According to the senior author of the study, William Baldwin, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, the chemical called 4-nonylphenol binds to estrogen receptors in breast tissue which increases the risk for breast cancer.

Part of the problem is that the chemical, which mimics estrogen, may last longer in the body than natural estrogen.

How the Study was Conducted

Baldwin and his team compared the effects of giving differing doses of the chemical, 4-nonylphenol and estrogen to mice. When they followed mice genetically engineered to readily develop breast cancer over 32 weeks, many of those given 4-NP developed breast cancer while those given equivalent doses of estrogen did not.

Baldwin and other experts estimate that established risk factors such as aging, early onset of periods, late menopause, delayed childbearing and genetics explain only about 25 percent to 50 percent of breast cancers, and that environmental exposure plays a big role.

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References

Acevedo R, Parnell PG, Villanueva H, Chapman LM, Gimenez T, Gray SL, Baldwin WS. The contribution of hepatic steroid metabolism to serum estradiol and estriol concentrations in nonylphenol treated MMTVneu mice and its potential effects on breast cancer incidence and latency. J Appl Toxicol. 2005 Jul 12