Over 900 chemicals linked to greater breast cancer risk by researchers
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At least 921 chemicals are thought to pose risks for breast cancer, according to research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and sponsored by Silent Spring Institute, a Massachusetts nonprofit focused on the environment and women’s health.
The list developed by the research team includes 279 chemicals described as mammary carcinogens and already identified as causing mammary tumors in animals. It also includes 642 chemicals that alter the body’s hormones, stimulating cells to increase the production of estrogen or progesterone, which has been linked to a greater risk for breast cancer. The researchers studied data on rodent tumors, along with endocrine activity and genotoxicity to identify cancer-causing agents.
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“Our list of BC [breast cancer]-relevant chemicals … can immediately guide regulatory prioritization, product formulation and consumer disclosures,” the researchers wrote. According to Silent Spring, 90 percent of the chemicals the researchers identified are currently found in consumer products such as food and drinks, pesticides and medications.
The chemicals list offers a “springboard” for action and research that can improve “our ability to prevent the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide,” the researchers said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 42,000 women in the United States die each year of breast cancer. About 240,000 breast cancer cases are diagnosed each year in U.S. women, and about 2,100 in men. Among women, the number of breast cancer diagnoses each year is second only to skin cancer, and breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer among women.
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