Myths & Facts about Antiperspirants
A false email alleging a link between breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use first appeared in the late 1990s, but still resurfaces and re-circulates every year or two. If you do receive this email or a similar one, and you are worried by the contents, it is important to check the facts with a trusted source of information.
If the story is health-related, there are many reputable groups and websites offering information to patients and concerned individuals, and these are the best places to start checking whether or not the story you hear is fact or fiction. To find sources and more information, check the resources section of this website.
Here are some myths and facts you should know about antiperspirants:
Myth: The body flushes out harmful toxins by sweating so reducing underarm sweat through antiperspirant use allows these toxins to build up in breast tissue, leading to cancer.
Fact: Toxins are removed from the body through the liver and kidneys, and not through sweating. Experts agree that there is no evidence of toxins building up in the body as a result of using antiperspirants.
Myth: Because most people are right handed, and most breast cancers occur in the left breast, it is the antiperspirants that are causing this cancer.
Fact: Research in the late 1990s has attributed the prevalence of breast cancer in the left breast to development in the womb, during which time early growth of the heart in the left side of the chest means that additional blood supply is needed in this area. It is the extra arteries, veins, and capillaries on the left hand side of the chest that make the left breast more vulnerable to cancer, and not antiperspirants applied by right handed individuals.
Myth: Aluminium and zirconium salts in antiperspirants can get into the body through the underarm and build up in breast tissue, resulting in cancer.
Fact: There is no evidence to support this argument. In fact, scientific evidence that ingredients in antiperspirants do not cause breast cancer can be found in a large-scale study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October 2002.