Chemical Triggers Breast Cancer

[Guest guest]

Yet another reason to make sure people stick to using

only natural products. On another note it's sad to see

animals are still being tortured (vivisection) to

conduct test like these, especially since there are

many other ways they can test chemicals for

carcinogenic effects without involving the use of

animals.

 

Rick.

 

 

Chemical Triggers Breast Cancer in Lab Mice By

Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

Thu Jul 14, 7:01 PM ET

 

Source >

http://news./news?tmpl=story & cid=97 & ncid=97 & e=5 & u=/hsn/20050714/hl_hsn/\

chemicaltriggersbreastcancerinlabmice

 

 

 

THURSDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- A chemical found

in cleaning materials, textiles, plastics, paper and

some personal-care products can trigger breast cancer,

at least in lab animals, a new study has found.

 

 

 

Since the early 1990s, experts have known that the

chemical, called 4-nonylphenol, binds to estrogen

receptors, said senior study author William Baldwin,

an assistant professor of biological sciences at the

University of Texas at El Paso.

 

 

In the liver, 4-nonylphenol stimulates an enzyme

system that then boosts production of estriol, a

hormone associated with breast cancer. The chemical

also has an affinity for estrogen receptors in breast

tissue that trigger growth, he said.

 

 

" There have been a couple of studies in animals that

showed a proliferation of mammary tissue when exposed

to NP-4, " Baldwin said. " This is believed to be the

first study to show that if we carried out that

enhanced proliferation for a longer period of time, it

actually does lead to cancer in the lab animals. "

 

 

Part of the problem is that the chemical, which mimics

estrogen, may last longer in the body than natural

estrogen, Baldwin theorized, but he added, " I have no

evidence of this. "

 

 

The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of

Applied Toxicology.

 

 

In the study, Baldwin and his team compared the

effects of giving differing doses of the chemical and

estrogen to mice. When they followed mice genetically

engineered to readily develop breast cancer over 32

weeks, many of those given 4-NP developed breast

cancer while those given equivalent doses of estrogen

did not.

 

 

Since the chemical is found in so many materials,

should consumers be worried?

 

 

" I don't know if we can say that, " Baldwin said. " The

doses we used were much greater than what you would be

exposed to, probably 100 to 1,000 times greater. [but]

there might be more risk than we think. "

 

 

Much more research is needed, Baldwin said. " In 10 or

15 years, we will figure out if environmental

estrogens are a cause or part of the cause for breast

cancer, " he said.

 

 

Baldwin and other experts estimate that established

risk factors such as aging, early onset of periods,

late menopause, delayed childbearing and genetics

explain only about 25 percent to 50 percent of breast

cancers, and that environmental exposure plays a big

role.

 

 

Brenda Salgado is program manager for Breast Cancer

Action, a San Francisco-based organization that

lobbies for environmental reforms, such as seeking

legislation to label all carcinogens in cosmetics. She

said that, while it's premature to give women advice

based on just this study, they " should be conscious of

chemicals that have an estrogenic effect and limit

exposure to those chemicals. "

 

 

Previous studies have found that exposure to these

estrogen-like chemicals boost the risk of breast

cancer, she said. The organization notes on its Web

site that 70 percent of women with breast cancer have

no known risk factors, suggesting that environmental

forces play a major role.

 

 

More information

 

 

To learn more about breast cancer, visit the American

Cancer Society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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