Electric Razor Use and Leukemia

Am J Epidemiol 1996;143:743-45

In this exchange of letters to the editor, a 1994 study associating electric razor use with leukemia is given last rites. As you may recall, Lovely et al. (Am J Epidemiol 1994;140-510-517) reported a statistically insignificant 30 percent increase in leukemia risk for adults who had ever used an electric shaver (95% C.I. 0.8-2.2). When they looked at adults who used electric razors on a daily basis the increase in risk went up to 140 percent (95% C.I. 1.1-5.5). As is often the case, some of the study data on cases was self-reported, and some was proxy-reported (e.g., wives reporting how often and for how long their husbands used their shavers).

Now, two researchers at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in a letter to the editor, analyze the Lovely et al. data and conclude that the proxy-reported cases were skewed towards reporting more electric shaver users and longer duration of use. According to the EPRI researchers, the likely conclusion is that the proxy reports are biased and there is no true association between electric shaver use and leukemia.

Amazingly enough, in their response, Lovely et al., the original researchers, wrote that the EPRI researchers "persuade us that our report of a weak association between electric razor use and adult leukemia is not the most parsimonious interpretation of the data."

Although their phraseology could be a little more generous ("not the most parsimonious???"), the bottom line is that I can't wait to recharge my Norelco and stop slicing my face to pieces with a blade. Now that's health risk!

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