and photolytic degradation mitigate the availability of these chemicals to aquatic biota and the byproducts of such chemicals may be more resistant to degradation and have higher toxicity than the parent compound. We have studied the toxic effects of Triclosan, a high production volume ingredient used as a bactericide in personal care products such as toothpaste and deodorant, on bacteria, zooplankton and an aquatic fish, Channa punctatus, which is a very common edible fish in south India. We have selected these organisms as these are important in the ecosystem function and any possible damage to these organisms will have an adverse effect in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Acute toxicity evaluation of fish on LC₅₀, behavioral changes, biochemical and molecular alterations, histopathological changes were studied. Effects of triclosan on bacterial activity and on zooplankton were also evaluated. The result indicate that triclosan exerts a marked influence on the parameters tested which indicate that if triclosan is discharged into the environment at high levels, the possible destruction of the balance of the ecosystem is expected.