Sections
Log in
Top News
U.S. News World News Featured Voices
Odd News
Entertainment
Movies Music TV
Sports
Soccer NFL NBA MLB
Photos
News Entertainment Sports Features
More...
Defense Featured Science Health Video Archive Almanac
About Feedback Privacy Policy
About Feedback Privacy Policy
Search
Trending
Truck shooting
India rape
Execution
Justin Timberlake
Japanese antibiotics
SpaceX
Helicopter crash
Lyft
LeBron James
Smart TVs
Health News
Feb. 14, 2019 / 8:37 PM

Timing of DDT exposure can affect chance for breast cancer

"We know that if harmful exposures occur at times when breast tissue is rapidly changing ... they impact breast development in ways that can later result in cancer," said researcher Barbara Cohn.

By
HealthDay News
New research shows the timing of exposure to DDT plays a role in if or when it could cause breast cancer, though researchers who conducted the study say the diagnoses tend to occur about 40 years after exposure. Photo by uschenkova/Shutterstock

Exposure to high levels of the pesticide DDT increases breast cancer risk -- but when the cancer surfaces depends on when women first came in contact with the chemical, researchers say.

"What we have learned is that timing really matters," said lead author Barbara Cohn, from the California-based Public Health Institute.

"We know that if harmful exposures occur at times when breast tissue is rapidly changing, such as during puberty, they impact breast development in ways that can later result in cancer," added Cohn.

The breast cancer diagnoses tended to occur about 40 years after exposure to DDT, her team concluded.

RELATED EPA announces plan to address chemicals in drinking water

DDT was widely used in agriculture until it was banned in the United States in 1972, and banned in many countries in the 1970s. Many women and girls in the United States were exposed to the pesticide. The youngest of them are now reaching the age of increased breast cancer risk.

For this study, researchers looked at more than 15,500 women in California who participated in the institute's Child Health and Development Studies for nearly six decades. Levels of DDT exposure were determined by analyzing stored blood samples taken from them between 1959 and 1967. The researchers analyzed data on breast cancer cases that occurred up until age 54.

All women who were exposed to high levels of DDT had an increased risk of breast cancer through age 54, the study found.

RELATED Opting for organic foods may reduce risk for some cancers

But those exposed to DDT before age 14, particularly in infancy and early childhood, were most likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer (before age 50). Those exposed after infancy were at increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (ages 50-54).

Among the specific findings:

  • DDT exposure during childhood and puberty (ages 3-13) was a risk factor for both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer.
  • A doubling of DDT was associated with an almost tripled increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer for those first exposed to the pesticide after infancy.
  • Women at increased risk for premenopausal breast cancer were first exposed to DDT in utero and during infancy through puberty, but not after age 14. The highest risk was associated with first exposure before age 3.
  • Women first exposed to DDT after age 14 only had an increased risk of breast cancer after menopause, and were not at increased risk for breast cancer before age 50.

"The research suggests that DDT affects breast cancer as an endocrine disruptor, that the period of time between first exposure and cancer risk seems to be around 40 years -- and that other endocrine-disrupting chemicals could potentially simulate this kind of risk pattern," Cohn said in an institute news release.

RELATED Insecticide-treated clothes effective against disease-carrying ticks

Considering the patterns observed, working backward to determine when a woman first came into contact with DDT could help aid early detection and treatment of DDT-associated breast cancer, Cohn added.

The study was published Feb. 13 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on breast cancer.

Copyright © 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Latest Headlines

Study questions beta blockers for half of heart failure patients
Health News // 1 hour ago
Study questions beta blockers for half of heart failure patients
Dec. 6 -- A new study found that taking beta blockers was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for patients with a certain form of heart failure.

More than a quarter of high school students vape, CDC says
Health News // 11 hours ago
More than a quarter of high school students vape, CDC says
An epidemic of vaping by American teenagers shows no signs of stopping, with 2019 data finding more than a quarter (27.5 percent) of high school students using e-cigarettes.

3 drugs for severe epileptic seizures are equally effective, study shows
Health News // 11 hours ago
3 drugs for severe epileptic seizures are equally effective, study shows
Three drugs used to treat severe seizures in epilepsy patients are equally effective, a new study finds.

Diabetes during pregnancy raises risk of heart disease among kids
Health News // 12 hours ago
Diabetes during pregnancy raises risk of heart disease among kids
Children whose mothers had diabetes before or during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing heart disease by age 40, according to a new study.

WHO, CDC data shows measles cases up 30 percent globally
Health News // 13 hours ago
WHO, CDC data shows measles cases up 30 percent globally
Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Although 2018 was a relatively quiet year for measles in the U.S. -- with just 372 confirmed cases -- nearly 9.8 million people were diagnosed with measles globally, and more than 140,000 died from it.

Weight-loss surgery may reverse risks to heart
Health News // 13 hours ago
Weight-loss surgery may reverse risks to heart
A new study suggests weight-loss surgery might reverse subtle damage to your heart.

Woman who vaped got lung disease usually associated with metalworkers
Health News // 14 hours ago
Woman who vaped got lung disease usually associated with metalworkers
A California woman who vaped marijuana came down with a form of pneumonia normally associated with exposure to hard metals in industrial settings, according to a new report.

Nearly 4,000 Americans per year injured while using cellphones, study finds
Health News // 17 hours ago
Nearly 4,000 Americans per year injured while using cellphones, study finds
Dec. 5 (UPI) -- An analysis published Thursday in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery estimates that as many as 4,000 Americans suffer injuries related to cellphone use annually.

Isolation, monotony change the brain, Antarctic study shows
Health News // 18 hours ago
Isolation, monotony change the brain, Antarctic study shows
Dec. 5 -- After 14 months in Antarctica, explorers experienced shrinkage in critical regions of their brains, a new study reveals, offering a window on the effects of long-term isolation and monotony.

CDC: Schools aren't doing enough to teach kids about nutrition
Health News // 1 day ago
CDC: Schools aren't doing enough to teach kids about nutrition
Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Nearly 90 percent of schools in the U.S. offer food education, but far fewer require it, the CDC reports. Researchers point out that food options at schools are improving, but also say healthy eating knowledge is not.

Trending Stories

CDC: Schools aren't doing enough to teach kids about nutrition
CDC: Schools aren't doing enough to teach kids about nutrition
Aspirin may reduce risk of death from certain cancers
Aspirin may reduce risk of death from certain cancers
Nearly 4,000 Americans per year injured while using cellphones, study finds
Nearly 4,000 Americans per year injured while using cellphones, study finds
CDC: More than 150K people infected with HIV don't know they have it
CDC: More than 150K people infected with HIV don't know they have it
1 in 10 seniors, 6 percent of adults use opioid painkillers in U.S.
1 in 10 seniors, 6 percent of adults use opioid painkillers in U.S.

Photo Gallery

 
'Spirit of America' marks White House Christmas decor
'Spirit of America' marks White House Christmas decor

Latest News

Mega Blaze bushfire blankets Sydney with smoke
UPI Almanac for Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
On This Day: Altamont free concert held in California
True crime fan Octavia Spencer plays detective in 'Truth Be Told'
Marianne Jean-Baptiste says 'In Fabric' character is 'a regular woman'
 
Back to Article
/
Back to top
About UPI Contact Feedback Advertisements Submit News Tips
Copyright © 2019 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy