Absence of Potential Carcinogenicity Associated with Hydrogen Peroxide Exposures. A. L. Lavin and J. M. DeSesso, Mitretek Systems
Humans are exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a result of its use in dental products such as mouthwash, toothpaste, and tooth-whitening systems. While these products are highly efficacious, questions regarding their safety have been raised related to the ability of H2O2 to produce reactive oxygen species in the body. Although H2O2 has produced positive results for genotoxicity in numerous in vitro assays, the addition of xogenous antioxidant enzymes to the test systems diminished or completely eliminated the genotoxic response. In addition, in vivo studies in mice, rats, and hamsters have failed to demonstrate any genotoxicity associated with H2O2 treatment. Numerous animal chronic tumorigenicity studies have also been performed; the great majority of these have been negative. The exception is a series of studies in which duodenal tumors were observed in mice as a result of chronic exposure to 0.4% H2O2 as the sole source of drinking water. These lesions, however, can be explained by greatly decreased fluid intake, resulting in dry gastrointestinal chyme that chronically abraded the doudenal lining proximal to the entry of the pancreatic duct (which transmits large volumes of pancreatic juices). Careful consideration of the data, including the reversibility of the lesions when mice were given free access to normal drinking water, suggests that the lesions were not caused by direct chemical activity and that these studies are inappropriate as a basis for human health risk assessment. In summary, this in-depth analysis supports the conclusion that H2O2 should not be considered a carcinogenic threat to human health.
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