Does Plastic Raise Breast Cancer Risk?
Updated on December 23, 2025
Most people are exposed to plastic products every day. Food and drink containers, disposable bags, and toiletry bottles are all plastics made from tons of chemicals. Some chemicals make plastic flexible, durable, and resistant to water and heat. But growing research suggests plastics regularly leach chemicals when heated or scratched, which then seep into our oceans, landfills, air, and even our bodies. Some of these chemicals may even increase the risk of breast cancer by either disrupting hormones or damaging DNA in the body.
Certain chemicals in plastic, like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, throw off the natural balance of hormones in the body by either blocking or mimicking hormones like estrogen. These “endocrine disruptors” may raise breast cancer risk, since estrogen plays a role in the development and growth of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
Other chemicals in plastic damage DNA, which over time makes cells more likely to turn cancerous. These carcinogens, including vinyl chloride, may increase the risk of all types of breast cancer, not just hormone-sensitive breast cancer.
Not all of the chemicals in plastic disrupt hormones or damage DNA and no single chemical definitively causes breast cancer by itself. The process of transforming normal breast cells into cancerous ones is complex and can be influenced by a number of different factors including genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
Chemicals found in plastics linked to breast cancer
Research has found that 414 chemicals in plastic either cause breast tumors in animals or show hormone-disrupting effects. Specific chemicals of concern include:
Bisphenol A (BPA)
BPA is a synthetic estrogen found in many rigid plastic products, such as food and drink containers and canned foods. In the 1990s, researchers started to learn of the dangers of BPA: it leaches from plastic and acts as an endocrine disruptor. Studies in animals have linked prenatal exposure to BPA to changes in breast tissue development that are linked to tumor development later in life. BPA has also been found in high levels in the urine and breast tissue of people with breast cancer.
While the U.S. banned BPA from baby bottles and formula packaging, it’s still used in food packaging. As growing evidence linked BPA to health concerns, some plastic companies have switched to other bisphenols, including bisphenol S and bisphenol F. These substitutes are used in “BPA-free” plastics, but research suggests they may have similar — or worse — endocrine-disrupting effects.
Vinyl chloride (VC)
Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a non-recyclable plastic used in a wide range of materials, such as pipes, packaging, and sports equipment. It was classified as a human carcinogen in 1974 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and has been shown to cause breast tumors in animals.
When VC or PVC is burned at industrial worksites, either to get rid of waste or due to an accident, it releases toxic chemicals called dioxins, which are endocrine disruptors. Dioxins and VC are also air pollutants, so people who regularly breathe in polluted air or work in manufacturing may be more exposed.
Phthalates
Phthalates are chemicals used in a variety of everyday products including food packaging and personal care products. Some phthalates are used in cosmetics, paints, and tampons. Other phthalates are used to improve the flexibility of plastics like PVC, which is used in food packaging, medical devices, and vinyl flooring. These different groups of phthalates have unique properties that change their possible health effects.
Similar to BPA, some phthalates are hormone disruptors. The most commonly used phthalate in plastics, DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), is a hormone disruptor and possibly a carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Studies in cells and animals suggest that DEHP may promote breast tumor growth. One study found that women with higher levels of DEHP and its breakdown products in their urine had a higher chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer after 5.5 years, compared to women with lower levels of DEHP.
DEHP is banned in children’s toys in the European Union and the U.S. because it harms fetal and child development. Other states, including New York and California, have additional regulations for DEHP and other phthalates.
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
PFAS are a large group of “forever chemicals” found in plastic food packaging, like cling plastic wrap, and coating for non-stick cookware. The most well-studied PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are both listed as human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and can disrupt hormones. A 2023 study from the National Cancer Institute found that women with higher PFOS levels in their blood had double the risk of developing hormone receptor-positive breast cancer compared with women with lower PFOS levels.
Microplastics
Plastics are usually non-biodegradable, meaning they don’t naturally break down in the environment. But they do break down into small particles called microplastics (and into even smaller particles called nanoplastics). These small particles have been found everywhere, including in water, food, air, and even in people. But it’s too soon to say if microplastics are linked to breast cancer. A recent study in breast cancer cells found that microplastics may increase the risk of breast cancer spreading to other parts of the body, but more research in people is needed.
Everyday exposure to plastics
People can be exposed to chemicals from plastics in many ways, such as using plastic food containers and through workplace exposures. Not all plastic exposures carry the same risk because how you use plastics affects the amount of chemicals they leach.
Heating plastics
When you heat up food or drinks in plastic containers, BPA, phthalates, and other chemicals can leach into them. In a 2023 study, scientists heated polypropylene (PP)-based and polyethylene (PE)-based reusable plastic containers in the microwave for three minutes. Some containers released up to 4.22 million microplastics and 2.11 billion nanoplastics.
Storing food
Chemicals from plastic storage containers can also leak into your food even if you don’t heat them. That’s because any stress put on plastics, like washing them, increases leaching. Storing acidic foods, like tomatoes or citrus, in reusable plastic containers can also make plastics leach more chemicals. Microplastics have also been found to leach into liquids stored in plastic containers.
Working with or around plastic
People who spend a lot of time around plastic — such as those who work in plastic production, like car or clothes manufacturing — may have an increased risk of breast cancer because of their exposure to cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting chemicals. In one study, women who worked in textiles had double the breast cancer risk than normal. Other workers exposed to chemicals from plastic include firefighters, cashiers, and nurses, though more research is needed on workplace exposures.
Reducing your risk from plastics
Though it's impossible to completely avoid plastics, try to use them as little as possible, especially if you're pregnant.
To reduce your exposure to BPA:
Drink from a glass, steel, or ceramic water bottle filled with filtered tap water.
Eat less canned food, which may be lined with BPA coating
Avoid touching cash register receipts, which contain BPA. If you get one, don't recycle it. Recycling receipts can spread BPA to products made with recycled paper.
Use caution when using plastics with a number 7 recycling symbol. If the plastic says "PLA" or has a leaf symbol on it, it doesn’t contain BPA. If it’s missing these labels, it may contain BPA.
To reduce your exposure to other chemicals in plastics:
Don't cook or reheat food in plastic containers or use plastic roasting/steaming bags.
Avoid cleaning plastic containers in the dishwasher, since heat can lead to chemical leaching. Hand wash them with cold water instead.
Avoid using scratched and discolored plastics, which may be more prone to leaching.
Use glass, porcelain, enamel-covered metal, or stainless steel pots, pans, and containers for food and drinks whenever possible, especially if the food or drink is hot.
Don’t store oily food in plastics, since chemicals in plastic are fat soluble and are more likely to leach into fatty food.
If using cling plastic wrap, make sure the wrap does not come in contact with food, especially acidic food.
Don’t use plastics with recycling symbol 1 more than once.