Research Results

Beta Version

Use the search bar below to find studies, or apply one or more filters to narrow your results. See our list of keywords to guide your search.

Search by keyword

Try these: air pollutionalcoholbisphenolshormonespersonal care productspesticidesplastic

Filter by Risk Factors
Filter by Protective Factors
Filter by Exposure Sources
Filter by Chemical Classes

Sort By

  • Relevance
  • Title (A to Z)
  • Title (Z to A)
  • Publication Year (Ascending)
  • Publication Year (Descending)
  • Authors (A to Z)
  • Authors (Z to A)

Residential ultraviolet radiation and breast cancer risk in a large prospective cohort.

Gregoire et al,

2022

Environ Int

A study of 48,450 women followed for over 10 years found that higher residential UV radiation exposure was associated with a 27% reduced risk of estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, but showed no association with overall breast cancer risk or ER-positive breast cancer. The protective effect against ER- breast cancer was particularly strong (48% risk reduction) among women who did not regularly take Vitamin D supplements, while those taking supplements showed no benefit from UV exposure. These findings suggest that UV-induced Vitamin D production may specifically protect against ER- breast cancer, a particularly aggressive subtype, supporting the importance of adequate Vitamin D levels through natural sunlight exposure or supplementation.

Female breast cancer risk in Bryansk Oblast, Russia, following prolonged low dose rate exposure to radiation from the Chernobyl power station accident.

Rivkind et al,

2020

Int J Epidemiol

This Russian study of 468 breast cancer cases found that women exposed to prolonged low-level radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident had approximately three times higher breast cancer risk in the highest exposure groups compared to those with the lowest exposure, even though radiation doses were relatively low (averaging just 1.3 centigray). The study tracked women for about 25 years after the 1986 Chernobyl accident and estimated their radiation exposure based on where they lived and what they ate during that time. The findings suggest that even prolonged exposure to low levels of radiation—not just high-dose exposures—can increase breast cancer risk, particularly among women who were younger at the time of exposure.

Breast Cancer Among Female Flight Attendants and the Role of the Occupational Exposures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Weinmann et al,

2022

J Occup Environ Med

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 9 studies found that female flight attendants had a 43% increased breast cancer incidence compared to the general population, but surprisingly, neither cosmic radiation exposure nor circadian rhythm disruption—the two primary occupational hazards hypothesized to drive this excess risk—showed clear associations with breast cancer in the available studies. Three studies suggested a possible link with cosmic radiation while none found associations with circadian disruption, leaving the underlying cause of the elevated breast cancer risk among flight attendants unexplained. These findings highlight a critical gap in occupational health research: while flight attendants clearly face elevated breast cancer risk, the mechanisms remain unclear, potentially involving unmeasured factors such as reproductive patterns (delayed childbearing, fewer children), lifestyle factors associated with the profession, cumulative effects of multiple low-level exposures, or limitations in exposure assessment methods—underscoring the urgent need for studies with detailed individual-level data on occupational exposures, work schedules, and lifestyle factors to identify modifiable risk factors for this vulnerable workforce.

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and breast cancer risk: A dose-response meta-analysis.

Li et al,

2020

Medicine

A meta-analysis of 6 studies found that exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was associated with a 30% reduced breast cancer risk overall, with a dose-response analysis showing a linear protective relationship in women over 40 (14% risk reduction per unit increase in UV exposure). Notably, not tanning and covering the limbs were associated with increased breast cancer risk, while sunscreen use showed no association with risk, suggesting that actual UV skin exposure—rather than ambient UV levels alone—may be the key protective factor. This is the first dose-response meta-analysis demonstrating that higher UV exposure correlates with lower breast cancer risk in a linear fashion among middle-aged and older women, likely through Vitamin D production, though the findings highlight the complex balance between skin cancer risks from excessive UV exposure versus potential breast cancer protection from adequate sun exposure, and the need for further research on how factors like estrogen receptor status, Occupation, and ethnicity modify this relationship.

Association of Exposure to Diagnostic Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation With Risk of Cancer Among Youths in South Korea.

Hong et al,

2019

JAMA Netw Open

A population-based cohort study of over 12 million South Korean youths (ages 0-19) followed from 2006-2015 found that exposure to diagnostic low-dose ionizing radiation was associated with a 64% increased overall cancer incidence, with computed tomography scans specifically showing a 54% increased risk. Among specific cancer types, breast cancer showed a particularly striking 132% increased incidence among exposed individuals, along with thyroid cancer (119% increase), myelodysplasia (148% increase), and other myeloid leukemias (114% increase), with risks remaining significant after adjusting for age and sex. These findings from over 1.2 million exposed children and adolescents who developed 1,444 cancers provide compelling evidence that even low-dose diagnostic radiation during childhood and adolescence—a critical window of susceptibility—substantially increases subsequent cancer risk, underscoring the urgent need for judicious use of radiation-based imaging in young people, adherence to ALARA principles (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), and careful consideration of alternative imaging modalities like ultrasound and MRI that don’t involve ionizing radiation.

No results found.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Share This