Hundreds of Chemicals in Everyday Consumer Products May Increase Breast Cancer Risk

More than 900 chemicals found in cosmetics, drinking water, food and cleaning supplies used by millions of Americans every day may cause biological changes linked to risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study published this month.

Hundreds of these chemicals are legally allowed for use in making these products in the U.S. but that approval doesn’t mean they’re safe for people exposed to them.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, identified 921 commonly used chemicals that are linked to breast cancer risk. The paper identified chemicals that have been either linked to mammary gland tumors or increase certain hormonal activities that may result in forming tumors, or both.

How chemicals cause cancer

Chemicals can cause cancer in many ways, but the typical outcome tracked in studies is the formation of tumors.

The new study expands what we know about chemicals and their potential cancer risk, because the researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley, looked not only at chemicals that cause tumors but also those that create biological changes. This expanded the list of chemicals reviewed in the study from 279 to 921.