Breast Cancer Information, News and Updates

Organochlorine pesticides, the best known is DDT, were used widely during and after World War II.  They had a long lasting effect in controlling insects.  Most Organochlorine pesticides were banned in the 70’s and 80’s because of ecological and human health concerns.  Other chemicals used in pesticides during that era include chlordane, heptachlor, lindane, and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane.  These chemicals controlled termites, mosquitoes, agriculture pests, ants, and fire ants and used in antilice shampoos.

These chemicals were used because they lasted but they were also passed through the food chain.  The chemicals are stored in the body of humans, fish, and animals.  They are hidden in the body fat.  Some are endocrine disrupters that affect reproduction in the earth’s natural wildlife.  The effects of these chemicals have recently been studied to find out if they have a link to breast cancer.

DDT breaks down over time to a substance called DDE.  Early studies show that women with high levels of DDE in their system were more prone to developing breast cancer.  These studies are now being questioned because they didn’t include women who lived other than in Europe or North America.  There have been tests that determined that black women have a higher DDE in their bodies.

How early your body is subjected to these chemicals increases your risk of developing breast cancer. The breasts go through important and critical growth times.  When laboratory rats whose mammary glands were rapidly changing and developing had less resistance to chemicals that cause cancer.  Once the breast has developed and the cells are more mature, they have more resistance to these chemicals.  Mature breasts also repair damage more easily than immature breasts.  Researchers and scientists do know that children take more contaminants from their surroundings than their parents.  They also absorb and retain them easier.  Their bodies are also less efficient at repairing the damage from cancer contaminants and they are less efficient at detoxifying.

Pesticides are believed to be responsible in the rise of breast cancer among men who had high exposures to pesticides.  A larger study will need to be conducted to find out if the pesticides did increase the risk of breast cancer in this group of people.  However, there are few studies that suggest that women who lived or worked on a farm had a higher chance of getting breast cancer.  That statistic might be skewed because of the difference in the life styles of farm and city women.  Women who didn’t wear protective clothing or gloves while handling pesticides did show a higher risk of developing breast cancer.  Farmwomen were less likely to drink alcohol or smoke, had their children earlier, and started their periods later.  Women raised on a farm usually got more exercise than their city counterparts.

These reports support the ban on pesticides.  It is important to limit your exposure to this cancer-causing chemical.  Protect your children because the full effects of pesticides are not fully known.