Posted 21 March 2018
Young boys receiving regular exposure to essential oils such as lavender or tea tree oil could be at risk of a rare condition that makes their breast tissue swell abnormally, a new study suggests.
The findings, being presented this week, add further evidence that certain plant-derived oils contain chemicals capable of disrupting human hormones – a stark reminder that just because these extracts come from nature, they aren’t necessarily good for us.
“Our society deems essential oils as safe,” says developmental biologist J. Tyler Ramsey from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
“However, they possess a diverse amount of chemicals and should be used with caution because some of these chemicals are potential endocrine disruptors.”