In 1950, an American woman's chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime was 1 in 20. Today that risk has more than doubled to 1 in 8. Breast Cancer will strike some 175,000 woman in the United States and kill 43,000.

From 1940 through the early 1980's production of synthetic chemicals increased 340 times. Billions of tons of substances that never existed before were released into the environment. Yet only some 3% of the 75,000 or so chemicals in use have been tested for safety. Forty of them are recognized human carcinogens

Only 5% of breast cancer has genetic origins. What causes the other 95%? Many pesticides contain synthetic estrogens known as xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens, such as organochlorines, are not easily metabolized or excreted form the body. They accumulate in the fatty tissue and may linger for decades. Thirty percent of women who contract breast cancer are affected by the amount of estrogen they produce in their bodies, along with the length of time they produce it. The longer a woman's body is exposed to estrogen, the more she is at risk. These synthetic chemicals can be present in our fatty tissue from early childhood, mimicking estrogen in our bodies, affecting our hormone balance, and increasing our risk of developing breast. In addition, hormones are the chemical messengers of the body that switch on genes on and off. Agents such as organochlorins, present in pesticides, may actually interfere with the signals and create genetic damage.

What can you do?

Eat organic and don't use pesticides on your body, in your home, or in your garden. Support pesticide database systems in your state.

Sources

"Breast Cancer and Pesticides" Sierra Club of Canada ".

"What the Drug Industry Won't Tell You " September 1999, Sierra Magazine,

"Breast Cancer: Sharon Bett and Lixa Gross pp. 36.