Endocrine Disruptors IV: Cancer in Our Foods

April 29, 2009

By Kathryn Au

Eating barbecued and grilled foods may be increasing our risk of cancer. These foods are more likely to contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a type of chemical compound that may pose health dangers to our bodies.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of compounds that include over one hundred different contaminants. They form when materials like wood, coal, oil, and gas are incompletely burned. Vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, soot, and the burning of solid or hazardous waste commonly contain PAHs. Natural occurrences like volcanoes and forest fires can also produce these contaminants.

PAHs might also be present in a number of oil-based household products, including petroleum jelly, lipsticks, baby lotions, and cooking oils. Even though they are not listed in the ingredients list, they naturally occur in oils. The amount of PAHs in these products depends on how much the oil has been refined or purified, but as of yet there are no laws governing this in the United States.

People are also exposed to PAHs through food. PAHs released into the air through traffic exhaust and power plants that burn coal and natural gas cling onto food crops, including grains, leafy vegetables, and fruits. Burnt foods such as smoked, baked, grilled, and barbecued meats also contain PAHs because the fats in meat react to high temperatures.

PAHs are persistent compounds. They are not easily broken down, so they can last for a long time. Also, they bioaccumulate—the higher up in the food chain you go, the higher the concentration of PAHs within the organism.

The danger of PAHs lies in their effects on the body. PAHs are endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors interrupt the functioning of the endocrine system, which controls the production of hormones. PAHs do this by mimicking estrogen, a hormone involved in the development of female reproductive traits. The body thinks it has more estrogen than it actually does and responds accordingly, which increases the risk of breast cancer. [1]

Also, some PAHs are known to be carcinogens, or cancer-causing substances. They bind to DNA in cells, creating the potential to alter and damage the DNA. PAHs like fatty tissues and can accumulate in the breast. One study found that the presence of PAH-DNA adducts, or PAH molecules bound to DNA, also increases the risk of breast cancer. [2]

Native American women have the lowest survival rate from breast cancer compared to any other ethnic group in the country. [3] Understanding the risk factors for breast cancer is important to combating this disease and protecting women.

Although studies have not found conclusively that PAHs cause cancer or hormone-related problems, one must remember that PAHs are not the only carcinogens or endocrine disruptors that people are exposed to regularly. Most experiments test only a single type of compound for its toxic effect. The combined effect of exposures to different endocrine-disrupting substances has yet to be studied.

To be safe, there are several ways of reducing exposure to PAHs.

• Cook meat at lower temperatures.
• When eating grilled, barbecued, fried, or baked meats, remove any burnt parts.
• Wash fruits and vegetables before eating. Remove peels or outer layer if possible.
• Avoid burning wood in the house.
• Avoid tobacco smoke, which also contains many other cancer-causing chemicals.
• Use natural moisturizers like coconut, avocado, lanolin, jojoba nut, grape seed, and olive oil instead of petroleum jelly.
  

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For more information, check out these websites:
http://www.bcaction.org
http://www.livingbeauty.ca/watchyourmouth.html
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/children/chemicals.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/petroleum-jelly-on-your-face.html

Sources:
[1] Breast Cancer Fund. (October 10, 2007). What is the Connection between Cosmetics and Breast Cancer? Retrieved January 21, 2009, from World Wide Web: www.pureprevention.org/documents/cosmetics_and_breast_cancer_2007.10.10.pdf
[2] Gammon, M. D., Santella, R. M., Neugut, A. I., Eng, S. M., Teitelbaum, S. L., Paykin, A., Levin, B., Terry, M. B., Young, T. L., Wang, L. W., Wang, Q., Britton, J. A., Wolff, M. S., Stellman, S. D., Hatch, M., Kabat, G. C., Senie, R., Garbowski, G., Maffeo, C., Montalvan, P., Berkowitch, G., Kemeny, M., Citron, M., Schnabel, F., Schuss, A., Hajdu, S., Vinceguerra, V. 2002. Environmental toxins and breast cancer on Long Island: I. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon DNA Adducts. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention 11: 677-685.
[3] Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2006, December. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant Results. Native Sisters Help Native American Women Overcome Obstacles to Breast Cancer Screening. Grant Results. Retrieved January 23, 2009, from: http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/026400s.htm