Home → Lower Your Risk → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Risk Factors → August 2005: Environmental Issues and Breast Cancer → Have food preservatives increased occurrence?

Have food preservatives increased occurrence?

Page last modified on: October 2, 2008

Question from TGlobal1: What impact do food preservatives have on breast cancer occurrence?: Answer —Devra Davis, Ph.D., M.P.H.: We don't know, but at the turn of the century, arsenic and mercury were typical food preservatives. They worked! But they also created other problems. There is no free lunch. So it may be that some of today's food preservatives are problematic, but that may change. After all, we've learned not to use arsenic and mercury in our foods and are no longer poisoning people with those chemicals.

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., MPH Devra 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. 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. 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.