Common Antibacterial Compound Linked to Breast Cancer

Commonly added as an antibacterial and antifungal agent to numerous consumer products, including soaps, detergents, toys, and surgical cleaning treatments, triclosan is an endocrine disrupting chemical – capable of causing adverse changes in hormones in those exposed.    Korean researchers conducted tests on human breast cancer cells and in special immunodeficient mice with tissue grafts, with the researchers finding that triclosan interfered with genes involved with breast cancer cell growth, resulting in more cancer cells. Mice that were exposed to triclosan had larger and denser breast cancer tumors than the control group.  The study authors warn that: “these results suggest that [triclosan] may promote breast cancer progression, via an [estrogen receptor]-mediated signaling cascade.”