Pollutant chemicals in mothers’ breast milk have been linked to an increased rate of testicular cancer.
A study in Denmark suggests hormone-disrupting chemicals such as pesticides may explain why so many men in the country develop the disease. Danish men are up to four times more likely to have testicular cancer as men than in neighbouring Finland.
Denmark also suffers high rates of other male reproductive disorders, including poor semen quality and genital abnormalities. Many experts believe man-made pollutants that alter the effect of hormones in the developing foetus may be to blame.
Researchers measured levels of 121 chemicals in 68 samples of breast milk from women in Denmark and Finland.
They found a dramatic difference between the two countries. Danish breast milk had significantly higher levels of some chemicals, including dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides, than Finnish breast milk.
Chemicals in breast milk acted as a marker of exposure to the pollutants in the womb.
[Source]
Chapter: Cancer :: 24 November 2009
