Aluminum Deodorants and Breast Cancer
The aluminum-cancer connection began with a speculative 1993 letter mentioning aluminum’s possible estrogen-like effects without human evidence. A viral 2002 email hoax spread the fear nationwide. By 2010, 60% of deodorants sold were marketed as aluminum-free. A 2014 study of 813 women completely debunked this connection. Skin absorption of aluminum compounds from antiperspirants is minimal, less than 0.01% of what’s applied. The “natural” product trend capitalized on this unfounded fear.