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2025
Iran J of Pub Health
This study of nearly 5,000 U.S. women found that exposure to triclosan—an antibacterial chemical once commonly found in soaps, toothpaste, and other personal care products—was associated with more than double the breast cancer risk at moderate exposure levels, while propylparaben (a preservative in cosmetics and foods) showed a protective association. However, when researchers examined the combined effect of multiple phenols and parabens together, they found no significant association with breast cancer, suggesting these chemicals may have complex and sometimes opposing effects. These mixed findings highlight the need for more research to understand how individual chemicals versus chemical mixtures affect breast cancer risk, especially since people are typically exposed to multiple chemicals simultaneously in everyday products.
2024
Environ Health Perspect
A nationwide study using CDC biomonitoring data found that California’s Proposition 65, which requires warnings about chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive harm, led to reduced exposures to listed chemicals across the entire United States, not just California. While blood and urine concentrations of 37 monitored chemicals generally declined over time, the researchers found evidence of problematic chemical substitution—for example, after bisphenol A (BPA) was listed, its concentrations dropped 15% but levels of the unlisted substitute bisphenol S (BPS) increased 20%. Californians generally had lower levels of harmful chemicals in their bodies compared to residents of other states, suggesting the law had additional protective effects. The findings indicate that transparency laws like Prop 65 can drive manufacturers to reformulate products nationwide, but regulations need to address entire chemical classes rather than individual substances to prevent companies from simply switching to similar but unlisted toxic chemicals.
2022
Chemosphere
Researchers measured 41 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in women living in the Greater Manila Area, Philippines, comparing those with and without breast cancer. They found that certain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were significantly associated with breast cancer, with some chemicals showing dramatically increased risk: PFDoA was associated with a 1,263% increased risk, PFDA with an 826% increased risk, and PFHxA with a 166% increased risk. Long-chain PFAS levels were higher in women from heavily industrialized areas compared to the National Capital Region. This study provides the first baseline data on EDC exposure levels in Filipino women, filling a critical gap in knowledge about chemical exposures in Southeast Asian populations and suggesting that industrial pollution may be contributing to elevated PFAS levels and breast cancer risk.
2019
Environ Int
A population-based study of 711 breast cancer cases and 598 controls from the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project measured seven urinary phenol biomarkers (environmental endocrine disruptors from personal care and consumer products) in spot urine samples collected within three months of diagnosis, with 17.6-year median follow-up identifying 271 deaths including 98 from breast cancer. The highest versus lowest quintiles of methylparaben, propylparaben, and sum of parabens (Σparabens) were associated with 31-50% increased breast cancer risk (ORs: 1.31-1.50) but paradoxically with 23-32% reduced all-cause mortality after diagnosis (HRs: 0.68-0.77), with associations for incidence stronger among women with BMI <25 kg/m² and associations for mortality stronger among women with BMI ≥25 kg/m². These findings—the first to examine phenol biomarkers in relation to both breast cancer incidence and subsequent mortality—reveal complex differential associations suggesting that select parabens may increase risk of developing breast cancer but be associated with better survival outcomes, though the mechanisms underlying these paradoxical associations remain unclear and may relate to BMI-dependent metabolic or hormonal factors, reverse causation, or unmeasured confounding.
2018
Environ Health
This longitudinal study examined how exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) affects the timing of menarche in Chilean girls by measuring 26 phenol and phthalate compounds in urine samples collected before breast development and during adolescence. The researchers found that different chemicals had varying effects depending on when exposure was measured: higher early exposure to DEHP was associated with later menarche, while early exposure to certain phenols and later exposure to some phthalates were linked to earlier menarche. The study also revealed that body weight influenced these effects, with overweight or obese girls showing earlier menarche when exposed to higher levels of certain chemicals like triclosan, while normal-weight girls did not show this association. These findings demonstrate that specific EDCs can disrupt normal sexual development in girls, with timing of exposure and body weight being important factors.
2018
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
This study examined how exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during puberty affects breast tissue development in 200 Chilean girls by measuring urinary concentrations of phenols and phthalates at two stages of breast development and assessing breast density. The researchers found that certain phthalate metabolites were associated with increased breast density measures – specifically, higher levels of monocarboxyisooctyl phthalate were linked to 7% higher percent dense breast tissue, and monoethyl phthalate was associated with increased fibroglandular volume. Bisphenol A showed a U-shaped relationship with fibroglandular volume, where girls with middle-level exposures had at least 10% lower fibroglandular volume compared to those with low or high exposures. The findings suggest that developing breast tissue is vulnerable to certain EDCs during childhood and adolescence, which may have implications for future breast cancer risk since breast density is a known risk factor.
2025
Sci Rep
A large U.S. study of 4,455 people found that exposure to triclosan (TRS)—an antibacterial chemical commonly found in soaps, toothpaste, and personal care products—was associated with more than double the risk of breast cancer at moderate exposure levels, with the relationship following an inverted U-shape pattern. The association was strongest among overweight individuals, people under 60 years old, and white participants, while other tested chemicals (including bisphenol A, benzophenone-3, and parabens) showed no significant link to breast cancer risk. These findings suggest that triclosan exposure may be an important modifiable risk factor for breast cancer, particularly for certain population groups, though more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and confirm causality.
2024
Environ Sci Technol
A study of 751 reproductive-aged Black women found that the relationship between personal care product (PCP) use and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) varied significantly by socioeconomic status (SES), with different patterns of chemical exposure from the same products depending on women’s education, income, and employment. For example, vaginal powder use was associated with higher phenol exposure (a class of EDCs) among lower SES women but showed no such association in higher SES women, suggesting that product formulations, brands, or usage patterns may differ across SES groups. These findings highlight that Black women face inequitable EDC exposures that are influenced by both race and socioeconomic factors, underscoring the need for targeted public health interventions that address these intersecting disparities in chemical exposures from everyday products
2024
J Hazard Mater
A study analyzing 162 non-alcoholic beverages found that 63 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in 144 products, with concentrations highest in metal-canned beverages and significantly lower or absent in glass, plastic, and carton packaging. Bisphenol A (BPA) levels were notably elevated in canned drinks compared to identical products from the same manufacturers packaged in glass or plastic, and researchers identified two previously unknown BPA structural isomers in beverages for the first time. The calculated daily BPA exposure from average beverage consumption (364 mL/day) exceeded the European Food Safety Authority’s revised safety guideline by up to 2,000-fold, suggesting that regular consumption of canned non-alcoholic beverages—particularly by young children—poses a potential health hazard due to EDC exposure from packaging materials.
2022
Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev
A study of 1,268 women from the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project with measurements of 22 urinary phthalate and phenol analytes and leukocyte telomere length (LTL)—a biomarker of biological aging—found that LTL significantly modified associations between 11 of 22 analytes and breast cancer risk (p<0.05), with a general pattern showing inverse associations at shorter LTL and positive associations at longer LTL, though no modifying effects were observed for breast cancer mortality. This first study examining biological aging's role in environmental chemical-breast cancer associations reveals complex interactions where the same phthalate/phenol exposures may have opposite effects depending on an individual's telomere length and biological aging status. These findings suggest that biological aging markers like telomere length may help identify women who are more or less susceptible to breast cancer from environmental chemical exposures, highlighting the importance of considering individual variation in biological aging when assessing environmental risk factors and potentially explaining some of the inconsistent associations between phthalates/phenols and breast cancer reported in previous studies that did not account for biological aging heterogeneity.