Cleaning products and air fresheners are associated with increased breast cancer risk

This study was published in Environmental Health 2010 Jul 20;9:40

Study title and authors:

Self-reported chemicals exposure, beliefs about disease causation, and risk of breast cancer in the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study: a case-control study.

Zota AR, Aschengrau A, Rudel RA, Brody JG.

Silent Spring Institute, 29 Crafts Street, Newton, MA 02458, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646273

The study investigated whether use of household cleaning products and air fresheners increased breast cancer risk. The study included 787 women diagnosed with breast cancer 721 cancer free controls.

The study found:
(a) Breast cancer risk increased by 110% in the women who used the most cleaning products compared to the women who used the least.
(b) Breast cancer risk increased by 90% in the women who used the most air fresheners compared to the women who used the least.

Results of this study show that cleaning products and air fresheners are associated with increased breast cancer risk.