Breast cancer and work: Why research and preventive action are needed

Breast cancer remains the most frequent cancer diagnosis among women in the United States and Canada, which have among the highest rates in the world. Despite the limitations of the currently accepted risk factors to adequately explain the breast cancer epidemic there is little global attention being paid to the occupational risk factors of women employed in an array of industries where the potential of high exposure to possible mammary carcinogens and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) exist. This failure to examine the occupational influences that could realistically impact the health of millions of working women is rooted in the deeply entrenched social class and gender biases of the prevailing cancer agencies and governmental regulatory bodies. Regulatory action has been further attenuated in recent decades by the neoliberal policies of global capitalism that have continued to weaken the power of worker advocacy organizations to prevent harm and secure protection. Thus the populations at risk are kept uninformed and excluded from the decision-making process.

Results from two recently published Canadian studies on breast cancer and occupation predict that women employed for ten years in occupations assessed as potentially having high levels of exposures to breast carcinogens and EDCs would have a 42% elevated breast cancer risk after controlling for many known or suspected risk factors. Farming, automotive plastics, food canning, metalworking, and bars and casinos all showed a significant elevated risk. A particularly high risk was observed for premenopausal women employed in the automotive plastics industry and food canning.