Let’s talk toxins: Cancer and the environment
My fellow Pink Ribbon Girls buddies Banita Bailey and Ellen Slaski flank Dr. Frank Biro at the Looking Upstream conference
Today I received an update in my inbox from a very reputable cancer organization. I won’t mention their name because I think they do great work. The article touted the safety of parabens, a preservative found in beauty and personal care products, and Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastics. They cite scientific evidence that the levels are too low to affect us and that findings are animal studies and not as reliable as human ones.
There’s nothing wrong with their information; they are going with the information that is available. My question is: why aren’t they doing human studies to determine the risk? I speculate it’s because there are no big pharmaceutical dollars behind it. But I’m sure there are plenty of lobbying dollars from chemical companies. Call me a skeptic, but I no longer believe that just because the FDA approves something, it’s safe. To be safe, I only buy products that are BPA- and paraben-free, shop for organic produce and use “green” cleaning products.
Looking at the growing number of young women diagnosed with breast cancer, I think our environment plays a big role. Luckily, there are researchers our there that are looking to find environmental links to cancer.
Last weekend, I attended “Looking Upstream for Environmental Links to Breast Cancer, hosted by the Cincinnati Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center. Our center is one of four nationwide to conduct this research. It’s comprised of transdisciplinary teams of scientists, clinicians, and breast cancer advocates to study the impact of prenatal-to-adult environmental exposures that may predispose a woman to breast cancer.
For the past five years, my daughter has participated in one of their studies, Growing Up Female, which is seeking answers to why girls are maturing at a younger age (a risk factor for breast cancer). Early on, they gave us information from the Agency for Toxic Substances And Disease Registry, which described the carcinogenic effects of chemicals found in everyday products.
By environment,they actually mean everything that could affect maturation: food, activity, etc. Every six months, I answer an extensive questionnaire about everything Chrissy puts in and on her body, her activity level, family environment, emotional state, etc. We also go to Children’s Hospital where Chrissy is stuck for blood collection, poked, prodded and measured. It’s a testament to the staff there that she actually enjoys the visit (well, except for the blood draw).
One of the people she sees, Frank Biro, MD, is delightful with kids and a pretty smart guy who heads the project. At the seminar, he reported some shocking news: some girls in the study were already in puberty by the age of 6!
What’s causing this? Obesity is a factor–those with the highest body-mass indexes (BMIs) started puberty 18 months earlier than other participants. My daughter, who doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her body, falls in the lower-risk category. The center is applying for another grant to further explore other factors.
So what do you think? Do you think there are factors, other than obesity, that increase cancer risk?
Snippet from Looking Upstream for Environmental Links to Breast Cancer | Pink Ribbon Girls says:
[...] maturing at such a young age (which increases breast cancer risk). I share about it on my blog at http://www.tamiboehmer.com/2010/05/lets-talk-toxins-cancer-and-the-environment/. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Snippet from Looking Upstream for Environmental Links to Breast [...]
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[...] Let’s talk toxins: Cancer and the environment: Cincinnati Breast Cancer and the Environment Re… [...]
sam elliston says:
I don’t think I have an opinion on the causes of cancer and I am saddened that 6 year olds are entering puberty- something is very wrong when that happens. I am with you in your doubts about FDA approval, though, and don’t consider that approval to mean something is actually safe.
Food for thought
tamilb says:
Here’s a comment that came through the Share Your Story page. Thanks Judith!
You are soooo wonderful and congratulations for healing yourself and accomplishing so much. I clean my home these days with vinegar, baking soda, lemons, tea tree oil, and other natural stuff. I find the odors from even so-called GREEN products awful. So I only use the above listed products and it costs me a lot less money. I am extremely sensitive to perfumes, cleaning products and all chemicals. Not to mention paints, finishes, MDF’s etc that have nasty ingredients. Sooo, I only use materials in my
products that do not off-gas. If I get the slightest headache
I get rid of it and I smell everything to such an extreme degree, most people don’t know what I’m talking about. On my website if people opt-in for my newsletters I will be sending out lots of great information about living green and hope that I can make an impact to let people know that they can make a difference. I have such a passion for nature ever since I was a small child. It perplexes me that I had that passion as such a small child. I can only think that it
came from my grandfather who was a naturalist, and he was a furniture designer and maker. Duh, just figured that out.
Have a wonderful day,
Judith
http://www.JudiZuzu.com
Chemicals and cancer: government finally gets it! expert panel recommendations, CNN, Obama, BPA-free, water filtration | Tami Boehmer | Miracle Survivors says:
[...] seems like the more I do this blog, the more serendipity in subject matter arises. Monday, I posted about environmental toxins in relation to cancer. Last night, my family was watching CNN, and I [...]