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DDT and breast cancer

By tlambert on October 4, 2007.

Revere reports on a new paper that found that women with the highest DDT exposure had a five-fold elevated breast cancer risk:

This is one study, albeit a well conducted one by experienced investigators. It is also relatively small, limited by the number of historical stored serum samples. But the effect is large, which makes it less likely we are seeing the consequences of some hidden bias (an unmeasured variable related to breast cancer risk that differs dramatically in the high DDT group versus its comparison). It is possible for such differences to exist, but for such a large effect the unmeasured variable (an uncontrolled confounder) would have to be a powerful risk factor we don't know about. Possible. Not that likely.

Confirmation and further work are needed -- as always: when have scientists not asked for it? But these data are concrete evidence that the caution about human exposure to DDT was warranted and banning its use in the US was of benefit to more than birds.

Still on DDT, Ed Darrell has a round up of recent news.

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This sounds remarkably like the abortion may lead to breast cancer debate i was hounded about. In other words there is nothing that can be derived conclusively from the study other than more studies need to be done.

We don't know the concentrations and the other stuff that goes with it.

DDT kills mozzies. Even if the risk were there a CBA would need to be done before anything else.

What is it about female boobs anyway? They seem to cop a hiding from the environment. If they weren't so great to look at maybe women ought to think of removing them.. Damn things are killers under all those bras.

Incidentally, Tim, have you checked out the latest Fred Pearce piece in the New Scientist? I didn't have time to read it thoroughly (I was reading it in a supermarket....) but it seemed to recycle almost all of the tradition myths about DDT from the extreme Right. Has anyone read it thoroughly? And who is Fred Pearce anyway?

Jc wrote:

This sounds remarkably like the abortion may lead to breast cancer debate i was hounded about.

I have not been following the basis on which you were being hounded but I would have said that the design of this particular study makes it sound remarkably unlike the studies that showed a link between abortion and breast cancer. This study is a prospective study.

Oh well in that case, I shall have to write to NS and point out the inaccuracies, referring of course to Deltoid. Honestly, every time I think NS can't get any worse, it does so. A few weeks ago they had a cover article on some nebulous hypothetical entities called "Boltzmann brains" and the article wibbled on about our existence etc. It was a pile of big smelly pants that didn't belong in a science magazine.

Hmmm.. a prospective study using actual DDT levels in stored serum, and medical records for cancer risk, and finding a strong effect - sounds 'remarkably' like a series of self-reported historical surveys yielding weak effects in both directions, and which which were subsequently blown out of the water by a good prospective, record-based set of studies.

Dude, the studies which look 'remarkably' like this one, are the studies which demolished the ones you were referring to

JC, is it your intention to make yourself look foolish?

And also - good god, man - the purpose of female breasts, which ultimately justifies their risk to their bearers, without which it would be reasonable to consider their removal, is to look good for men? Really?

'Oh well in that case, I shall have to write to NS and point out the inaccuracies, referring of course to Deltoid'

Good on you. I would do the same but I am trying to get them to publish something of mine, and I don't want to offend them...it seems that NS finds difficulty finding space for what I consider to be interesting advances in cognitive psychology, but can always find space for 'Carson killed more than Hitler' type articles, or drivel about brains popping into existence a trillion years in the future.

"And also - good god, man - the purpose of female breasts, which ultimately justifies their risk to their bearers, without which it would be reasonable to consider their removal, is to look good for men? Really?"

Of course not. It's to make clothes fit better.

"And who is Fred Pearce anyway?"

Fred Pearce is a journalist who writes about environmental issues and has been doing so for many years.

He has been writing for the 'New Scientist' about global warming for some time and recently wrote a quite-good book, 'The Last Generation' on the subject.

I'm a bit surprised by his DDT article. Hopefully, people with the relevant expertise will set him right.