Growing suspicions that anti-perspirants cause lumps?

A recent article in the Daily Mail online has linked anti-perspirants to lumps found under arms and in women’s breasts.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

There is a growing international group of scientists investigating the possible links between deodorants, breast cancer and other breast lumps. One of them is Philippa Darbre, a cancer researcher at Reading University.

In previous studies, she has found that cancerous tumours are most likely to appear in areas of the breast nearest to the underarm-area where antiperspirant has been applied.

Her latest research project, conducted jointly with Professor Ferdinando Mannello, of Urbino University, Italy, compared levels of aluminium in the fluid from breast cysts in 48 women, with levels of the metal found in blood samples from 30 other women, and in breast milk taken from a third group of 45 women.

Where the cyst was in the armpit area of the breast, the level of aluminium present was about 25 times higher than the level found in a normal blood sample.

She said: ‘We don’t know what the mechanism involved might be, but this might be a wake-up call about the risks of anti-perspirants. Either women should stop using them or the manufacturers should look at ways of reformulating their products.’