In what may be a surprise for many, a US Study shows that the continuous use of basic cleaning products in the home may double the risks of developing breast cancers. The study was published on Tuesday in the international journal Environmental Health. It suggests that extensive use of household cleaning products increases the risks of developing breast cancer. These products include air fresheners and mold removers. The study suggests that these could raise the risks by double as compared to women who didn’t use these products regularly. Surprisingly, products such as mothballs, pesticides and insect repellents had minor impact in this regard.
The study shows that that household cleaning products and pesticides could increase risks of breast cancer as they contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals" or "mammary gland carcinogens." The study findings are based on the diagnosis of at least 787 Massachusetts women who had breast cancer. The women were studied between 1988 and 1995. The study also took account of the household products used during that period. Researchers said that they interviewed as many as 712 women without breast cancer. The women were then asked about their thoughts on the factors behind the breast cancer.
However, the study's authors acknowledge that "recall bias" may have tampered the results. But the study hasn’t pleased everyone. Not everyone was happy with the news of the study. “Simply put, this research is rife with innuendo and speculation about the safety of cleaning products and their ingredients,” said Richard Sedlak, the American Cleaning Industry’s senior vice president of Technical and International Affairs, in a press release. “This is all based on the most cursory look at the scientific literature and the recollection of breast cancer survivors as to the products they used 15 to 20 years ago.” “Although the authors recognize the potential bias in their results, present conflicting findings, and have no real gauge as to the products used by the interviewees so long ago, they proceed to make unscientific assumptions on a very shaky foundation. Unfortunately, this work sheds little light on the real causes of breast cancer.”
