Exposure to chemically polluted air is of concern to building biologists due to it’s possible adverse health effects. That these concerns are well founded appears to be supported by the results of a study recently reported in NaturalNews. The report described how researchers in London have found that city women may have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who live in the country.

The study of 972 British women aged 45 to 54 years showed that city women had more dense glandular tissue in their breasts than did country women (the female breast consists of dense glandular tissue and fat). The report stated that a previous study had shown that women with breasts composed of at least 25% dense tissue had 5 times the risk of breast cancer of women with fattier breasts.  Tumours that occur in dense tissue are more difficult to detect than those in fat tissue.

While stress could be a factor, the researchers suggested that increased breast density in city women may be associated with hormone-disrupting chemicals found in polluted air. They therefore emphasised the need to focus on traffic management and on reducing traffic emissions.

Reference

Gutierrez, D.   2008   City life boosts breast cancer risk   NaturalNews.com. Online, available at : http://www.naturalnews.com/z023288.html   (Viewed on 23.5.08)