Posted April 19, 2009
Exposure to bisphenol A can reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy on breast cancer cells, according to a study in the Feb. 2 Environmental Health Perspectives.
Bisphenol A is a chemical used in plastics, and virtually everyone is believed to have some concentration of the chemical in their bloodstream. The study found that concentrations of the chemical comparable to those found in the general population reduced the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer cells. Researchers believe the chemical altered the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
“(Bisphenol A) at environmentally relevant doses reduces the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents,” the study stated. “These data provide considerable support to the accumulating evidence that (bisphenol A) is hazardous to human health.”
Date: April 18, 2009
