On Monday, October 3, the results of a study were published which aims to clarify the association between the risk of breast cancer and chronic low-dose exposure to eight atmospheric pollutants.
Pollutants present in the ambient air
October is breast cancer awareness month, an increasingly common disease in women (58,500 new cases in France in 2020). While exposure to environmental pollutants and endocrine disruptors is known to be carcinogenic to humans, data from the literature on their effects on breast cancer have so far been discordant or have a number of methodological limitations.
To clarify this, the XENAIR study aimed to investigate the association between breast cancer risk and chronic low-dose exposure to eight pollutants with xenoestrogenic properties such as dioxins, BaP, PCBs, cadmium, as well as pollutants to which the French are exposed daily: particles (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3).
Improving air quality could help prevent breast cancer
Scientists have identified five pollutants that significantly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. These are Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Particulate (PM10), Particulate (PM2.5), Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB153). According to the researchers, reducing the concentrations of air pollutants in France could contribute to the prevention of breast cancer.