This article is posted from Air Quality News from IQAir, the world leader in
air purifiers
This
year, more than 232,000 women in the United States will learn they have
invasive breast cancer. Another 64,000 women will be diagnosed with
non-invasive breast cancer, the earliest and most treatable form of the
disease. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women,
after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease will
claim the lives of 40,000 American women this year alone.
Those
staggering statistics place the United States among a handful of countries
worldwide with the highest rates of breast cancer. The others include Canada,
Belgium, Denmark, France, Uruguay, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. The
incidence of breast cancer among women in North America is 86.3 per 100,000,
the highest rate worldwide. In Central Africa, the incidence rate drops to
13.64 per 100,000, and in China, to 11.77 per 100,000 – the lowest rate in the
world. These data are adjusted for differences in longevity.*
More than
90% of all cases of breast cancer are linked to environmental factors. Alcohol
use, body weight, exposure to radiation and exposure to air pollution are among
the leading environmental risks. New research has identified exposure to
nitrogen oxides, particulates and chemicals in the air as the primary air
pollution concerns.
Air pollution and breast cancer
Air
pollution contains at least 35 chemicals associated with increases in the
development of tumors in animals, according to the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF).
And these same chemicals surround us indoors and outdoors. “There is widespread
exposure to many of these chemicals in the air we breathe outside,” reports BCF,
“as well as in our offices, homes, restaurants and schools.”
Pollution
associated with traffic is the primary concern. Researchers at Mercer
University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga., last year established a
statistically significant link between emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon
monoxide, sulfur dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and an increase
in the incidence of breast cancer. A study by many of the same researchers the
previous year established a correlation between traffic-related pollution and
the development of breast cancer.
Nitrogen oxide, particle pollution
Meanwhile,
researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, have identified an
association between postmenopausal breast cancer and exposure to nitrogen
dioxide – a common component of traffic-related pollution. The risk increased
25% for every increase in exposure of 5 ppb in ambient air.
Poor air
quality doesn’t increase only the risk of developing cancer. It also plays a
role in survival after treatment. Women who survive breast cancer face an
elevated risk of dying from breast cancer as a result of exposure to air
pollution. Researchers from the University of Florida, Gettysburg (Pa.) College
and Fudan University in Shanghai, China, collaborated in a report that found an
86% increased risk of dying from breast cancer among breast cancer survivors
living in areas with elevated levels of particulate pollution.
The month
of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and health agencies
emphasize the importance of screening and the early detection of breast cancer
in improving breast cancer survival rates. But it’s also a good time to
consider the positive steps a woman can takes to help control many of the
environmental and lifestyle risks associated with the disease.
Steps to help control breast cancer risk
The Mayo
Clinic staff offers a short list of steps women can take to reduce their risk
of developing breast cancer:
1.
Limit alcohol. There is clear evidence that drinking alcohol increases
the levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with breast cancer. And
the risk goes up substantially for every drink per day consumed.
2.
Don’t smoke. The relationship between smoking and cancer is clear. And the
American Cancer Society has found an increased risk of developing cancer among
women who smoke, especially those who started smoking before having their first
child.
3.
Control your weight. Fat tissue is the major source of estrogen for
postmenopausal women, and elevated estrogen levels are associated with breast
cancer, says the American Cancer Society.
4. Be
physically active. Studies show that even brisk walking for 75-150 minutes a
week reduces breast cancer risk.
5.
Breast feed. Breast-feeding protects against cancer, according to Susan
G. Komen for the Cure.
6.
Limit doses and duration of hormone therapy. Hormones prescribed as
therapy for menopause symptoms may increase the risk of developing breast
cancer.
7.
Avoid exposure to radiation and environmental pollution. Medical imaging
that involves high doses of radiation is linked to breast cancer risk.
Likewise, studies such as those cited in this article provide evidence that
breathing contaminated air is associated with developing breast cancer and even
surviving breast cancer.
A
high-performance air purifier such as the IQAir HealthPro Plus can help control
contaminants in the air. The HealthPro Plus provides medical-grade air quality
and is effective against a full spectrum of particles, chemicals and gases that
are associated with breast cancer risk.
This
publication is brought to you by IQAir North America, Inc., a member of the
Swiss-based IQAir Group that develops, manufactures and markets innovative air
purifiers and air quality products for indoor environments around the globe.
IQAir is the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for
the air purifier industry.
