Chemicals in your home may increase breast cancer risk
A new study from Tufts University and Boston University, published in the journal PNAS, raises concern that daily exposure to common chemicals, particularly a mixture of bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF), may alter the development of human breast tissue. Researchers used 3D models from breast tissue of 13 young, healthy women and found molecular changes consistent with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer. However, the study does not prove causation.
A new study from Tufts University and Boston University, published in the journal PNAS, raises concern that daily exposure to common chemicals may alter the development of human breast tissue. Researchers used advanced 3D models (organoids) grown from breast tissue donated by 13 young, healthy women. The models were exposed to a range of chemicals, and the most alarming finding involved three common bisphenols: BPA, BPS, and BPF. While each chemical alone caused few changes, a mixture of them at low concentrations, similar to levels found in the human body, significantly disrupted tissue development. The researchers compared the molecular changes caused by exposure to the bisphenol mixture with molecular data from human breast tumors and found a particularly strong match to invasive lobular carcinoma—a type that is difficult to detect via mammography. However, the researchers emphasize that the finding does not prove the chemicals cause cancer, but rather points to a possible link and a new direction for research. The study offers a new way to think about cancer prevention and raises the possibility that environmental exposures may subtly alter tissue development and leave molecular changes that could affect tissue susceptibility to disease years after exposure. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings.