Certain jobs may increase the risk of breast cancer in women

According to a case-control study titled "Occupation and Breast Cancer," which was published in the journal Environmental Health, there may be a link between developing breast cancer and certain occupations. The research was sponsored by the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, Windsor Regional Cancer Center and the University of Windsor.

Conducted in Southern Ontario with the help of the Windsor Regional Cancer Center, the population-based study made use of over 1,000 breast cancer cases and random community controls. Data was collected from respondents' occupational and medical records that determined carcinogenic - or substances that cause cancer - exposure and charted tumor history, origin and growth.

"Our results highlight the importance of occupational studies in identifying and quantifying environmental risk factors and illustrates the value of taking detailed occupational histories of cancer patients," explained lead author James T. Brophy. "Mounting evidence suggest that we need to re-evaluate occupational exposure limits in regulatory protection."

Certain sectors spell trouble
The findings suggest that when women were exposed to high levels of carcinogens and hormone disruptors on the job, they were at a greater risk for developing breast cancer. Sectors with increased risk include agriculture, bartending and gambling, automotive manufacturing. Moreover, food canning and metalworking, while included in this list, are two occupations which saw the highest risk for premenopausal breast cancer. Identifying these sectors may help guide women, especially those who buy Tamoxifen from an online pharmacy, away from certain fields.

"Incidence may be linked to the combination of identified risk factors and those requiring further study, such as occupational and environmental exposures," wrote Brophy and the author study authors. "Increasing evidence suggests that synthetic chemicals, particularly those that mimic estrogen, may increase risk by acting as endocrine disruptors."

Furthermore, there are more than 200 chemical substances that have been found in animals that trigger breast cancer, according to the study. Those include certain pesticides, organic solvents and some plastics. "There is [also] an association with diet, alcohol use, body mass index, reproductive history, age, physical activity and socioeconomic status," noted the study.

U.S. statistics
Out of the U.S. population, 12 percent of women - about one in eight - will develop invasive breast cancer, notes the American Cancer Society (ACS). According to estimates, roughly 227,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2012, and close to 40,000 women will die from this disease. This prevalence makes it the most common cancer among American women, and the second leading cause of mortality rates, following lung cancer.