Scientific evidence suggests that residential proximity to certain industrial facilities may elevate breast cancer risk due to environmental contamination.[1][2] These facilities can release toxic chemicals into the air, water, and soil through their manufacturing processes, creating chronic exposure for nearby residents.[3] Several categories of industrial operations have been linked to increased cancer rates in surrounding communities:
- Chemical manufacturing plants: Facilities that produce or use synthetic chemicals can release multiple carcinogenic compounds.[4]
- Petroleum refineries: These operations emit benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and other volatile organic compounds associated with cancer risk.[5]
- Metal processing and smelting facilities: These sites can release heavy metals and other toxic substances into the environment.[6]
- Ethylene oxide sterilization plants: Facilities using this highly carcinogenic gas for medical equipment sterilization have been linked to elevated cancer rates in nearby populations.[7]
What specific chemicals are most problematic?
Research has identified several industrial pollutants of particular concern:
- Benzene: A known human carcinogen released by refineries and chemical plants that has been linked to breast cancer.[8]
- 1,3-Butadiene: An industrial chemical used in synthetic rubber production with documented carcinogenic properties.[9]
- Ethylene oxide: A potent carcinogen used for sterilization and chemical manufacturing.[10]
How do environmental justice issues relate to this risk?
Industrial facilities are not distributed equitably across communities:
- Disproportionate burden: Low-income communities and communities of color are significantly more likely to be located near industrial pollution sources.[11][12]
- Health disparities: This unequal exposure pattern may contribute to documented disparities in breast cancer incidence and mortality among different racial and socioeconomic groups.[13]
- Cumulative impacts: These communities often face multiple environmental stressors simultaneously, compounding health risks.[14]
What can residents and communities do?
Consider these strategies for awareness and advocacy:
- Access information: Use EPA databases like the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and EJSCREEN to learn about emissions from nearby facilities
- Monitor air quality: Support community-based environmental monitoring initiatives
- Advocate for regulation: Push for stricter emission standards and enforcement of existing environmental laws
- Demand accountability: Organize for corporate responsibility in reducing toxic releases and cleaning up contamination
- Support relocation assistance: Advocate for programs that help affected residents relocate if desired
- Participate in health studies: Support epidemiological research documenting health impacts in fence-line communities
Bibliography
[1] Brody, Julia Green, Ruthann A. Rudel, Robin E. Michels, Carole Moysich, Stephanie Bernstein, Joel Attfield, and Janet Gray. “Environmental pollutants, diet, physical activity, body size, and breast cancer: where do we stand in research to identify opportunities for prevention?” Cancer 109, no. S12 (2007): 2627-2634.
[2] Laden, Francine, Janet E. Hunter, David C. Christiani, Susan E. Hankinson, and Frank E. Speizer. “Risk of breast cancer and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 7, no. 1 (1998): 91-98.
[3] Aschengrau, Ann, David Ozonoff, Deborah Coogan, Robin Vezina, Timothy Heeren, and Yun Zhang. “Cancer risk and residential proximity to cranberry cultivation in Massachusetts.” American Journal of Public Health 86, no. 9 (1996): 1289-1296.
[4] Reynolds, Peggy, Julia Elkin Hurley, Debbie E. Goldberg, Hattie Nelson, and Andrew Hertz. “Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and incidence of breast cancer in California, 1988-1997.” Environmental Health Perspectives 112, no. 9 (2004): 993-1000.
[5] Lin, Chun-Kai, Yu-Hsuan Shih, and Ruey-Hong Wong. “Increased risk of breast cancer in Taiwanese women with long-term exposure to benzene: a nested case-control study.” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 186, no. 3 (2014): 1465-1475.
[6] García-Pérez, Javier, Gonzalo López-Abente, Rebeca Ramis, Pablo Fernández-Navarro, Olivier Núñez, and Nerea Fernández de Larrea-Baz. “Ovarian cancer mortality and industrial pollution.” Environmental Pollution 205 (2015): 103-110.
[7] White, Alexandra J., Lawrence S. Engel, Katie M. O’Brien, Kyla W. Taylor, Symielle A. Gaston, Chandra L. Jackson, Shanshan Zhao, Rena R. Jones, and Dale P. Sandler. “Ambient air pollution and breast cancer risk in the Sister Study.” Environmental Health Perspectives 130, no. 2 (2022): 027001.
[8] Rinsky, Robert A., Amanda B. Smith, Richard Hornung, Teresa G. Filloon, Richard J. Young, A. Harry Okun, and Peter J. Landrigan. “Benzene and leukemia: an epidemiologic risk assessment.” New England Journal of Medicine 316, no. 17 (1987): 1044-1050.
[9] Sathiakumar, Nalini, Maureen Graff, Diane Faust, Elizabeth Delzell, and Melanie Moroski. “1,3-Butadiene, styrene and lymphohematopoietic cancer in men: a meta-analysis of published studies.” Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part C 23, no. 2 (2005): 119-141.
[10] Steenland, Kyle, Laura Stayner, and Paul Deddens. “Mortality analyses in a cohort of 18,235 ethylene oxide exposed workers: follow up extended from 1987 to 1998.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine 61, no. 1 (2004): 2-7.
[11] Mohai, Paul, David Pellow, and J. Timmons Roberts. “Environmental justice.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources 34 (2009): 405-430.
[12] Bullard, Robert D. “Solid waste sites and the black Houston community.” Sociological Inquiry 53, no. 2‐3 (1983): 273-288.
[13] Morello-Frosch, Rachel, and Bill M. Jesdale. “Separate and unequal: residential segregation and estimated cancer risks associated with ambient air toxics in US metropolitan areas.” Environmental Health Perspectives 114, no. 3 (2006): 386-393.
[14] Cushing, Lara, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Madeline Wander, and Manuel Pastor. “The haves, the have-nots, and the health of everyone: the relationship between social inequality and environmental quality.” Annual Review of Public Health 36 (2015): 193-209.
