000			02866cam a2200289 4500
001			9241571578
020			_a9241571578
035			_a(Sirsi) 9241571578
060			_aQD 341.P5
245	0	0	_aHydroquinone / _cpublished under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization.
260			_aGeneva : _bWorld Health Organization, _c1994.
300			_a178 p.
440		0	_aEnvironmental health criteria ; _v157
500			_aSummary and evaluation; conclusions and recommendations also in English and French.
520	3		_aEvaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by exposure to hydroquinone, a chemical found, in natural form, in a number of plants and animals. Hydroquinone is manufactured for a large variety of commercial applications, including use as a developer in black-and-white photography, in the production of medical and industrial X-ray films, in the manufacture of rubber antioxidants and antiozonants, and antioxidants for food preservation, and as a chemical intermediate for the production of agrochemicals and performance polymers. Hydroquinone and products containing hydroquinone are used in cosmetics and medical skin preparations as a depigmentation agent to lighten small areas of hyperpigmented skin and to treat various other disorders of pigmentation. The most extensive section evaluates studies of toxic effects in experimental animals and in vitro test systems. Particular attention is given to recent studies indicating that co-exposure to hydroquinone and various other phenolic compounds can greatly potentiate the toxic effects of the individual compounds, causing cytotoxic, immunotoxic, and genotoxic effects. Although data from human studies were judged inadequate to evaluate carcinogenic potential, the report notes a well-documented association between exposure to hydroquinone and various skin disorders. Long-term exposure to airborne hydroquinone has been observed to cause a range of ocular disorders. Citing evidence that skin-lightening creams containing hydroquinone are frequently inadequately labelled and contain concentrations exceeding the permitted limit, the report recommends that over-the-counter sale of these products be restricted. The report also calls for the development of health education programmes to discourage the use of these creams for whole body skin lightening.
546			_aeng.
550			_aWHODOC
561			_aWHO monograph
596			_a4
650	0	2	_aHydroquinones _xanalysis _xtoxicity.
650	0	2	_aEnvironmental exposure.
690			_aChemical Toxicology and Carcinogenicity.
710	2		_aWorld Health Organization.
710	2		_aInternational Programme on Chemical Safety.
008			940509s1994 1 0 eng
942			_2NLM _cMONOGRAPH
999			_c12413 _d12413