You wouldn’t take a bath in paint-thinner or breathe gas fumes for fun, but small “everyday” doses aren’t OK either. A big new report on breast cancer and environmental toxins has terrific advice. You didn’t get to read all 300 pages? We YOU Docs dug in for you. Here’s the key stuff on protecting you and yours from environmental chemicals that promote breast cancer. The news must have been tough reading for reporters on deadline, because plenty of media accounts got this important story wrong, concluding, “It’s too soon to tell”; it’s not. The Institute of Medicine’s concise message: “Limit or eliminate your exposure to chemicals that are plausible contributors to breast cancer risk.”
Sure, there’s a lot we don’t know yet. Cancer can take decades to develop, and over decades, we’re all exposed to thousands of compounds. Connecting the dots isn’t easy. But here’s what we do know:
