Top Chemicals Scientists Say Women Should Avoid
With so many women being diagnosed with breast cancer, there is an urgent need for prevention strategies. Scientists say women should avoid certain common chemicals, as a top strategy for prevention.
Peer-reviewed studies show that many chemicals demonstrated to cause mammary cancer in rats are linked to breast cancer in women. There are over 102 chemicals in this category, but due to a lack of regulation in the personal care industry, most of these are allowed in your home products and personal care products. In fact, the US only bans 30 ingredients from personal care products, which leaves a lot of room for error.
Tip: Shop with a safer company committed to ongoing screening and safety standards, such as testing for parabens at end point (more on that below). There’s only one skin care and cosmetics company doing the level of screening necessary to keep us safe, and that’s my favorite B-Corp, Beautycounter!
While there’s loads we still have to learn about the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals, one thing we know is that we need to avoid them, with diligence. Exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates, bisphenol-A, and flame-retardants, is a decisive factor in breast cancer incidence. Let’s look at the top 3 chemicals to avoid as a breast cancer prevention strategy.
1. Bisphenol A (BPA)
This hormone-disrupting chemical is found just about everywhere. Lab studies have shown that BPA is linked to early puberty, a risk factor for later-life breast cancer. It can make healthy breast cells grow and survive like cancer cells and can even make breast cancer drugs less effective.
How to avoid:
Avoid canned foods.
Just say no to cash register receipts, some of which use BPA in the printing process.
Choose glass or stainless steel instead of plastic for your food storage and water bottle needs.
2. Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in cosmetics like nail polish and in fragrance. Phthalates are linked with breast cancer, liver toxicity, behavioral disorders, birth defects, reproductive toxicity, and obesity. They’re also used in synthetic fragrances found in air fresheners, cosmetics, detergents, cleaning products, and more. Unfortunately, this is a chemical rarely listed in the ingredients. It’s hidden (along with hundreds, even thousands of other chemicals) under the words “fragrance” or “perfume”.
How to avoid:
Avoid fragrance in your household cleaners, laundry detergents, dryer sheets, candles, skincare products, air fresheners, and even trash bags.
Stop buying vinyl products, which are softened with phthalates. Choose a cloth or nylon shower curtain instead of one made with PVC. Kids’ stuff should always be PVC-free.
Choose unscented products or those with natural essential oils instead.
3. Parabens
Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as an antifungal agent, preservative and antimicrobial in creams, lotions, ointments and other cosmetics, including underarm deodorants. They're linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, immuno-toxicity, nuero-toxicity, and skin irritations. Plus, there is the potential these actually cause skin cancer. If the word ends in paraben, avoid them! They can be absorbed by the skin and have been linked to breast cancer incidence. One study found parabens in 99 percent of breast tissue samples; 60 percent of the samples contained at least five parabens.
How to avoid:
Only use personal care products labeled “paraben free.”, though even this label lacks transparency, due to lack of regulations. So your best bet when it comes to paraben avoidence is to only buy brands which you know tests for parabens at the end point of manufacturing. that may have entered production from other sources.
Read labels and avoid ingredients that end with “paraben” such as methylparaben.
Consult EWG’s Skin Deep Database to get more information about which personal care products contain parabens.
There are also other actions to take to help prevent breast cancer, but eliminating your exposure to common carcinogenic chemicals is an good and easy first step. With so many women diagnosed with breast cancer, there is really an urgent need for prevention strategies. Stay tuned to this blog, follow my Instagram, and join my Facebook group Come Clean for more proven prevention strategies.
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