There’s a small but growing movement among breast cancer activists to focus on the environmental factors thought to contribute to the disease. “Women who for years thought the answer was better diagnosis and treatment are now saying that the only way we’re gong to deal with this killer is to reduce our everyday exposure to carcinogens and toxins,” said Devra Lee Davis, a scientist and visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Research on the environmental causes of breast cancer has been limited, but some high clusters of breast cancer cases have been linked to areas with serious pollution problems. Scientists have also suggested that human-made chemicals known as endocrine disrupters could cause cancer. Some breast cancer groups have declared October “Stop Cancer Where It Starts Month,” with the aim of pushing for the reduction of toxins in the environment.
