Unproven risk for these products
It’s true that avoiding certain household chemicals — such as dry-cleaning vapors and some pesticides — may cut your risk of developing cancer. But other ordinary household products and common medications once under scrutiny may actually pose little or no threat. The following slides update past claims about possible cancer causes.
Artificial sweeteners
Calorie watchers embraced diet sodas when they were introduced in the 1950s. Then, lab studies suggested the artificial sweetener cyclamate caused bladder cancer in rats, and it was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Next, saccharin was also shown to cause tumors in rats, and all products carrying the sweetener were required to carry a cancer warning on their packaging. In 2000, saccharin was taken off the government’s list of possible carcinogens and saccharin products shed the warning label. More sweeteners, such as neotame, aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, or Ace-K, are now FDA-approved. Although the FDA does not deem these products cancer-causing, other potential health risks from diet sodas and sweeteners are still being studied. So, using them sparingly makes sense.
Mouthwash
A handful of studies since the late 1970s have tied mouthwash that contains ethanol to oral cancer. Investigators theorized that it may make oral tissue more vulnerable to known carcinogens, such as those in cigarettes. However, the American Dental Association notes that research has failed to find an association between mouthwash, even types containing alcohol, and oral cancer. Mouthwash is safe when used as directed, the ADA says, which usually means swishing once or twice daily and not swallowing. A 2014 European study concluded that any possible association between the use of alcohol-containing mouthwash and oral cancer remains to be clarified.
Statins
Could cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins increase the risk of cancer? A 2007 study inspired this belief, when researchers investigating the side effects of lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin and atorvastatin found participants taking high doses were more likely to be diagnosed with breast, colon, prostate and other cancers. However, a 2008 review of 15 clinical trials involving statins cast doubt on that connection. Low LDL cholesterol levels, the reviewers found, were associated with cancer, whether or not participants were taking statins — suggesting cholesterol levels, not the drugs, were to blame. Since then, other research, such as a 2013 study looking at lung cancer, found no association between statin drugs and cancer risk.
Cellphones
Since the early 1990s, a rash of lawsuits have claimed that cellphones caused individual cases of brain cancer. Since then, millions of dollars have been poured into studying whether radio waves emitted by cell phones could be harmful. A large 2010 study that tracked nearly 13,000 adults over a decade could neither confirm nor dismiss a connection between cellphones and cancer. Many studies since then have found no risk or inconclusive results, according to the National Cancer Institute. An ongoing study has enrolled nearly 300,000 adult cellphone users who will be followed for up to 30 years. To limit any potential risk, the NCI suggests keeping cellphone conversations short and using hands-free devices, such as wireless headsets.
Bras
In 1995, a book called “Dressed to Kill,” by a husband-and-wife team of medical anthropologists, alleged that women who regularly wore bras had a much higher risk of cancer than women who didn’t wear them. The authors theorized that bras promote the buildup of cancer-causing toxins in the breast. However, experts stress that a link between bras and breast cancer has never been proven. Considerable evidence points to other variables affecting a woman’s risk of breast cancer, such as weight, age and family history. Women who don’t wear bras tend to weigh less and have less dense breast tissue, both of which may reduce cancer risk.
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Update: This article was originally published on Oct, 19, 2010.
