Does shampoo pose risk to pregnant women?

A preservative commonly found in cosmetics such as shampoo and moisturizers harms developing nerve cells, according to a controversial study.
But claims that the compound may therefore pose a risk to unborn babies have provoked concern from other scientists, who are worried that such assertions may create unnecessary panic.
Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) is widely used in hand creams, shampoos and other cosmetics. It kills bacteria, making it easier to store the lotions for longer periods of time without colonies of microbes developing.
Safety tests have previously found that the chemical may cause slight skin irritation in susceptible people1. But Elias Aizenman, a neurobiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says that he could not find any information about the chemical's impact on developing nerve cells.