Email health scares: Separating the facts from the hype

February 9, 2000
Web posted at: 8:24 AM EST (1324 GMT)

In this story: Can antiperspirants cause breast cancer? Tampons: The asbestos/dioxin scare Do your own research RELATEDS

(WebMD) -- The Internet has made it simple for women to pass around health information with a click of the mouse. It has also made it possible for certain health claims, such as the alleged dangers of everyday products, to gain steam as women carry on discussions through email.

Two health rumors have recently been circulating around the Web via email: (1) antiperspirants cause breast cancer, and (2) tampons contain asbestos and dioxins. Is there validity to these claims?

Can antiperspirants cause breast cancer?

The email rumor about antiperspirants has the following components:

1. Antiperspirants prevent a person from sweating. Since perspiring enables the body to purge toxins from the armpits, preventing perspiration causes the body to deposit toxins in the lymph nodes in these areas. 2. Men are less likely to develop breast cancer because most of the antiperspirant products they use become caught in their underarm hair and are not directly applied to the skin. 3. Shaving nicks, which allow toxins to enter the body, further increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

"Just because someone makes a statement on the Internet doesn't make it true," says Dr. Lisa Bailey, a cancer surgeon and past president of the American Cancer Society, California Division. "There haven't been any studies to verify these claims about antiperspirants, which are tested by the Food and Drug Administration and have not been found to contain any chemicals that cause DNA damage leading to cancer." Although lymph nodes do clear some toxins from the body, toxins are not released through sweating, according to the ACS. Most cancer-causing substances are removed through the kidneys and liver.

The ACS says that men are about 100 times less likely to contract breast cancer because they have about 100 times less breast tissue. Metabolic and genetic conditions may increase the risk, but the use of antiperspirants will not.

As for the razor nicks rumor, "(Nicks) may increase the risk of a skin infection, but not cancer," Bailey notes. "There is no evidence that the chemicals in antiperspirants are absorbed through the skin and that these chemicals can cause cancer."

Tampons: The asbestos/dioxin scare

The Internet tampon scare makes these assertions:

1. Tampons contain asbestos that makes you bleed more. 2. Dioxins and rayon used to enhance absorbency can cause toxic shock syndrome. The FDA has reported that there is no evidence of asbestos in any U.S. brand of tampon. In addition, rayon raw material derived from wood pulp and used in tampons is no longer bleached with chlorine, which can produce dioxins. Despite the new processes, the FDA says there may still be trace amounts of dioxins present due to environmental factors -- but only at levels that pose no risk.

Dr. Philip Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at the New York University Medical Center, concurs with the FDA that tampon manufacturers are not adding asbestos to their products.

On the other hand, he says that even though there are only traces of dioxin in tampons, women tend to use tampons regularly, and therefore, over the long term, exposure is cumulative. "No level is safe. While it's true there are dioxins in the environment, they have a worse effect when they contact mucous surfaces like the vagina," he says.

Finally, the FDA says that tampons made with rayon do not appear to lead to a higher risk of toxic shock syndrome than cotton ones of similar absorbency. Tierno, however, says that toxic shock syndrome has been associated with tampons that use synthetic materials such as rayon, but that cotton does not amplify the toxins.

Do your own research

"Common sense should prevail when you read these emails," Tierno says. "Petition manufacturers for information to ease your mind."

Hadley Dynak, manager of the Women's Health Resource Center at the University of California at San Francisco, suggests you ask yourself the following questions to evaluate the credibility of Internet information: