Chemicals and your environment.
What is the link to breast cancer?
Is there enough evidence that harmful chemicals cause breast cancer?
A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that harmful chemicals can increase the risk of breast cancer. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) cite growing evidence of connections between exposure to environmental pollutants and breast cancer.
In addition, the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organisation (WHO) recognise that exposure to environmental chemicals, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), is associated with several significant health issues, including hormone-responsive cancers.
Establishing conclusive proof for most single chemicals is challenging, complicated by factors such as cumulative, lifetime exposure to mixtures, genetic vulnerabilities, and other lifestyle elements.
Difficulties in proving cause and effect.
Although evidence of association is strong for many chemicals, demonstrating direct causation in humans is challenging for several reasons:
Lifetime exposure to chemical cocktails.
People are constantly exposed to complex, low-level mixtures of chemicals from different sources, making it difficult to track and isolate the effects of a single chemical. Also, chemicals may be more harmful in a mixture than alone, making it harder to understand which chemicals are the most harmful.
The long-time lag.
A person might get cancer 20 or 30 years after the harmful exposure, making it almost impossible for them or researchers to remember or pinpoint the exact chemical cause.
No control group.
Widespread exposure and pollution of environmental chemicals means researchers cannot compare the effects of chemicals in human studies to a non-exposed or control group, making attributing any effects seen to chemicals more difficult.
What does this mean for breast cancer prevention?
The growing evidence suggests that reducing exposure to certain chemicals is a valid strategy for breast cancer prevention in addition to other lifestyle prevention methods like maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol.
Many public health and research organisations advocate for stronger chemical regulations and support consumer choices that minimise exposure.
How can I reduce my exposure to chemicals of concern?
What changes can I make to lower my breast cancer risk?
Take our quiz to find out!
It's a quick and easy way to identify simple lifestyle shifts that could make a big difference. You get a personalised action plan to help you get started.
A to Z Chemicals of Concern List: use to check labels.
Download this list to help you check labels and choose products less likely to contain harmful chemicals.
NEED TO CHANGE URL
Reducing your exposure to EDCs in the home: a free guide.
Download our free guide to EDCs in your home. It tells you what to look out for in and around your home and advises how to remove or reduce your exposure to them.
NEED TO CHANGE URL
