HOW SAFE IS YOUR ANTIPERSPIRANT? by ANASTASIA STEPHENS.

Daily Mail Scientists at Reading University have published research that points to a possible link between the use of antiperspirants and rising rates of breast cancer.

Over the past 25 years, cases of breast cancer in Britain have doubled from about 20,000 a year in the late 1970s to almost 40,000 a year now.

During that period, deodorants have become very common in Britain. So what are the risks, and is there a way of eliminating them?

• What is the theory about a link between breast cancer and antiperspirants?

Antiperspirants contain chemicals such as zirconium and aluminium that are taken up through the hair shaft or pores in the skin, where they react with water and swell. This swelling forms a gel that blocks perspiration. As perspiration releases toxins from the body, researchers originally thought that blocking it could lead to a build-up of toxins in the lymph nodes in the armpit - and, over years, contribute to cancerous changes nearby, in the breast.

Researchers now think there may be another way in which antiperspirants may increase cancer risk. In lab tests, aluminium and zirconium have been found to enter cells and cause mutations in DNA that could lead to cancerous growth. They may also disrupt hormone levels.

• Aren't the levels of these chemicals too low to cause a problem?

Researchers say more work needs to be done on whether the small quantities of the chemicals found in antiperspirants may be dangerous. Yet small amounts used over a lifetime could have powerful effects.

Researchers also point out that breast cancer tumours - in women and men - tend to occur in the upper- outer section of the left breast.

• What other evidence is there for a link?

Statistics may suggest a link. Britain has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the world and every year almost 13,000 British women die from it. Britons are also among the biggest users of antiperspirant deodorants, getting through £300 millionworth of bottles each year.

The rising incidence of breast cancer in men may also suggest a connection. Breast cancer in men has doubled in the past three decades to 300 cases per year - a time frame that coincides with the increasing use of underarm products by men.

• Is there concern about children and teenagers using antiperspirant?

Philippa Darbre, senior cancer researcher at Reading University, says use of these products in prepubescent and teenage children should be 'a cause for concern'. Aluminium and zirconium may disrupt hormones - and unnecessary exposure to these at an important time in a child's development could damage health in a way that we don't yet know about.

• Which brands of antiperspirants contain suspect chemicals?

Leading brands such as Sure, Right Guard, Dove and Lynx all contain aluminiumbased and/or zirconium-based compounds. As these are the two main sweatblocking chemicals, it's hard to find an antiperspirant without them.

• Do deodorants also cause a risk?

As deodorants mask odour rather than block perspiration, they contain neither aluminium or zirconium compounds. Many deodorants use strong perfume to mask the smell of sweat.

Synthetic perfumes such as artificial musks and preservatives such as parabens are known to accumulate in the body and disrupt sex hormones - a factor that in itself may raise breast cancer risk.

• Is there a safe way of staying odour-free?

No natural products act as antiperspirants to block sweat. Deodorants containing natural anti-bacterial agents and perfumes can reduce body odour without the risk that synthetic chemicals pose. Health food shops sell deodorant 'crystals' made of ammonium alum. This is a natural salt that prevents the bacteria responsible for causing bad odour from growing.

Other natural deodorants, such as those by Greenpeople, contain zinc ricinoleate, a natural compound that 'locks' odour onto the skin's surface so it doesn't become airborne and smell. They also contain rosemary and lavender.
Because natural ingredients are weaker than synthetic versions, these deodorants tend to work for only six hours.