Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, Tom Coburn, DDT, Malaria and Breast Cancer Options
DrDach
Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and a longtime resident of Silver
Spring MD would have turned 100 years this Sunday if she had not died
of breast cancer in 1964. Her landmark book, "Silent Spring", is
credited with spurring the formation of the EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) in 1970 and the banning of DDT in 1972 (in the US).
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) had intended to submit a senate
resolution celebrating the lifetime achievements of Rachel Carson.
(5)
Unfortunately, the proposed bill was effectively blocked by Republican
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, M.D., in a move seeming to represent the
interests of the chemical and pesticide industry. Senator Tom Coburn
commented that DDT was important for malaria control. How much malaria
have you seen in the US lately, Tom? Let me answer that for you; very
little. Malaria has been eradicated in the US since the 1950's. Of the
1,337 malaria cases reported for 2002 in the United States, all but
five were imported, i.e., acquired in malaria-endemic countries
outside the US. There were 8 reported deaths from malaria in the US in
2002. (6)
Breast cancer mortality here in the US is 5 THOUSAND times greater
than malaria mortality. 178,480 women will be diagnosed with breast
cancer and 40,460 women will die of cancer of the breast in 2007 in
the US. (7 ) (8 )
Granted, DDT was a great scientific achievement and has benefited
mankind immensely, and DDT is still very important for malaria control
in third world countries and should continue to be used as always in
malaria infested areas to save millions of lives. However, there is
an impact on the environment and a link to breast cancer which should
not be ignored.
The Breast Cancer-Pesticide Link
The pesticide-breast cancer link was clearly shown in research from
Israel which linked three pesticides found in dairy products to
increased cancer in mice. After a public outcry in 1978, the Israeli
government was forced to ban the three pesticides, Benzene
Hexachloride, DDT, and Lindane . After the banning of these pesticides
in Israel, breast cancer mortality rates (which had increased every
year for 25 years), dropped nearly 8 per cent for all age groups and
dropped more than a thirty-three percent for women ages 25-34 in 1986.
(9) (10)
Why would Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. make the serious mistake of calling
Rachel Carson's work "junk science"? It's my guess that Senator Tom
Coburn never learned about the pesticide-breast cancer connection in
medical school, or perhaps he unwittingly expressed the sentiment of
the pesticide/chemical industry which tends to malign
environmentalists such as Rachel Carson.
Since her death from breast cancer in 1964, Rachel Carson has come to
be celebrated as a hero by environmentalists. The title "Silent
Spring" refers to the sad absence of songbirds in springtime because
they die from eating insects containing toxic amounts of DDT and other
pesticides.
Pesticides sprayed on our food supply move right up the food chain to
us humans where they build up in the tissues of the body causing
hormonal disruption, toxic effects on the nervous system and increased
cancer risk. As you might guess, this is a lengthy topic. Suffice it
to say that that the chemical structure of DDT is very similar to DES
(Diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic estrogen which was banned because it
causes cervical cancer in the daughters of women given DES during
pregnancy. (11) (12) (12a) (13)
DDT was banned in 1964, and DES was banned in 1971. The Silent Spring
Institute continues the legacy of Rachel Carson, and has focused on
chemicals in the environment which cause breast cancer as hormonal
disruptors. (14)
Thanks to efforts made by Rachel Carson, the Silent Spring Institute,
and others, the EPA has banned the following endocrine disruptor
chemicals:
PCBs, chlordane, DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, kepone,
toxaphene, and 2,4,5-T . (15)
Rachel Carson's work reminds us to avoid these toxic chemicals and
hormone disruptors. By doing so, we may reduce the risk of breast
cancer and a host of other health problems. Other scientists such as
Theo Colborn have continued Rachel Carson line of investigation with
the book, "Our Stolen Future" which describes in detailed scientific
terms the effect of endocrine disruptor chemicals on the developing
fetus of animals in the wild as well as in us humans. (16) (17) (18)
One example from Theo Colborn's book describes reproductive failure in
Florida Alligators attributed to DDT and other pesticides dumped into
the Everglades. The Pesticides were detected in the alligator egg
shells. (19) (20)
Ten Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Chemicals and Decrease Cancer Risk
(19)
1. Use glass containers in the microwave and encourage your family/
friends to do the same. Some plastic containers contain hormone
disruptor chemicals that can leach into food when they are heated.
2. Ask for dry cleaning services that do not use "PERC" or ask for
"wet cleaning." The familiar smell of dry cleaning comes from residues
of perchloroethylene (PERC) which are under study for breast cancer
and are associated with other cancers.
3. Pthalates: Take time to read labels and avoid "phthalates" and
"fragrance" in products. Phthalates are endocrine disrupting compounds
that have been associated with cancer, impaired fertility, and male
birth defects. They are found in hundreds of products including
shampoo, lotion, perfume, cosmetics, vinyl and plastics, including
toys. They are now being monitored by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control. The most common phthalates are: dibutyl phthalate (DBP),
diethyl phthalate (DEP), and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and
phthalates are often an ingredient in "fragrance." Look for labels
that say "phthalate-free" and ask for products that are phthalate-
free.
4. When grilling foods, minimize "char" by reducing the heat level and/
or using marinades. " Char" contains PAHs - polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons - that are known to cause mammary tumors in animals.
5. Purchase organic foods when possible to reduce your exposure to
pesticides and protect your family. Many pesticides are endocrine
disruptors. Pesticides are also known to affect brain development and
neurological function.
6. Monitor what goes down the drain in your home. Never put cleaning
solvents, pesticides, paint thinners, automobile oil, or gas down a
drain.
7. Remember that all vacuum cleaners are not created equal. Carpets
can harbor pesticides, mold and allergens, flame retardants, and other
chemicals. Vacuums with strong suction, a brush on/off switch, a multi-
layered bag for dust collection, and a HEPA filter are considered the
best to avoid recycling dust back into the air.
8. Look for electronic equipment and furniture without PBDEs. PBDEs
(polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are commercially produced flame
retardants that are often added to polyurethane foam, various
plastics, and electronics equipment. They are endocrine disruptors
that affect thyroid hormones.
9. Use organic practices for gardening/lawn care, and encourage
neighbors to do the same. Pesticides and herbicides used on gardens
and lawns are tracked into the house on shoes and by pets. Children
and pets that play on the lawn are exposed, and the chemicals can
leach into waterways and drinking water wells.
10. Encourage your town to adopt policies of using natural/non-toxic
solvents in public buildings, especially schools, and using organic
practices in the care of green spaces. Using safer cleaners and
eliminating pesticides on a town-wide basis will reduce exposure to
compounds that mimic estrogen or otherwise disrupt hormones.
Breast Cancer Prevention Program:
Of course, the essential mineral Iodine is the main ingredient of a
breast cancer prevention program discussed in a previous newsletter.
(20)
In addition to Iodine, I3C (Indole-3 carbinol) and DIM (Di-Indole
Methane) are broccoli extracts which are over the counter nutritional
supplements which have been carefully studied and shown to have a
beneficial effect on human estrogen metabolism. (21) (22) (23) (24)
(25)
Without boring you with the biochemistry, suffice it to say that the
the breakdown and elimination of estrogen by the liver is beneficially
diverted towards the 16 hydroxy pathway to estriol and away from the 2
hydroxy pathway which requires a methylation reaction. The net result
is a decrease in breast cancer risk with the use of DIM.
If you are taking bio-identical hormone supplementation, it is
important that you also add DIM to your supplement program. Call
Marisol at the office 954 983 1443, and she will place an order for
DIM which can be delivered to your shipping address, or stop by the
office to pick it up.
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Regards,
Jeffrey Dach, M.D. www.drdach.com www.truemedmd.com www.jeffreydach.com
4700 Sheridan, Suite T.
Hollywood Florida, 33021
954 983 1443
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References
(1) www.silentspring.org/newweb/about/rachel.html
(2) www.amazon.com/Silent-Spring-Rachel-Carson/dp/0395683297
(3) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring
(4) www.worldofmolecules.com/pesticides/ddt.htm
(5) www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201574.html
(6) www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm"
(7) seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html
(8) seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2004/results_single/sect_01_table.01.pdf
(9) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed"
(10)http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/SearchablePages/1992Newsletters/
Newsletter013B.html"
(10a) Jerome B. Westin and Elihu Richter of the Unit for Environmental
and Occupational Medicine of Hebrew University-Hadassah School of
Medicine in Jerusalem. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
vol. 609, 1990.
(10b) Jerome B. Westin and Elihu Richter, "The Israeli Breast-Cancer
Anomaly," in Devra Lee Davis and David Hoel, editors, TRENDS IN CANCER
MORTALITY IN INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES (New York: New York Academy of
Sciences, 1990), pgs. 269-279.
(11) www.ehponline.org/docs/1996/104-12/shelbyfig1.GIF
(12) www.ohiou.edu/news/months/may/347.html
(12a) www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/122/10/778
(13) www.leflaw.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=20
(14) library.silentspring.org/publications/pdfs/brody_rudel_EHP03.pdf
(15) www.worldofmolecules.com/pesticides/ddt.htm
(16) www.ourstolenfuture.org/index.htm
(17) www.ourstolenfuture.org/Basics/chapters.htm
(18) www.p2pays.org/ref/06/05386.htm
(19) www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1470392
(20) www.brynosaurus.com/funny/alligator/paper/Alligator-Penis-Apopka-Guillette.htm
(21) www.dimfaq.com/site/articles.htm
(22) www.allergyresearchgroup.com/news/letters/2005oct_dim.htm
(24)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16434996&query_hl=10&itool=pubmed_docsum
(25) lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/i3c/
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