Aluminum in Deodorant

[Azure]

What is up with this lately? Seems like everyone and his dog is suddenly opposed to the use of deodorant because it contains aluminum which is 'supposed' to be unhealthy for you.

Most consumers don't know it, but antiperspirant deodorant products often contain extremely toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can cause severe harm to the human nervous system. To rub such products under the arms is inviting the absorption of these harmful chemicals, which many believe will inevitably lead to cancer or neurological problems (such as Alzheimer's disease).

http://www.naturalnews.com/027624_de...#ixzz27iXjXdei

I honestly don't care that much, but I would prefer not to work around people that reek with sweat.

[Azure]

Of course, its always fun to counter with facts, even if it falls on deaf ears.

In short: No. There is no real scientific evidence that aluminum or any of the other ingredients in these products pose any threat to human health.

"These products can be used with high confidence of their safety. They've been used for many years, and there's no evidence that suggests a problem," says John Bailey, PhD, chief scientist with the Personal Care Products Council, the trade association that represents the cosmetic and personal care products industry.

Antiperspirants have no proven impact on the risk of diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer's. "Breast cancer and Alzheimer's are two complicated diseases which are difficult to associate with one singular cause, such as antiperspirant/deodorant use," Paul Pestano, MS, research analyst with the Environmental Working Group, said in an e-mail interview.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-a...-safety?page=3

Now if only people would believe it and go back to using deodorant again.

[Knut]

^ If people are really concerned, they can use non-aluminum based Deodorant.


http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guid...s-risk-factors

Aluminum

One of the most publicized and controversial theories concerns aluminum, which became a suspect in Alzheimer's disease when researchers found traces of this metal in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Many studies since then have either not been able to confirm this finding or have had questionable results.

Aluminum does turn up in higher amounts than normal in some autopsy studies of Alzheimer's patients, but not in all. Further doubt about the importance of aluminum stems from the possibility that the aluminum found in some studies did not all come from the brain tissues being studied. Instead, some could have come from the special substances used in the laboratory to study brain tissue.

Aluminum is a common element in the Earth's crust and is found in small amounts in numerous household products and in many foods. As a result, there have been fears that aluminum in the diet or absorbed in other ways could be a factor in Alzheimer's. One study found that people who used antiperspirants and antacids containing aluminum had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. Others have also reported an association between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer's disease.

On the other hand, various studies have found that groups of people exposed to high levels of aluminum do not have an increased risk. Moreover, aluminum in cooking utensils does not get into food, and the aluminum that does occur naturally in some foods, such as potatoes, is not absorbed well by the body. On the whole, scientists can say only that it is still uncertain whether exposure to aluminum plays a role in Alzheimer's disease.

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerC...st-cancer-risk

Do antiperspirants increase a person's risk of breast cancer?

There are no strong epidemiologic studies in the medical literature that link breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use, and very little scientific evidence to support this claim.

In fact, a carefully designed epidemiologic study of this issue published in 2002 compared 813 women with breast cancer and 793 women without the disease. The researchers found no link between breast cancer risk and antiperspirant use, deodorant use, or underarm shaving.

A study published in 2003 looked at responses from questionnaires sent out to women who had breast cancer. The researcher reported that women who were diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age said they used antiperspirant and started shaving their underarms earlier and shaved more often than women who were diagnosed when they were older. But the study design did not include a control group of women without breast cancer and has been criticized by experts as not relevant to the safety of these underarm hygiene practices.

Probably, in general, younger women are more likely than older women to shave their underarms and use antiperspirants, whether or not they develop breast cancer later. For instance, most women born in the 1950s and 1960s may have started shaving earlier and using antiperspirants more often than women born in the 1930s and 1940s. Many women may also shave and use antiperspirants less often as they get older. These are more likely explanations of the researcher's findings than the suggestion that these practices cause cancer. Of note, the study asked about underarm products that the women were using at the time the questions were answered, not what they used before they developed breast cancer.

[Azure]

No idea. Most people I know who have an issue with this don't use deodorant at all. Its hard to be around them.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Azure

What is up with this lately? Seems like everyone and his dog is suddenly opposed to the use of deodorant because it contains aluminum which is 'supposed' to be unhealthy for you.

I honestly don't care that much, but I would prefer not to work around people that reek with sweat.

I just want to set the record straight. My dog is not opposed to the use of deodorant.

[nik-]

Most deodorants don't have aluminum. All anti-perspirants do.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Azure

Of course, its always fun to counter with facts, even if it falls on deaf ears.



http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-a...-safety?page=3

Now if only people would believe it and go back to using deodorant again.

What are the facts you state? Or because a "PhD said it, it must be true" ?

(Just curious/combative, I don't really have an issue on the topic. My girlfriend is a PhD/researcher in biology and has said that while not proven, she justifies using expensive forks/spoons/knives instead of my ####ty cheap onces I took with my airplane meals pre-911 because of Al being bad for you.)

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

What are the facts you state? Or because a "PhD said it, it must be true" ?

(Just curious/combative, I don't really have an issue on the topic. My girlfriend is a PhD/researcher in biology and has said that while not proven, she justifies using expensive forks/spoons/knives instead of my ####ty cheap onces I took with my airplane meals pre-911 because of Al being bad for you.)

In the past a few studies came out questioning it, but all recent studies have shown no link to problems related to Aluminum. Unless of course Big Aluminum is funding these studies.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Hesla

In the past a few studies came out questioning it, but all recent studies have shown no link to problems related to Aluminum. Unless of course Big Aluminum is funding these studies.

Science is funny that way, because "facts" can be vague. What I see in Azure's post is saying they are fact (based on scientific experiment) but really, you don't get black/white facts. One researcher might see linkage, what researcher may not. Empirical results don't give you a definite answer, and this doesn't look like its even a human model experiment (I think I'm using the right words here).... this is just statistics.

[Azure]

Well you won't get much black and white evidence in this case, so research that shows no link between aluminum and the various issues people are talking about are your 'facts.'

Otherwise I can claim that fluoride in water causes heart failure. Of course I have nothing to backup my claim, but because there are no 'facts' to dispute it, my claim is legitimate.

[TurnedTheCorner]

I've used deodorant for years for this reason. I want it to be aspartame or cholesterol that kills me.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Azure

Well you won't get much black and white evidence in this case, so research that shows no link between aluminum and the various issues people are talking about are your 'facts.'

Otherwise I can claim that fluoride in water causes heart failure. Of course I have nothing to backup my claim, but because there are no 'facts' to dispute it, my claim is legitimate.

Few issues with your post:
- if they aren't black and white, I don't think they're facts. Though I wouldn't be that concerned about it because of a thousand other things that are killing you slowly every day.
- you can't say there is no link. You can see the link is minimal and linkage makes it questionable, but you can't say there is no link. Also no control group.
- though you can say this is "research"... doesn't really sound like bomb proof scientific research. It looks more like statistics to me, with way too many variables to make this credible.

Your claim is legitimate, I'm just saying its not proven by fact; its proven by weak linkage (in a experiment that sounds pretty useless... but thats besides the point)

[Azure]

My point is that anyone can come out and claim that 'x' is harming us in certain ways. To me the burden of proof should be on them. Not on disproving it, which is what it seems they expect us to do. If it doesn't work that way, anyone can come up with a 'claim.'

I have personally never heard of anyone getting sick from using deodorant. But that doesn't stop the 'claims' that it can harm you.

[TurnedTheCorner]

You should correct the thread title.

[Azure]

What is wrong with the thread title?

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Azure

My point is that anyone can come out and claim that 'x' is harming us in certain ways. To me the burden of proof should be on them. Not on disproving it, which is what it seems they expect us to do. If it doesn't work that way, anyone can come up with a 'claim.'

I have personally never heard of anyone getting sick from using deodorant. But that doesn't stop the 'claims' that it can harm you.

Sure, I don't disagree with you there (RE: Al in deodorant; I'm not really anal enough to demand burden of proof for every thing a person does or doesn't do in a day).

Again - repeating for the 3rd time - there are no "facts" to prove that it doesn't.

I actually didn't even realize this was a problem... thought using deodorant was a given, as least in Canada.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Azure

What is wrong with the thread title?

You should read the replies in the thread and then correct the thread title.

[simmonjam1]

Isn't the aluminum in anti-persperant and not in deodorant?

[Flash Walken]

Just say it like weird Brits do, and you'll be fine

aluminIum.

Also, while I believe that the aluminium present in my anti-perspirent will eventually have detrimental effects on my health, those effects are negligible compared the environmental toxins present in every day living.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Al-you-minn-e-um.