Could Skin Application of Cleansing Detergents be Teratogenic? : Course of the Successive Joint Studies and Interpretation of the Results

Abstract

Several reports made by the Mikami's group (Dept. of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Mie University) during 1973-1975 stated that the skin application of various neutral cleansing detergents or their surfactants to pregnant mice and rats showed a definite teratogenicity. In order to scrutinize the above reports, the Environment Sanitation Bureau of the Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare planned and promoted a series of group studies in the past 3 years. Since the author participated in and presided these group studies, the experiences and the views acquired during the whole period was introduced in this review. The group studies consist of a) the health science project sponsored by the Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare (1973), b) the special research promotion project entitled "Safety of Neutral Cleansing Detergents" which was sponsored by the Science and Technology Agency (1973), and c) the joint study on the teratogenicity of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) (1975). It should be noted that the results of the project c) (in which all investigators including Dr. Mikami followed precisely the same protocol) failed to support the reports made so far by Mikami's group. The reason for this disparity between previous positive results by Mikami's group and the negative results obtained by all other researchers was discussed.