Perfume Fears

By MIRROR REPORTER

Pregnant women were urged yesterday to stop using perfumes amid fears they could cause unborn boys to suffer infertility or cancer in later life.

Research on rats found male foetuses could be damaged by chemicals found in cosmetics leading to infertility or testicular cancer.

Prof Richard Sharpe, from the UK Medical Research Council’s Human Sciences Unit, said the study had discovered a "time window" of eight to 12 weeks gestation, when certain hormones are activated and the male reproductive system comes into being.

He said: "Women could stop using body creams and perfumes. Although we do not have conclusive evidence that they do harm, there are components about which there are question marks."

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