Description

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) are synthetic surfactants used in some detergents and cleaning products.  APEs are made from and break down into alkylphenols, which are used as antioxidants in plastics and rubber products. APES and/or other alkyphenol derivatives are also used in pesticides, lube oil, hair dyes and other hair care products, and as nonoxynol-9 in spermicides. The most common APEs are nonylphenol ethoxylates.

Two alkyphenols, nonylphenol and octylphenol, are suspected hormone disruptors; they have been shown to mimic the hormone estrogen. APEs do not biodegrade easily after they are washed down the drain. As a result, nonylphenol has been found in water and sediment downstream from sewage treatment plants, paper pulp mills, and industrial facilities. Some studies have found altered reproduction, feminization, hermaphrodism, and lower survival rates in salmon and other fish living in nonylphenol-contaminated water. These effects have been found in wildlife even at low doses.

Nonylphenol has also been detected in a wide range of foods.

APEs are identified in the ingredient list on the labels for personal care products and spermicides. However, they are rarely listed on household products like cleaners, detergents, and pesticides. You can find out which brands contain APEs through the http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/” target="_blank">National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database. 

Health Effects

Immediate Health Effects

• If SWALLOWED, alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates is Moderately Toxic
• If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates is Moderately Toxic
• If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates is Not Available

Longterm or Delayed Health Effects

• This chemical is considered an Unclassifiable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency.
• Suspected Endocrine Disruptor = May interfere with, mimic or block hormones

Other

• The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has warned that personal care products made with ethoxylated surfactants (identified by the suffix “-oxynol") may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen that readily penetrates the skin. It can be removed during the manufacturing process, but it is unclear whether this is done by manufacturers.
• Alkylphenols and APEs have not been evaluated for carcinogenicity by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection or the National Toxicology Program.  As a result we cannot classify these chemicals for cancer-causing effects.
• Some alkylphenols can mimic the hormone estrogen. Exposure could potentially disrupt the body’s natural hormone signals that regulate reproduction and development. Nonylphenol and octylphenol have been found to cause estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to multiply in a test tube, and animal studies have found smaller testicles and decreased sperm counts in rats whose mothers were exposed to octylphenol in the womb.

Solutions

How to detect alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates

How to minimize exposure to alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates

Alternatives

For More information

Books, articles, factsheets and reports

Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment. National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Committee on Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment, 1999.

http://books.nap.edu/books/0309064198/html/index.html

Other government agencies

Nonprofit organizations

Other websites

Our Stolen Future

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org

Pesticide Action Network Pesticides Database

http://www.pesticideinfo.org

National Library of Medicine's Household Products Database

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

Print This Page | Email a friend

Back to full list