Exposure to certain pesticides, known as organochlorines, may increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Organochlorines, which are found in agricultural and industrial products, have a weak estrogen-like effect, and play a role in the development of breast cancer. After taking into account other known risk factors for breast cancer, the researchers write that the risk of breast cancer was twice as high in women with the highest (blood) concentrations of dieldrin (an organochlorine) as that in women with the lowest concentrations.

The Lancet 1998;352;1816-1820.

COMMENT: In addition to causing breast cancer, these chemicals also cause infertility in the children who were exposed to these chemicals while they were in their mother’s womb. Because of this 20-30 year delay in the effects, this aspect of pesticide exposure is not well studied or well known.

I would highly recommend the book Our Stolen Future by Theo Colburn which discusses this issue in great detail. Assuming we make it through Y2K, this may be one of the most significant medical issues of our times.

Dental sealants are also chemicals which serve as xenoestrogens. They should NOT be placed in your children’s mouth. They will decrease cavities BUT they will also increase estrogen levels and cause enlarged breasts in boys and puberty problems in many of the children who receive these synthetic estrogen analogs.