EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/645

(2004/C 78 E/0686)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3811/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: The spread of androgenetic alopecia

According to research carried out by the Dermatology Department of California University in San Francisco 15 % of adolescents under 17 are losing their hair, the average age of onset being 14 for girls and 16 for boys. The Dermatology Faculty of Bologna University carried out a four-year study on children aged 6 to 10 who showed signs of baldness. All of them had parents suffering from androgenetic alopecia. But what are the possible causes of premature baldness? The ‘Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology’ has published the findings of research carried out by the dermatologist Antonella Tosti at Bologna University, which summarise the causes of the phenomena: an early onset of adrenarche, the hormonal process which starts two or three years before puberty, a high glycaemic diet, which may speed up the onset of the pre-pubertal phase, the use of cosmetic products containing estrogens and placenta and contamination of food with estrogen hormones.

In view of the risks to young people of this pathology — since very early baldness may be a warning of other dysfunctions — can the Commission say:

— whether it is aware of the problem;

— whether it does not consider that governments should be made aware of this disease and the need to step up controls on cosmetic products and foodstuffs likely to contain placenta and/or estrogen hormones?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2004)

Androgenetic alopecia causes hair loss in men and women and is characterized as hormonally driven hair loss in the genetically susceptible individual. The epidemiology of androgenetic alopecia is not fully understood. A strong genetic basis has long been identified but little is known of its non-genetic causes. Recent research (1) on the epidemiology of the disease suggested that evidence for environmental influences remains very slight. Dr A. Tosti has reported about 20 cases of unexplained and very early baldness, most patients belonging to genetically predisposed families. Since early baldness has an endocrine component, intake of compounds containing estrogens was suspected as a concurrent factor. Due to the limitations of the studies further evidence is required.

The Commission has sponsored numerous projects that are elucidating the effects of endocrine disrupting substances, including estrogens, on various organs in the human body (2). Many of them focus on food as an intake route. The Commission expects the results, when available, to contribute to the Regulation of chemical substances (authorisation or restriction). The Eurisked project (3) in particular, includes studies on the effects on estrogens present in cosmetic products, which will contribute to the risk assessment and regulation later on regarding cosmetic products. In an ongoing call, with a deadline in February 2004 launched by Priority 5 (Food Quality and Safety) of the 6th Framework Programme, research proposals are solicited on early onset of puberty, which appears to have strong similarities with the phenomenon of androgenetic alopecia. Once a project or projects in this domain have been selected and funded, the Commission can, in the negotiation phase, seek to ensure that the research to be undertaken includes studies on this phenomenon.

The Member States and the Commission discuss regularly the public health priorities in the Union in the context of the public health programme. This problem has not been prioritised during the discussions on the work programmes for 2003 or 2004.

Cosmetic products are regulated by Council Directive 76/768/EEC of 27 July 1976 (4). The Directive states, as a general principle that only cosmetic products that do not cause damage to human health can be put on the market (Article 2 of the Directive).

The Directive includes specific measures, for example certain ingredients must not form part of a cosmetic product. Annex II of the Directive lists ‘estrogens’ as No 260. Therefore, estrogens are banned in cosmetic products. Placenta is not listed in the inventory of cosmetic ingredients used in cosmetic products (Commission Decision 96/335/EC of 8 May 1996 establishing an inventory and a common nomenclature of ingredients employed in cosmetic products) (5). It is a raw material used to produce the following cosmetic ingredients: hydrolyzed human placental protein; hydrolyzed placental protein; placental enzymes; placental lipids; placental protein. These ingredients are obtained from mammalian placenta, but are not allowed to contain estrogens.

Article 3 of the Directive stipulates that Member States should take all necessary measures to ensure that only cosmetic products which conform to the provisions of this Directive and its Annexes may be put on the market.

The use of hormones for growth promotion in livestock is prohibited in the Community since 1988. The legislation currently in force is Council Directive 96/22/EC of 29 April 1996 concerning the prohibition on the use in stockfarming of certain substances having a hormonal or thyrostatic action and of beta-agonists (6), as amended by Directive 2003/74/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 (7).

(1) Severi G et al. Br J Dermatol. 2003 Dec;149(6):1207-13.

(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/endocrine/index_en.html

(3) http://www.eurisked.org/index.htm

(4) OJ L 262, 27.9.1976.

(5) OJ L 132, 1.6.1996.

(6) OJ L 125, 23.5.1996.

(7) OJ L 262, 14.10.2003.