Don t sweat the little stuff

Will wearing an antiperspirant give you cancer? Not likely. But, the Journal of Applied Toxicology has just published one of the most nonsensical papers we ve seen in weeks, claiming that parabens, the bactericidal preservatives in underarm products, are associated with breast cancer.

These unlikely conclusions are based on data from tumor samples derived from from 40 women who d had a mastectomy for breast cancer. Dr. Philippa Darbre, a researcher at the University of Reading, and her colleagues found parabens in 158 of the 160 tissue samples taken from these women. Given that, according to the authors, parabens weakly mimic estrogen and a disproportionate number of breast tumors occur near the underarm, these researchers are expressing concern.

However, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of the study s conclusions. As ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava points out, there was no comparison group: What would they have found in tissue samples from women who had never had breast cancer? she asks. Probably the same levels of so-called toxic parabens.

Furthermore, there were seven women in the study who had never actually used an underarm product, but whose tissue samples nevertheless contained parabens further weakening the conclusion that deodorant use is linked to breast cancer. And, while the preservative is present in a variety of cosmetic products, the American Cancer Society has assured the public that there is no cause for alarm. As the group states on its website, There are no strong epidemiological studies in the medical literature that link breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use, and very little evidence to support this claim. We second that assertion.