Breast-cancer risk linked to exposure to traffic emissions at menarche, first birth
(June 9, 2005)
Exposure to carcinogens in traffic emissions at particular lifetime points may increase the risk of developing breast cancer in women who are lifetime nonsmokers, a study by UB epidemiologists and geographers has found.
The study was conducted among women who lived in Erie and Niagara counties between 1996 and 2001. They found that higher exposure around the time of first menstruation to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), potential carcinogens found in traffic emissions, was associated with increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer.