New research is helping identify chemicals in the environment that
might increase the risk of getting breast cancer. Mark Brush has more:
Transcript
New research is helping identify chemicals in the environment that
might increase the risk of getting breast cancer. Mark Brush has more:
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for US women in their late
30s to their early 50s. A new study points to 216 chemicals that might
be increasing the risks of getting the disease.
The researchers compiled data from hundreds of animal studies that have
linked environmental pollutants to increases in breast tumors. The
research is published in the journal Cancer.
Julia Brody is with the Silent Spring Institute. She’s the principal
investigator of the new study:
“There really hasn’t been adequate attention to possible environmental
factors in breast cancer. This is a relatively new field of study, so
it’s an area where there’s an enormous knowledge gap.”
Breast cancer rates have been dropping in last several years. And
Brody thinks the rates could drop even more as potential environmental
risks are identified.
For the Environment Report, I’m Mark Brush.