Work in a bar or casino? You have an increased risk of breast cancer

Does your job increase your breast cancer risk? A study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health confirms that certain occupations do pose a higher risk of breast cancer than others, particularly those that expose the worker to potential carcinogens and endocrine disrupters.

"Our results highlight the importance of occupational studies in identifying and quantifying environmental risk factors and illustrates the value of taking detailed occupational histories of cancer patients. Mounting evidence suggests that we need to re-evaluate occupational exposure limits in regulatory protection, "  says James T Brophy, lead study author.

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer diagnosis among women in industrialized countries, and North American rates are among the highest in the world. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and carcinogens, some of which may not have yet been classified as such, are present in many working environments and could increase breast cancer risk.

The study included 1006 breast cancer cases with 1147 randomly selected and matched community controls. Using interviews and surveys, the team collected data on participants' occupational and reproductive histories. All jobs were coded for their likelihood of exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, and patients' tumor pathology regarding endocrine receptor status was assessed.

The authors found in this group of participants that, across all sectors, women in jobs with potentially high exposures to carcinogens and endocrine disrupters had an elevated breast cancer risk. Sectors with increased risk included:

• Agriculture
• Bar/gambling
• Automotive plastics manufacturing
• Food canning
• Metal-working

Importantly, premenopausal breast cancer risk was highest in the automotive plastics and food canning industries.

The findings also suggested that women with lower socioeconomic status had an elevated risk of breast cancer, which may result from higher exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the lower-income manufacturing and agricultural industries of the study area.


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Early Chemical Exposures May Affect Breast Health

From the Silent Spring Institute Press Room:

Pregnant women already know that consuming alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco can be harmful to their babies’ health.  But they may be surprised to learn that some chemicals women are exposed to in their daily lives—from their food packaging to their drinking water—could affect their children’s development and health later on.

A new review, published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, reports the conclusions of an international workshop on ways to improve chemicals safety testing for effects on the breast.

Studies reviewed by the scientists show that exposures to common chemicals during critical windows of development—such as in the womb and during infancy and puberty—may lead to changes that cause problems later in life with breast-feeding and increase the risk of breast cancer.  Exposures may also lead to enlarged breasts in boys and men.
 
The review and a related editorial identify a major gap in chemicals safety testing, which currently does not assess how chemicals may affect breast development.

The scientists recommend that future chemical safety testing evaluate these effects. By studying how environmental chemicals influence breast development, scientists can help government, manufacturers, and consumers make better decisions about chemicals in consumer products and water and  air pollution.
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