Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Policy

Isothiazolinone preservatives

January 23, 2006 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 84, Issue 4

We at Rohm and Haas read with interest "Keeping Well-Preserved" (C&EN, Nov. 14, 2005, page 25), your article about cosmetic preservatives and the attendant reference to isothiazolinones.

As a class, isothiazolinone preservatives are currently approved for use in numerous applications, including cosmetic products. Assessment of the safe use of isothiazolinone preservatives in this diverse range of applications has necessitated the generation of data from a comprehensive battery of toxicological tests. These tests covered the spectrum of toxicological end points from acute toxicity through to carcinogenicity. Included in this battery of tests were a range of in vitro and in vivo mutagenicity tests, which covered the full range of end points, from point mutation to chromosome aberrations.

From the results obtained in this battery, the overall conclusion is that the isothiazolinone preservatives do not pose a mutagenic risk to humans. Further support for the lack of toxicity for DNA [genotoxicity] can be drawn from the carcinogenicity studies performed on a representative isothiazolinone preservative, chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMI/MI). In both the rat and the mouse, CMI/MI was shown to be noncarcinogenic.

Our data packages have been subjected to extensive regulatory review by U.S., European, Japanese, and other regulatory authorities, and in all cases the chemistries have been approved for use in the applications in which they are currently used. In conclusion, isothiazolinones are clearly safe preservatives. There is no credible scientific basis for suggesting otherwise today.

As one of many producers of isothiazolinones, we appreciate the opportunity to present the facts.

Michael F. Wooder
Rohm and Haas, U.K.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.