I have mentioned this in an earlier post with detailed information on the research done in this area. I just read an article in the US News Health Blog that related to my post. Basically environmental estrogen consumption can lead to breast cancer. They have listed out the environmental estrogenic materials that women should avoid exposure to.

One risk the ACS website barely mentions is that posed by certain “environmental estrogens,” chemicals that are thought to act in concert with your body’s own supply of estrogen to fuel the growth of breast tumors. Yet a growing number of cancer experts believe there’s now enough evidence of a link to recommend that women reduce their exposure to these chemicals. Suzanne Snedeker, associate director of Cornell University’s program on breast cancer and environmental risk factors, feels so strongly that women should take action that she has put together a series of videos telling us exactly what to do. “It’s ironic that breast cancer patients end up getting treatments that work against estrogen,” she explains, “but we don’t tell women about what’s estrogenic in the environment and how to avoid excess estrogen in the first place.”

Although women are exposed to a very low level of these chemicals in any particular product, Snedeker says that collectively, the exposures could increase our breast cancer risk. And researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have documented widespread exposure to a variety, including bisphenol-A (found in hard plastics and the lining of cans), nonylphenol (found in cleaning products) and benzophenones (found in sunblocks, perfumes, soaps, and printer toner). Check out the video on cosmetics to see what to avoid in makeup products. Watch the video on plastics to see how to steer clear of bisphenol-A and the one on what goes down the drain to see what detergents are safer to use and how to dispose of old electronics.

Bisphenol-A binds to estrogen receptor and (unlike tamoxifen that blocks the steps that follow) it acts like the body’s estrogen and promotes activity in the body that normal estrogen would promote. However, since this activity is not directed by the body, it leads to excess reactions and end-products that are not required. This disrupts the regular functioning of the body.