It Takes Time

Natural living, one step at a time

Navigation
  • Home
  • Natural Living
    • House
    • Beauty
    • Foodie
    • By Kids for Kids
  • DIY
  • Recipes
  • Natural Health
    • Dental
    • Gut Health
    • Detox
    • Type 1 Diabetes
  • Unseen Reality
    • Microbes & Mold
    • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • About Andrea

Environmental Triggers for Breast Cancer




Yum

May 14, 2014 by Andrea Fabry 10 Comments

Did you know you can help prevent breast cancer by avoiding certain environmental triggers?

Pink Ribbon with chemicals

A study released in May 2014 lists 17 groups of chemicals women should avoid if trying to minimize their risk of breast cancer. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the study notes that environment is a key factor,

“Only 5-10 percent of breast cancers are due to high-risk inherited genes, and 80 percent of women diagnosed are the first in their family to get it. These statistics are just part of the abundant evidence that breast cancer is not written into inherited genes, so finding additional causes can lead to prevention.“

This is good news for those of us genetically predisposed to breast cancer. Both my grandmothers and my mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Because of this family history and my exposure to high levels of toxic mold, I have been proactively fighting breast cancer for the last 5 years. (Read more about my breast cancer approach in the post “Angelina and Me.”)

I believe this will prove to be a landmark study. The implications are far reaching.

What are these 17 groups?

Gasoline and chemicals formed by combustion – includes exhaust from diesel and gasoline engines, tobacco smoke and fumes from cooking stoves.

Chemicals found in charred food –  includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitroPAHs, acrylamide, and styrene.

Chemicals found in hair and textile dyes – includes dyes used in the production of paints, printing inks, inkjet and laser printers.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) found in moldy environments – also found in grains, nuts and pork.

Styrene – includes building materials and consumer products made from polystyrene, indoor air and cigarette smoke.

Pharmaceuticals (non-hormonal) –  includes a number of over-the-counter, veterinary, and prescription medicines.

The study encourages women to filter their water using a carbon block drinking water filter, (our family uses Berkey,) remove shoes at the door to reduce exposure to chemicals in the home, vacuum with a HEPA filter, limit consumption of charred foods and more.

I would add: minimize exposure to toxic mold indoors. Our family tested positive for ochratoxins in 2009 and have been actively pursuing a healing lifestyle ever since.  (Read our story here.)

See the complete list of action steps at Silent Spring’s Study Fact Sheet: Exposure Biomarkers for Suspected Breast Carcinogens.

I applaud the work of the Silent Spring Institute, an organization dedicated to women’s health as it relates to the environment. The Institute is founded on the vision of Rachel Carson, who brought to light the hazards of chemicals in her book, Silent Spring, published in 1962. Ironically, Carson died two years later of breast cancer.

I believe she would be the first to applaud the conclusions of this study, and would heartily encourage women to unabashedly alter their lifestyle accordingly.

Related Posts

  • Angelina, Breast Cancer and Me
    51
    Angelina, Breast Cancer and MeIn May of 2013, Angelina Jolie shared her decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of cancer, noting an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. According to Jolie, "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to…
    Tags: cancer, breast, natural, mold, toxic
  • 8 Ways I Am Minimizing My Risk of Breast Cancer
    48
    8 Ways I Am Minimizing My Risk of Breast CancerI used to fear breast cancer. After my health crisis, I learned that I can minimize my risk by choosing a proactive lifestyle. I have been on high alert for breast cancer since entering adulthood. My mother and both grandmothers had breast cancer. After 20 years of living in fear of…
    Tags: cancer, breast, mold, natural, environmental
  • Baby Safe Indoor Air
    45
    Baby Safe Indoor AirIt’s a simple way to boost your baby's health, but it's often overlooked. Clean air is one of the basic necessities of life. Unfortunately, due to recent changes in building construction, our homes are often more polluted than outside air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Indoor levels of pollutants may…
    Tags: chemicals, mold, toxic, natural, living
  • About Andrea
    44
    I am the wife of Chris and mom to 9 children. I like to think outside the box and encourage others to do the same. I have an incessant curiosity about environmental health, one of the many outcomes of our family's encounter with toxic mold. (Read more here.) I am certified…
    Tags: environmental, natural, toxic, mold, chemicals
  • Our Toxic Mold Home as We Left It
    43
    Our Toxic Mold Home as We Left ItIt was Saturday October 4, 2008. Chris arrived home at 8:30 p.m after a long flight from Chicago. I was standing in the driveway ready to vacate our home. It had become clear that our home would never be safe for us. After two mold remediations, it was time to…
    Tags: mold, toxic

Filed Under: Beauty, Detox, Microbes & Mold, Mold, Natural Health, Unseen Reality Tagged With: breast cancer, Natural Living, toxic mold

« Almond Flour Muffins – By Kids For Kids
Probiotic Raspberry Lemonade »

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    May 15, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    It is so amazing how rough our environment is on our health. Great post.

    Reply
  2. Jessica @ConveyAwareness says

    May 15, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    We are waiting for our Berkey. It’s been on back order since early April. We cannot wait to filter out the arsenic and fluoride. Currently we have to drink bottled water BUT we recycle our bottles. The brand that we buy is a 7.0 pH.

    Reply
  3. Inna says

    May 15, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    Thanks for sharing this information. We all need to be more aware. I didn’t know about toxic mold. Good luck with your fight. May light and healing be with you.

    Reply
  4. Lauren says

    May 15, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    Really important to know! A lot of people worry about toxins in food but don’t even think about the ones in our environment.

    Reply
  5. MCS Gal says

    May 15, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    Good information. Until I became chemically sensitive, I didn’t know about and/or pay attention to the chemicals around me. Reducing chemicals benefits everyone’s health.

    Reply
  6. Ann says

    May 16, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    Thanks for getting out the word! It continues to amaze me how people just aren’t aware of these issues and don’t pause to think about the impacts of all these chemicals on us all. A great book on this is Breasts by Florence Williams. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  7. Heather says

    May 16, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    This information is so important, thank you for publishing. Every family needs to be aware of these chemicals and how to protect themselves.

    Reply
  8. Raia says

    May 23, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    Thanks for sharing this at Savoring Saturdays, Andrea. It’s frightening how many chemicals we’re exposed to on a regular basis – and most people don’t even know or seem to care! :/ I’m sure it’s only by God’s grace! I hope you’ll stop by and share again this weekend at (Savoring Saturdays).

    Reply
  9. Holli says

    October 10, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    Please tell me how you got tested for ochratoxon?
    I had an abnormal CT showing mass in breast ,
    pulmonary scarring and density around my heart . Diagnostic mammo showed the mass to be a fibroadonoma odd thing is it grew 2 mm in two weeks and my doctor refuses to believe any of this can be related to the mold in my home I’m 47 w no history of cancer or illness in myself or family . 5 years go I had a normal mammogram . I have found studies connecting that toxin to fibroadonomas which eventually do produce cancer cells . I’m scared and need to have evidence this toxin is on my blood / body so I can find help .
    I have recently ran from my home w my 4 dog’s after a wall collapsed ( wet ) other side was everything I had feared Stachybotrys,aspergullis,altarania ,
    Chaetomium to name a few that were found by inspection. I have lost two dogs to mast cell cancer both were very healthy until we moved into that house . I don’t need to go into all the symptoms as I’m sure you already know them. Please tell me how I can get tested for that toxin

    Reply
    • Andrea Fabry says

      October 13, 2017 at 7:13 am

      There is a urine test that tests for ochratoxin. It’s available through Real Time Labs or you can order it yourself through Direct Labs. You’ll see it on this page: https://www.directlabs.com/Default.aspx?&catid=77&language=en-US&tabid=55.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MEET ANDREA

I am a certified Building Biology Advocate, a former journalist, mother of nine, and avid CrossFitter who likes to think outside the box. After our family's health crisis in 2008, I learned to ask questions about what's in our food, our water, and our air. I hope to empower you as you seek to live safely in a complex world. Thankfully, small steps lead to big changes. Let's travel this road together, one step at a time.

Follow

Now Available on Amazon

10 Things I’ve Learned (The Hard Way)

1. The answer may be right in front of you.
2. Time is often the best medicine.
3. Speak kindly to yourself.
4. The air we breathe matters.
5. It's better to know than not know.
6. Relinquishment is a balm for the soul.
7. Symptoms will instruct if we listen.
8. Sometimes you're the expert.
9. Allow hindsight to move you forward.
10. The next step is enough.

The Connecting Place Latest Episode

Listen to "Behind the Scenes: Mold Questions" on Spreaker.

Popular Posts

Why Pesticides Don’t Belong in Schools

The GAPS Diet – Our Story

Natural Living

Are you learning to cook with real food? Clean without chemicals? Use safer products on your skin? Natural living is fun and rewarding. Come join the fun!

Copyright 2025 It Takes Time - Andrea Fabry