October is observed as breast cancer awareness month
If you have been using plastic containers, disposable plates, bottles and other plastic products to store food, it is time you switch to glass or metal containers.
If you have been using plastic containers, disposable plates, bottles and other plastic products to store food, it is time you switch to glass or metal containers.
City-based oncologists say that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in plastic, such as Bisphenol A (BPA), can cause cancer in people, especially breast cancer. Concerned over the growing incidence of breast cancer in the State, specialists — who are focussing more on creating awareness about this second-most common cancer among women — say the government’s recent ban on plastic has come as a blessing in disguise.
According to the Population Based Cancer Registry, 36.6 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed every year per one lakh population in Bengaluru. Of the estimated 45,000 new cancer cases reported every year in Karnataka, over 8,000 are breast cancer cases.
The Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology sees nearly 22,000 new cases every year and of these over 850 are breast cancer cases. Although this has much to do with lifestyle, exposure to plastic products beyond certain levels is also a major risk factor, doctors say.
Nalini Rao, Consultant Radiation Oncologist at HCG Cancer Care Network, says BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen found in many rigid plastic products, food and beverage containers and other similar products.
“BPA’s estrogen-like activity makes it a hormone disruptor, like many other chemicals in plastics. Hormone disruptors can affect how estrogen and other hormones act in the body, by blocking them or mimicking them, which throws off the body’s hormonal balance. Because estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer develop and grow, it is better to avoid use of plastic products,” she explains.
Jayanthi Thumsi, Consultant, Breast Cancer Surgeon, BGS Global Hospitals, says there is increasing evidence from ecological research that indicates a strong connection between environmental factors and breast cancer. “There are over 75,000 synthetic chemicals used in day-to-day commodities like lipstick, water bottles, pesticide. As its use has increased, so has the incidence of breast cancer,” she says.
October is observed as breast cancer awareness month
According to the Population Based Cancer Registry, 36.6 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed every year per one lakh population in Bengaluru. Of the estimated 45,000 new cancer cases reported every year in Karnataka, over 8,000 are breast cancer cases.
The Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology sees nearly 22,000 new cases every year and of these over 850 are breast cancer cases. Although this has much to do with lifestyle, exposure to plastic products beyond certain levels is also a major risk factor, doctors say.
Nalini Rao, Consultant Radiation Oncologist at HCG Cancer Care Network, says BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen found in many rigid plastic products, food and beverage containers and other similar products.
“BPA’s estrogen-like activity makes it a hormone disruptor, like many other chemicals in plastics. Hormone disruptors can affect how estrogen and other hormones act in the body, by blocking them or mimicking them, which throws off the body’s hormonal balance. Because estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer develop and grow, it is better to avoid use of plastic products,” she explains.
Jayanthi Thumsi, Consultant, Breast Cancer Surgeon, BGS Global Hospitals, says there is increasing evidence from ecological research that indicates a strong connection between environmental factors and breast cancer. “There are over 75,000 synthetic chemicals used in day-to-day commodities like lipstick, water bottles, pesticide. As its use has increased, so has the incidence of breast cancer,” she says.
October is observed as breast cancer awareness month
Nice Blog. Thanks for sharing.
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