Interesting! I'd not heard that. Here's some more information about it on the American Cancer Society website, which says that is largely false and an Internet rumor. But it does have some backup details about the science behind it, which might convince you to throw the stuff out just to be super cautious: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MED/content/MED_6_1x_Antiperspirants.asp

Brittany: Thanks for this. There is no way I am going to wait for the American Cancer Society to approve this theory. It can take them years to make a statement on anything (as they say in what you sent "larger studies are needed.") Meanwhile, we rub toxins into our bodies a few times a day while we wait for them to make a decision.

According to FDA SITE:
Are there health risks associated with the use of parabens in cosmetics?
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) reviewed the safety of methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben in 1984 and concluded they were safe for use in cosmetic products at levels up to 25%. Typically parabens are used at levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.3%.

On November 14, 2003, the CIR began the process to reopen the safety assessments of methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben in order to offer interested parties an opportunity to submit new data for consideration. In September 2005, the CIR decided to re-open the safety assessment for parabens to request exposure estimates and a risk assessment for cosmetic uses. In December 2005, after considering the margins of safety for exposure to women and infants, the Panel determined that there was no need to change its original conclusion that parabens are safe as used in cosmetics. (The CIR is an industry-sponsored organization that reviews cosmetic ingredient safety and publishes its results in open, peer-reviewed literature. FDA participates in the CIR in a non-voting capacity.)

A study published in 2004 (Darbre, in the Journal of Applied Toxicology) detected parabens in breast tumors. The study also discussed this information in the context of the weak estrogen-like properties of parabens and the influence of estrogen on breast cancer. However, the study left several questions unanswered. For example, the study did not show that parabens cause cancer, or that they are harmful in any way, and the study did not look at possible paraben levels in normal tissue.

FDA is aware that estrogenic activity in the body is associated with certain forms of breast cancer. Although parabens can act similarly to estrogen, they have been shown to have much less estrogenic activity than the body’s naturally occurring estrogen. For example, a 1998 study (Routledge et al., in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology) found that the most potent paraben tested in the study, butylparaben, showed from 10,000- to 100,000-fold less activity than naturally occurring estradiol (a form of estrogen). Further, parabens are used at very low levels in cosmetics. In a review of the estrogenic activity of parabens, (Golden et al., in Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2005) the author concluded that based on maximum daily exposure estimates, it was implausible that parabens could increase the risk associated with exposure to estrogenic chemicals.

FDA believes that at the present time there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of cosmetics containing parabens. However, the agency will continue to evaluate new data in this area. If FDA determines that a health hazard exists, the agency will advise the industry and the public, and will consider its legal options under the authority of the FD&C Act in protecting the health and welfare of consumers.

Lory: There is no way I am going to trust the FDA after all the screw-ups they have conceded to in the past few years!

My daughter goes to a pediatric endocrynologist because she has already had her period twice at age 10 years 5 months. He did not mention breast cancer with regard to parabens, but he did tell me that the high incidence of premature puberty in girls and African Americans is due to parabens and estrogen in beauty products.
I mentioned hormones in food. He said that endocronoligists believe that if the increased rate was due to food, we would see more boys in early puberty. Girls and African Americans tend to use more products.
I was leaving the products in my house thinking it was too late to regain my daughter's lost "childhood". I will now be reinvestigating my cabinets in light of the cancer information.
Thank you.

There is more to be concerned about than Parabens. Many of the products which claim to be paraben free use Formaldehyde! We all know formaldehyde isn't something we want on or in our bodies until we're 6' under. At the end of this I've put a list of the common paraben and formaldehyde relaasing agents found in personal care products.

Here is some information on the common preserving systems used today:

Parabens (PHBA), are used as preservatives in over 13,000 cosmetic formulations. The corporations that use parabens farm out their manufacturing to many different contract manufacturers. To protect them from possible sloppy manufacturing they add large levels of parabens to their products. Concerns are being expressed by researchers that there is evidence of parabens as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone function. British
researchers have found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer. While there is no evidence that parabens cause cancer, the scientists have called for the use of parabens to be reviewed, and for more comprehensive studies to explore this possibility.

Formaldehyde - We all know of formaldehyde and you don't want this on or in you as long as your still alive - It is the key ingredient in embalming fluid! Formaldehyde is widely used in cosmetics as a disinfectant, germicide, fungicide and preservative. Some surfactants may contain formaldehyde as a preservative without listing it on the label. Formaldehyde is an inexpensive preservative, but there are serious questions about its safety. Researchers from the Division of Cancer Cause and Prevention of the National Cancer Institute recommended in April 1983 that, since formaldehyde is involved in DNA damage and inhibits its repair it should be further investigated. Its use in cosmetics is banned in Japan and Sweden. Some cosmetic producers that advertise they do not use parabens in their products have been known to use formaldehyde as their chosen preservative.

Alcohol and Volatile oils, are used by companies that advertise they do not use any chemical or formaldehyde preservatives. They depend on the anti-bacterial properties of some essential oils such as tea tree oil, grapefruit seed oil and alcohol to preserve their products. These have limited use and at times their effectiveness as a preservative or an antimicrobial agent is questionable. Other problems with this system is after a substance is extracted from a plant, preserved, and mixed with other “natural” ingredients it is no longer identical to the plant it once came from. Also some of these natural oils have been preserved with formaldehyde or parabens before they are sold. The other concern is the ability of this process to fully cover all microorganisms. Many kinds of yeasts, fungi, and bacteria have been identified in cosmetics. In many instances a product might show no visible evidence of microbial contamination and yet contain actively growing potentially harmful germs. Even if these were safe they are irritating to the skin. Logically, if a natural substance can kill single cell organisms like bacteria and mold, what does it do to your skin cells? You don't want to put products on your skin to irritate it, you want to nourish and protect it.

There is hope though, with a new patented Self-Preserving Technology, all of the functional ingredients of a formula, as well as the manufacturing process and the packaging, are combined to become the preservative system. In other words, "the product is the preservative." This technique is based on a holistic and synergistic approach that employs multiple hurdles that significantly limit and/or eliminate microbial activity and subsequent spoiling of the product. In Usana's Sense "self-preserving" line of skin care products, there are no ingredients added exclusively to preserve the product. Usana holds two patents on this proprietary self preserving technology so no other skin care line can make this same claim. for more information please visit http://hallhealth.usana.com Click Products then select Sense

Below are some of the harmful preservatives you'll find on your bathroom counter or in the bath.

Most Common Parabens Used in Personal Care Products

* Butylparaben
* Ethylparaben
* Methylparaben
* Propylparaben

Common Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives Used in Personal Care Products

* Diazolidinyl Urea
* Quaternium-15
* Imidazolidinyl Urea
* DMDM Hydantoin
* Methyldibromo glutaronitrile

There is more to be concerned about than Parabens. Many of the products which claim to be paraben free use Formaldehyde! We all know formaldehyde isn't something we want on or in our bodies until we're 6' under. At the end of this I've put a list of the common paraben and formaldehyde relaasing agents found in personal care products.

Here is some information on the common preserving systems used today:

Parabens (PHBA), are used as preservatives in over 13,000 cosmetic formulations. The corporations that use parabens farm out their manufacturing to many different contract manufacturers. To protect them from possible sloppy manufacturing they add large levels of parabens to their products. Concerns are being expressed by researchers that there is evidence of parabens as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone function. British
researchers have found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer. While there is no evidence that parabens cause cancer, the scientists have called for the use of parabens to be reviewed, and for more comprehensive studies to explore this possibility.

Formaldehyde - We all know of formaldehyde and you don't want this on or in you as long as your still alive - It is the key ingredient in embalming fluid! Formaldehyde is widely used in cosmetics as a disinfectant, germicide, fungicide and preservative. Some surfactants may contain formaldehyde as a preservative without listing it on the label. Formaldehyde is an inexpensive preservative, but there are serious questions about its safety. Researchers from the Division of Cancer Cause and Prevention of the National Cancer Institute recommended in April 1983 that, since formaldehyde is involved in DNA damage and inhibits its repair it should be further investigated. Its use in cosmetics is banned in Japan and Sweden. Some cosmetic producers that advertise they do not use parabens in their products have been known to use formaldehyde as their chosen preservative.

Alcohol and Volatile oils, are used by companies that advertise they do not use any chemical or formaldehyde preservatives. They depend on the anti-bacterial properties of some essential oils such as tea tree oil, grapefruit seed oil and alcohol to preserve their products. These have limited use and at times their effectiveness as a preservative or an antimicrobial agent is questionable. Other problems with this system is after a substance is extracted from a plant, preserved, and mixed with other “natural” ingredients it is no longer identical to the plant it once came from. Also some of these natural oils have been preserved with formaldehyde or parabens before they are sold. The other concern is the ability of this process to fully cover all microorganisms. Many kinds of yeasts, fungi, and bacteria have been identified in cosmetics. In many instances a product might show no visible evidence of microbial contamination and yet contain actively growing potentially harmful germs. Even if these were safe they are irritating to the skin. Logically, if a natural substance can kill single cell organisms like bacteria and mold, what does it do to your skin cells? You don't want to put products on your skin to irritate it, you want to nourish and protect it.

There is hope though, with a new patented Self-Preserving Technology, all of the functional ingredients of a formula, as well as the manufacturing process and the packaging, are combined to become the preservative system. In other words, "the product is the preservative." This technique is based on a holistic and synergistic approach that employs multiple hurdles that significantly limit and/or eliminate microbial activity and subsequent spoiling of the product. In Usana's Sense "self-preserving" line of skin care products, there are no ingredients added exclusively to preserve the product. Usana holds two patents on this proprietary self preserving technology so no other skin care line can make this same claim. for more information please visit http://hallhealth.usana.com Click Products then select Sense

Below are some of the harmful preservatives you'll find on your bathroom counter or in the bath.

Most Common Parabens Used in Personal Care Products

* Butylparaben
* Ethylparaben
* Methylparaben
* Propylparaben

Common Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives Used in Personal Care Products

* Diazolidinyl Urea
* Quaternium-15
* Imidazolidinyl Urea
* DMDM Hydantoin
* Methyldibromo glutaronitrile