Antibacterial chemicals in C&T products may cause allergy risk in children
According to new research by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
New research by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center has suggested that exposure to common antibacterial chemicals in personal care products including soaps, mouthwashes and toothpastes, could possible lead to a range of food and environmental allergies in children. The findings have been published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Using existing data from a national health survey of 860 children aged 6-18, Johns Hopkins researchers examined the relationships between a child’s urinary levels of antibacterials and preservatives found in many C&T products and the presence of IgE antibodies in the child’s blood – these are chemicals which rise in response to an allergen and are markedly elevated in people with allergies.
Allergy and immunology fellow at Johns Hopkins, Jessica Savage MD, said: “We saw a line between level of exposure, measured by the amount of antimicrobial agents in the urine and allergy risk, indicated by circulating antibodies to specific allergens.”
However, the researchers caution that the findings do not demonstrate that antibacterials and preservatives themselves cause the allergies in children, but instead suggest that these agents play a role in immune system development.
Savage added: “The link between allergy risk and antimicrobial exposure suggests that these agents may disrupt the delicate balance between beneficial and bad bacteria in the body and lead to immune system dysregulation, which in turn raises the risk of allergies.”