Environmental Health Perspectives is a peer-reviewed journal that recently released the article “New Exposure Biomarkers as Tools For Breast Cancer Epidemiology, Biomonitoring, and Prevention: A Systematic Approach Based on Animal Evidence”. The article identified biomarkers, a measurable indicator of a biological state or condition, correlated to daily toxins in rodents and compared them to humans. This study found 75 toxins that fall into 17 categories, which were linked to human breast carcinogens and consistent with rodent mammary carcinogens. Described below are the categories of toxins with the highest risk of breast carcinogens.
Halogenated Organic Solvents
Methylene chloride and nine other organic solvents linked to rodent mammary carcinogens. These solvents are used in dry cleaning, hair spray, paint and spot removers, food processing and gasoline.
Heterocyclic Amines
These toxins can be found in meats cooked at high temperatures and tobacco smoke. Four toxins in this group drastically increased rodent mammary tumors.
Nitro-PAHs
1-nitropyrene and other nitroPAHs are air pollutants primarily from diesel exhaust. Six of these toxins—1,3-dinitropyrene, 1,8-dinitropyrene, 1-nitropyrene, 2-nitrofluorene, 4-nitropyrene, 6-nitrochrysene—are extremely high risk for rodent mammary gland carcinogens.
Non-Hormonal Pharmaceuticals
A number of drugs are not prescribed as hormonally active, but are high risk for rodent mammary tumors. These include 4 chemotherapy agents, 2 veterinarian drugs,the diuretic Furosemide, the anti-fungal Griseofulvin, and several anti-infective agents.
What can you do to avoid increasing breast carcinogens?
The article identifies 7 ways to avoid exposure to these daily toxins:
Limit your exposure exhaust from vehicles or generators.
Use a ventilation fan while cooking and limit the amount of charred food you eat.
Do not buy furniture with polyurethane foam.
Do not buy or use stain-resistant rugs, furniture, or fabrics.
Ask your dry cleaner not to use perchloroethylene or other solvents. Ask for a ‘wet cleaning’.
Use a solid carbon block for your drinking water filter.
Lessen your exposure to chemicals by taking off your shoes at the door, cleaning with wet rags and mops, and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter.
Protect yourself, Thrivers!