Catherwood LibraryILR School

A new study published today by researchers in Canada shows that women who are exposed to chemicals in the workplace regularly before their mid-30s run a higher risk of getting breast cancer when they are older, between the ages of 50 and 75. Each additional decade of exposure to certain chemical substances before the age of 36 greatly increases a woman's chance of breast cancer after menopause. Nylon fibers and aromatic hydrocarbons are particularly dangerous, doubling and tripling the risk of breast cancer, respectively. Acrylic fibers were also found to be harmful. Regular (i.e continual workplace exposure) to any of these substances while breast tissue is still active (before age 40) is likely to greatly increase risk. The researchers believe that these findings could help to explain the extraordinarily high rates of breast cancer usually found in developed, first world nations.