Research has shown that over 25% of all breast cancer cases are preventable. This breast cancer awareness month check out the steps we all can take (men included) to reduce our risk of developing this form of cancer. Alongside lifestyle factors such as poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise, hormone disrupting chemicals we are exposed to in our everyday lives are also implicated in the increases in cancer we have seen in Europe over the past twenty years.

These chemicals are found in many places, from cosmetics, plastics and food packaging to electronic goods. Bisphenol A, for example, is a known hormone disrupting chemical and is used in till receipts and food can linings. It has been shown to directly affect the mammary gland even at low doses, significantly increasing ductal growth and thereby increasing the risk of developing breast cancer. Recently, its use in thermal till paper receipts was banned in the EU and it was officially listed as an endocrine disruptor. However, as BPA has come under pressure from regulators, companies have moved to using similar bisphenols such as BPS and BPF which also disrupt the human hormone system. Check out Breast Cancer UK’s Chemicals iGuide for more information on where chemicals with these properties are found and how to avoid them.

Take a look at the work CHEM Trust does at UK and EU levels, calling for these chemicals to be removed from everyday products.

Find out more about other health impacts associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals.

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