Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay
Every two minutes a woman in the US is diagnosed with breast cancer, as of 2024 and, unfortunately, especially in developing countries like India , the cases of breast cancer are only going uphill. Although successful breast cancer treatment is a reality now, the struggles of post-treatment can be felt from the account of a patient named Amy, a cancer survivor: “When I went into recovery it took me months to realize that crying was OK, that it was OK to grieve for a part of me, emotionally and physically, that I had lost. I don’t have the same body I had before, I still have monthly injections and daily pills, and at times I still feel slightly lost.”
However, it isn’t only Amy who feels this way; cancer researchers have spoken to many such patients and analyzed their cases only to conclude that breast cancer survivors are susceptible to other mental, emotional, and physical disorders. Perhaps this is why it is said that prevention is better than cure. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that “approximately half of breast cancers develop in women who have no identifiable breast cancer risk factor other than gender (female) and age (over 40 years).” Here is WHO’s list of possible breast cancer risks: increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy. Of all these possible risks, they concluded none to be identifiable. They are not identifiable yet because there is an ongoing non-conclusive scientific debate on the objectiveness of these risks. Our hypothesis is that no risks were found identifiable as many emerging risk factors like exposure to environmental pollutants are yet to be firmly added to WHO’s list.
One such toxic environmental pollutant is polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) that is abundantly present in our air, soil, water, and food. At least 1.3 million tonnes of PCBs, comprising about 130 identified individual congeners/types, were manufactured worldwide prior to their banning in 1973 (OECD countries only) [7]. Though there are over 100 types of PCBs, they were mixed to be used in different products. The health risk has been found to be positively dependent on the content of chlorine in each of the PCB types. PCBs are chemicals infamously known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and they were widely used in the manufacturing industry to produce coolants in electrical transformers; paints used to coat sheds, swimming pools, and more constructions; capacitors; paper industry; hydraulic oil, and open wire/cables. While PCBs were banned in developed countries like the US and EU in the 1970s-80s, their use and improper disposal continues to be an issue in developing nations.With respect to the global target of eliminating PCBs in equipment by 2025 and achieving sound waste management by 2028 under the Stockholm Convention, only 23 countries (13%) as of 2022 have achieved environmentally sound management of PCBs.
Historically, people were exposed to PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) mainly through their jobs or by accident. Nowadays, the most common way people come into contact with PCBs is by eating contaminated food and drinking water. Studies have found PCBs in fish all over the world, meaning people can ingest them by eating fish. Even at low levels, long-term exposure to PCBs can cause inflammation and lead to serious health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, various types of cancer (including liver, stomach, intestinal, and thyroid cancer), diabetes, and of course breast cancer. Women are more susceptible to exposure because PCBs are byproducts of pigment production and these pigments can be used widely across cosmetic products like foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, skin care products, and hair care products. Researchers have found high levels of PCBs in the blood of women with breast cancer compared to healthy women. This suggests that exposure to PCBs is significantly linked to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Adding to our dismay, it was found that higher levels of PCBs meant worse survival rates as seen from women who had lost their lives to PCB exposure attributed to breast cancer.
An immediate solution to this is avoiding exposure but if PCBs are present everywhere in the environmenthow can one avoid exposure to them living in a developing country that still focuses on industrial development? According to the Stockholm Convention, all countries involved promised to manage PCBs by 2028, which means it is impossible to completely avoid PCBs for now. So, we need to create ways to reduce the health risks linked to PCB exposure. Interestingly, adopting a diet rich in polyphenols and antioxidants can significantly reduce the damage and inflammation caused by PCB exposure. One could consider a diet with certain nutrient-rich foods, complementing the regular Indian meal. If you are a working woman or an ambitious college student or simply someone looking out for your health, you can shield your body from environmental PCB exposure by adding some fruits and nuts to your go-to snacking foods, replacing other packaged and processed food.
However, lifestyle choices cannot be handled at every point in everywoman’s life, so responsible action by governments and other stakeholders is of utmost urgency. Governments should focus their PCB elimination missions on containing the main source of PCB leaks that is landfills where these PCBs have long been disposed. As of 2018, new insights that emerged from recent studies of PCBs remediation include supercritical water oxidation, ultrasonic radiation, bimetallic systems, nanoscale zero-valent iron-based reductive dehalogenation and biofilm covered activated carbon, electrokinetic remediation, and nZVI particles in combination with a second metal. Although there are many such technologies that could be used, there is a need for the government to interfere and make the shift to a suitable technology that landfills could widely implement as a PCB remediation strategy. Moreover, a screening test of PCB levels in blood for susceptible women over 40 years of age needs to be implemented so that breast cancer risk can be monitored across the country and women can make informed health decisions.
Samhitha Samishetty, Atharva Sawant, and Vikas Kumar are pursuing BTech at Plaksha University, Mohali.
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