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Prevalence of endocrine disorders among children exposed to Lavender Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oils

Jessie Hawkins1, Christy Hires1, Elizabeth Dunne1

  • 1Franklin Health Research Center, 1650 Murfreesboro Rd., Suite 156, Franklin, TN, 37067, USA.

International Journal of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|June 6, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Regular exposure to lavender or tea tree essential oils in children showed no increased risk of endocrine disruption, including prepubertal gynecomastia. This study found no link between these popular essential oils and endocrine disorders in children.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Lavender and tea tree essential oils are widely used in consumer products.
  • Concerns exist regarding their potential endocrine-disrupting effects in children.
  • Previous research lacked epidemiological data on this specific concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of endocrine disruption in children aged 2-15.
  • To evaluate the association between lavender/tea tree essential oil exposure and endocrine outcomes.
  • To investigate the proposed link to prepubertal gynecomastia.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study design involving parents of children in the United States.
  • Assessed prevalence of endocrine disruption and specific conditions like prepubertal gynecomastia.
  • Compared endocrine disorder risk between children exposed and unexposed to lavender/tea tree essential oils.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of endocrine disruption was 0.016 in 556 children (mean age 6.33).
  • No cases of prepubertal gynecomastia were observed; other endocrine conditions were within population norms.
  • Risk of endocrine disorders did not significantly differ between exposed (0.0194) and unexposed (0.0069) groups (RR 2.796, P=.458).

Conclusions:

  • Regular exposure to lavender or tea tree essential oils does not increase the risk of endocrine disorders in children.
  • Findings do not support a link between these essential oils and endocrine disruption in the pediatric population.
  • Further research can build upon these epidemiological findings regarding essential oil safety.
Abstract

Keywords:
AromatherapyEndocrine disruptionLavender essential oilPrecocious pubertyPrepubertal gynecomastiaTea tree essential oil

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