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Greater risk from toxins by air or water?

Page last modified on: April 23, 2009
Question from JLebel: Is there a greater likelihood of breast cancer occurrence if exposure to a toxin is airborne vs. in a water supply or in contaminated land?
Answer —Devra Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H.: There's no reason to think there's any difference. What is important is whether the agent in fact affects the body's production of hormones or affects our genes.

On Wednesday, August 17, 2005, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Environmental Issues and Breast Cancer. Devra Lee Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H., Sue Heffelfinger, M.D., Ph.D., and moderator Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. answered your questions about which environmental hazards may increase your risk for breast cancer and how you can reduce them in the home and workplace.


The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Devra Lee Davis, Ph.D., MPHDevra Lee-Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H. directs the Environmental Oncology Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

Sue Heffelfinger, M.D., Ph.D.Sue Heffelfinger, M.D., Ph.D. is director of an NIH Center for Breast Cancer and the Environment at the University of Cincinnati and also associate professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H.Jennifer Griggs, M.D., M.P.H. is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, with a a special interest in cancer survivorship, patient-physician communication, and quality of care for women with breast cancer.

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