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Vol. 13 Issue 4, Fall 2008
The Chemicals Health Monitor Project, based in Brussels, Belgium, released a set of educational materials addressing breast cancer last spring.
Materials Available
Breast cancer and exposure to hormonally active chemicals: An appraisal of the scientific evidence.
This report reviews the scientific evidence that certain chemicals may be implicated in breast cancer, focusing on the role of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Early life and multiple exposures receive particular attention. Dr. Andreas Kortenkamp of the University of London authored the report, and peer reviewers include Dr. Julia Brody, Executive Director of the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Massachusetts. Kortenkamp states in the report, “...in view of the proven natural and therapeutically used oestrogens, it is biologically plausible that less potent hormonally active chemicals may also contribute to risks....” He goes on to conclude, “preventative action should be based on evidence available from experimental laboratory studies, and should not wait for the outcome of human epidemiological studies because confirmatory data from epidemiological studies will take decades to materialise.” The report is fully referenced and available in English only at this time.
Factors influencing the risk of breast cancer – established and emerging.
This briefing, also fully referenced, was designed as a plain-language overview of known and hypothesized breast cancer risk factors. It contains two sections, one on established risk factors and the second addressing “the current thinking regarding the involvement of certain chemical exposures in breast cancer, and in particular, the concerns about man-made chemicals which mimic the female hormone oestrogen.” As of this writing, the briefing is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and German.
Breast Cancer: Preventing the preventable.
This tri-fold brochure briefly summarizes the evidence that hormonally active chemicals may be implicated in breast cancer, and serves as a ‘teaser’ for the two reports described above. It includes six steps addressing what to do to minimize exposure and also emphasizes the policy actions needed for widespread reduction in exposures to hormonally active chemicals. As of this writing, the brochure is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, and German.
Portfolio of papers that highlight how chemical exposures may be implicated in breast cancer.
From the publicity materials: “The portfolio is a selection of peer-reviewed, published papers presenting the scientific case for chemical exposures playing a role in breast cancer. (It)... includes two principal strands of compelling research.
The portfolio is intended to provide a useful resource for “clinicians, scientists, breast cancer charities, and other health professionals.” Gwynne Lyons of CHEM Trust, a charitable organization in the United Kingdom, compiled the report for the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). The Chemicals Health Monitor Project was launched by HEAL in collaboration with partner European organizations in March 2007.
All four publications can be downloaded at http://chemicalshealthmonitor.org/spip.php?rubrique100
Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors
Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Vet Box 31, Ithaca, NY 14853-6401
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