-  The increasing presence of oestrogen-mimicking chemicals in the environment through synthetic chemicals in pesticides, plastics, environmental pollution, household products and cosmetics.  Breast cancer is linked to lifetime exposure to oestrogen; the more oestrogen we are exposed to in our lifetime, the greater our risk of developing breast cancer.

-  Many of the 70,000 synthetic chemicals in regular commercial use are persistent and accumulate in body fat, including the breast.  Some 400 have been detected in human body tissues and secretions, including breast milk.  Of the fraction that have been tested, several thousand are listed as known or suspected carcinogens, and several hundred as damaging to the developing foetus.  A chemical may not, by itself, instigate cancer but it may work with other factors to contribute towards the risk of developing the disease.

-  Evidence exists in the United States and Norway of links between male breast cancer clusters and electromagnetic fields.

-  Synthetic compounds which have shown hormone-like activity in laboratory tests include organochlorine pesticides, furans and dioxins from incinerators, surfactants used in pesticides, paints, cleaning products and in paper and textile production, synthetic resins and plasticisers used in food packaging.

-  Pesticides regarded as potential breast cancer carcinogens include DDT, lindane, atrazine, endosulfan and chlordane. Most are banned in many countries but still persist in the environment.

-  Lindane is linked with serious health problems including breast cancer and may also disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system.  It is hazardous both to people who use it and those exposed to it in the environment or in their food.  Thanks to continuing pressure from the Ban Lindane Campaign, it will be phased out for agricultural and horticultural use throughout the European Union.  But it’s still used as a pesticide in the South, especially on the cocoa crop, and still allowed for domestic use in Europe.

Briefing notes from The Women’s Environmental Network (WEN)

  Breast Cancer is now the most common form of cancer in the UK.  An estimated 39,500 cases are diagnosed each year, compared to 38,900 new cases of lung cancer. The chances of a woman in the UK contracting breast cancer during her lifetime have risen from 1:12 in 1995 to 1:9 in 2001.

  Each week in the UK 730 women are diagnosed and 254 women die from breast cancer.

  Improvements in detection and treatment mean women who contract the disease now have a 73% chance of surviving for at least five years.

  Improvements in cancer care have not reversed the rising incidence rate.

  Unlike lung cancer, which can be directly linked to smoking in 80-90% of cases, there is no one identifiable cause of breast cancer.  Rather there are a number of potential contributory factors: genetic disposition, lifestyle, diet being those most commonly cited by politicians, health experts and the media.

  Only 8-10% of cases are known to be due to genetic disposition;  Lifestyle accounts for only about 30% of all known cases; therefore between 50-70% of cases have no known cause.

  There is a growing body of evidence linking breast cancer to the cocktail of chemicals in the air, water, land and in our food, to which we are involuntarily exposed every day.  These chemicals are commonly used in a range of pesticides, paints, plastics, household and personal products (see below for some examples).