Could your deodorant cause cancer?

Heather Little-White • Contributor

As technology advances communication, several health myths are perpetuated very quickly and continue to scare millions of people worldwide via the World Wide Web. At times, it is very difficult to discern the truth about the stories, as they are sent without scientific evidence and commentary from respected persons in the field.

The deodorant/antiperspirant debate has been making the rounds, to the extent that some people get so paranoid about its use out of a fear for getting cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.

The first stories alleging a link between breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use started with the original email in the late 1990s, and it is still circulating today. Instead of being alarmed by the email allegations, you should check the facts. In the face of the debate, there are reputable health-related groups which posit scientific information on the truth of the story to help you make informed choices about personal care.

History of deodorants

Deodorants and antiperspirants date back to a period after World War II when more people were employed in offices and sweating was less acceptable in that environment compared to pre-war days when perspiration was more common in factories and outdoors.

In some countries, though, men accept sweating as natural and being manly. In parts of Asia, people rub their armpits with alum, with active ingredients like modern antiperspirants. In other parts of Asia, lime juice is applied to the armpit and a traditional remedy in Russia is apple vinegar.

Why you sweat?

People sweat because of the body's natural response to cooling the body, while ridding the body of impurities. Sweating occurs to keep your body temperature in balance - that is heat entering the body should be the same as the heat going out.

The sweat glands in the skin facilitate perspiration. It is the endocrine glands which are responsible producing the water-based fluid with some waste from the body and which is responsible for underarm wetness.

Another sweat gland is the apocrine gland, which produces a secretion that breaks down on the surface of the skin, attacking bacteria, resulting in the odour associated with sweat.

Sweating also takes place in emotional situations when a person becomes nervous or embarrassed. (deodorantinfo.com)

Deodorants or antiperspirants?

There is a distinct difference between antiperspirants and deodorants. Antiperspirants contain powerful astringents such as aluminium, which reduces sweating by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores so that sweat cannot be released. It is the aluminium that is claimed to accumulate in the brain, resulting in Alzheimer's disease. This is still to be scientifically proven by organisations such as the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

Deodorants work by neutralising the odour of sweat and by providing antiseptic action against bacteria. Deodorants are preferable because they do not interfere with sweating, a process that naturally cools the body.

Natural deodorant

Interestingly, it is bacteria on your skin, not the perspiration itself, that creates the smell after you get active. Natural deodorants still allow your body to sweat and prevent odour. In place of commercial deodorant, you could use baking soda, which neutralises the odour. For application, sprinkle a light covering of baking soda on to a damp washcloth and pat on the underarm and leave on the skin (www.care2.com/greenliving).

You can ask someone who knows to recommend a safe deodorant or you can get innovative and make your own. Natural deodorant can allay your fears about using deodorants with aluminium.

Read labels

In selecting underarm care items, it is advisable to avoid antiperspirants which block the natural process of sweating and do not release toxins through the pores. As with any other product, it is important to read labels when purchasing deodorants. The ingredients in many deodorants/antiperspirants could endanger your health. Watch out for any ingredient with the word 'aluminium' in it. Aluminium, as a metal, has been theorised to bring on Alzheimer's disease.

Aluminium-based ingredients

Aluminium-based compounds are the active ingredient in antiperspirants which form a temporary plug within the sweat duct, stopping the flow of sweat to the skin's surface. There is a suggestion that aluminium-based compounds, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and cause oestrogen-like (hormonal) effects. Oestrogen is known to promote the growth of breast-cancer cells, leading to the theory that aluminium-based compounds in antiperspirants may contribute to the development of breast cancer.

People are becoming more concerned about deodorants with aluminium. During its development, there were issues with the level of aluminium in the product which would eat through and damage clothing because of high acidity levels. The levels of acidity in the product were not lowered or eliminated, but masked by other products to help counteract the high acid level.

What is the effect on your skin? You may notice a rash, a red burn, skin blemishes, or experience severe irritation in your underarms. You may want to change your deodorant when this happens.

Antiperspirant is also still known to damage clothing. Although it may not eat through and destroy fabric, it has been known to cause severe staining and stiffness in the cloth. Yellow stains, bleached-out patches and stiff sections in the underarms of your clothes are really the result of aluminium, not sweat. There are a number of non-aluminium-based deodorants on the market that can be used to reduce the level of skin irritation and clothing damage you may experience.

Paraben preservative

It is also advisable to avoid parabens (such as methylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben), which have been found in breast-cancer tumours. Parabens are preservatives used in some deodorants and antiperspirants that have been shown to imitate the activity of oestrogen in the body's cells. Research is continuing to determine if there is a link between parabens in deodorant and antiperspirants and cancers.

Other ingredients to avoid are propylene glycol, steareth, talc and triclosan. There are also ingredients which you may or may not know about which act like oestrogen and can upset your hormonal balance. The National Library of Medicine's Household Products Database also has information about the ingredients used in most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants. This database is available at http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm.

Commercial manufacture

According to Christine Farlow, 'The Ingredients Investigator' and author of the book Dying To Look Good, you use your deodorants confidently with the belief that manufacturers must test the ingredients and products before they are marketed. However, Farlow posits that the law does not require manufacturers to test their products for safety. With the exception of colours and a few banned ingredients, "manufacturers can use any raw material they want as an ingredient in your deodorant. Most of the ingredients used in deodorant and other personal-care products have not been fully tested and many have never been tested at all".

The US-based Cosmetic Ingredient Review was established in 1976 to evaluate the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics and personal-care products. However, safety assessments have been slow on commonly used ingredients in cosmetic and personal-care products, including deodorants. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages manufacturers to conduct the tests necessary to substantiate the safety of their products but it is not mandated by law that the FDA test their products for safety before they reach the marketplace.

Cancer link

The news making the hot rounds recently is that there is a possible association with deodorants and breast cancer. Further, it also touted that there is the possibility that aluminium in deodorants may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. It is theorised that certain ingredients in underarm antiperspirants or deodorants may cause breast cancer because they are applied frequently to an area next to the breast. However, researchers at the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, have no conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer (www.cancer.gov).

A report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Davis, Mirick, and Thomas) reported the results of a study looking for a relationship between breast cancer and underarm antiperspirants/ deodorants, which did not show any increased risk for breast cancer in women who reported using an underarm antiperspirant or deodorant.

Further research

Breast cancer has been extensively investigated by scientists around the world and the vast majority agree that use of antiperspirants is not a risk factor. More research is needed specifically to examine whether the use of deodorants or antiperspirants can cause the build-up of parabens and aluminium-based compounds in breast tissue. Additional research is also necessary to determine whether these chemicals can either alter the DNA in some cells or cause other breast cell changes that may lead to the development of breast cancer.

Heather Little-White, PhD, is a nutrition and lifestyle consultant in Kingston. Email comments to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.

Making your own

Basic deodorant powder

Ingredients

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup cornstarch

A few drops of essential oils such as lavender or cinnamon

Method

Place the ingredients in a glass jar. Shake to blend. Sprinkle a light covering of the powder on a damp washcloth. Pat on. Don't rinse.

Basic liquid deodorant

Ingredients

1/4 cup each witch hazel extract, aloe vera gel, and mineral water

1 tsp vegetable glycerin

Method

A few drops antibacterial essential oils such as lavender (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

Makes 3/4 cup

Shelf life: Indefinite

Source: Annie Bond