New study highlights elevated breast cancer risk for women working in chemical ‘toxic soup’

An important recent study by the UK’s Stirling University suggests that women working in particular industries run double or more the risk of developing breast cancer. In the IUF sectors, women working in agriculture, food packaging, canning, bars and the gaming industry, were identified as being at heightened risk.

For premenopausal women working in food canning, where they are exposed to pesticide residues and bisphenol A the risk was five times greater. The authors point out there has been little specific research into women’s health in this industry. Women working in agriculture showed a 36 percent increased breast cancer risk. The study notes that several pesticides are known mammary carcinogens while others are endocrine disrupters.

One of the study’s co-authors has emphasized that “All [these industries] use chemicals that are either category one or category two carcinogens (definitely or probably carcinogenic), and we also know there’s a whole group of endocrine disrupters involved… we need to be precautionary, because we’re looking at a toxic soup in terms of exposure.”

The study is available online