Two new studies link breast cancer incidence to air pollution and chemical exposure at work

At the close of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Oregon State University College of Health announced in a news release the publication in the American Journal of Public Health of the results of "a multiyear analysis involving more than 400,000 women and 28,000 breast cancer cases." The study suggests that those exposed to higher levels of combustion vehicle emissions and other air pollution are more likely to develop the disease. 

With high-traffic areas and industrial sites often located in or near low- and middle-income communities, the effects may be felt disproportionately.

OSU's Veronica Irvin noted in the release that the average pollution levels observed in the study fell below the Environmental Protection Agency's thresholds, suggesting that more effective clean air laws are needed.

“We also need policies that help to reduce car traffic and promote alternative forms of transportation,” Irvin said in a statement. 

Federal and state-level investments in tax incentives and other programs to make electric vehicle adoption more equitably accessible could help improve air quality while also reducing the heat-trapping gases driving rising global temperatures. EV ownership can also promote long-term savings for consumers, with the potential to cut down on maintenance and fuel costs, especially if charging with solar panels at home. 

State and municipal investments in public transportation systems can do much of the same. But even in the absence of EVs and robust public transit, residents can carpool and reduce unnecessary car trips to lower carbon emissions.

In late September, a study led by the Silent Spring Institute in Massachusetts and published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology showed that jobs often held by immigrant women in the United States — such as nursing, house cleaning, agriculture, and nail technician work — carry risks for exposure to chemicals that may increase the chance of breast cancer.

"Immigrant women face unique barriers to avoiding toxic exposures at work — including language barriers and fear of speaking out due to undocumented status or job insecurity," said co-author Erin Carerra, a registered nurse at University of California, San Francisco, in an institute news release. "It’s important to understand the health risks they face so we can ensure all workers, regardless of background, are protected from harmful chemicals that could make them sick."

A recommendation coming out of the study is to improve access to multilingual information for employees and employers about how to avoid hazardous exposures and obtain safer products. The next phase of this research — which will involve using silicone bracelets to track exposures — may help guide policy recommendations against toxic products.