No link found between pesticides, breast cancer risk for general population

By LOIS BAKER
News Services Editor

A new study of the relationship of pesticides and PCBs with breast cancer shows that these compounds are not a risk factor for breast cancer for the general population of women.

Researchers at UB found that blood levels of organochlorines-such as DDE, HCB, mirex and PCBs-were not higher in women with breast cancer than in healthy women.

However, when participants were separated into groups according to history of breast-feeding, women with breast cancer who had never breast-fed had significantly higher levels of organochlorines than healthy women who never breast-fed. No difference was seen for women in either group with a history of breast feeding.

"These results suggest that higher blood levels of organochlorines were a risk factor for breast cancer only for women with no history of breast feeding," said Kirsten Moysich, research instructor in the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and chief investigator on the study.

Previous studies by UB epidemiologists found that breast feeding, as well as having been breast-fed, appeared to offer women some protection against developing breast cancer later in life. These studies did not measure levels of organochlorines.

"These chemicals are stored in fatty tissue, including breast tissue," Moysich said. "The chief mechanism for eliminating them from breast tissue is lactation, which flushes them from the system."

She said that even though the baby is exposed to these substances, the beneficial effects of breast feeding appear to outweigh potential risks associated with these organochlorines.

Results of the study were presented at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Taiwan.