Warning against chemicals that cause breast cancer

A lobby group wants women to have more information about harmful chemicals in everyday products including cosmetics, which are believed to contribute to breast cancer.

Action for Breast Cancer co-founder Helen Muscat said some chemicals - including dioxins, some pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls - mimic the primary female sex hormone, oestrogen and could increase a woman's risks of getting breast cancer. The warning deals with environmental pollutants, like car exhausts, pesticides and even certain cosmetics.

"We have to do something. We can no longer leave things to chance," Ms Muscat, herself a breast cancer survivor, said.

She explained that many breast cancers fed on oestrogen and, therefore, high levels of it could pose a risk to women.

A paper published last year by Andreas Kortenkamp, head of the Centre for Toxicology at the University of London's School of Pharmacy, said that there was "overwhelming evidence" that oestrogen was a strong determinant of breast cancer risks.

"Although it is clear that many factors play a role in breast cancer, a contribution of environmental chemicals cannot be dismissed," Prof. Kortenkamp said, adding that there was a need for both targeted research and action to limit exposure.

The issue has been highlighted by the Health and Environment Alliance, an international non-governmental organisation which aims to improve health through public policy that promotes a cleaner and safer environment.

"Growing scientific evidence shows that synthetic chemicals which mimic oestrogen and disrupt the so-called sex hormones may be playing an important role in the rise in breast cancer," the alliance said in one of its publications as it urged the EU to take action to regulate the chemicals. Statistics from the Malta Cancer Registry show that the number of women suffering from breast cancer has been increasing steadily, going from 181 in 1996 to 261 in 2006.

"We have an increasing rate of breast cancer and it is important to take all the necessary action to try and stop it," Ms Muscat said, adding that the harmful chemicals have been found in breast milk and even in the umbilical cord, meaning that unborn babies are also exposed.

"Risk factors like smoking and drinking only account for some 50 per cent of breast cancers. What about the other half?

"We need to make sure that women have all the information in hand to minimise the risk," she said.

Minimising harm

According to the Health and Environment Alliance, the harm of exposure can be minimised through the following actions:

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

• Buy organic food whenever possible.

• Avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals, particularly garden and indoor pesticides, homecare products like paints and detergents and personal care products, including cosmetics.

• Keep in the shade or cover up with loose fitting but tightly woven clothes and a hat instead of using sunscreen to avoid sunburn.

• Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers or wrapping.