With around 69,000 new cases each year, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women in Germany. According to the Robert-Koch Institute, around one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Almost three in ten women affected are younger than 55 years old when receiving the diagnosis. In this article, we want to shed some light on the causes of breast cancer and what role electromagnetic fields (EMF) play in this context.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
The German Cancer Society has published two checklists for individual risk assessment on their site. They identified the following factors as contributors to a higher risk of breast cancer:
- Hormonal imbalance or hormone therapy
- High mammographic density
- Smoking
- Food composition, e.g. B. high fat diet
- Inheritance
- Alcohol consumption
- Obesity and type II diabetes
- Little physical activity
- Increased chest radiation, especially in childhood
EMFs and Cancer
In reference to the last risk factor of increased chest radiation, the question that we are asking is: What role electrosmog plays in cancer? On May 31, 2011, the committee of the WHO-Cancer organisation, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), stated that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are “possibly carcinogenic” for humans. This classification means that, according to the IARC, there is limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect of high-frequency electromagnetic fields in humans. In 2020 the WHO also announced that the EMF risk to our health had to be reassessed, due to the new developments of modern technology and increased EMF exposure.
This leads us to our next question: Which EMF sources can be proven to be risk factors related to the development of breast cancer?
Mobile phone radiation and Breast Cancer
Many young women carry their mobile phones in their bra, which at the time seems to be a practical solution. What they might not know is that this can have serious health consequences. The reason being; when in active mode, mobile phones constantly emit radiation.
A US case study on mobile phone radiation and breast cancer
In support of the above, this case analysis has shown some very unsettling results. The study was published in the Case Reports in Medicine journal and carried out by Dr. John West, a leading expert and surgeon at the Breastlink Breast Cancer clinic in Orange, California.
It showed that close contact with radiation emitting mobile phones over the course of years can trigger breast cancer. The doctors reviewed several cases of young women between the ages of 21 and 39 who developed breast cancer, and who wore their mobile phones in their bra for up to ten hours a day for many years.
A clear link between mobile phone radiation and breast cancer, which all women developed, was the location of tumors. Those were present on the same side of the body as the phones the women carried. In addition, none of the patients had a family history of breast cancer; a genetic classification based on mutations in the breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) could also not be identified; and the investigators did not find any other risk factors either.
Environmental Health Trust (EHT) warns of mobile phone radiation and breast cancer
The US Environmental Health Trust (EHT), a non-profit organisation focused on research of the long-term effects of microwave radiation, issued a warning call about the dangers of mobile phone radiation. The EHT expressed their concern about the results of the breast cancer study: “It has become cool for young women to carry a mobile phone in a bra because it makes it easier for them to access it. You can use it while jogging, driving a car or just sitting around and react to the vibration on your chest when at a cinema or a theater. Most women have no idea that mobile phones are two-way microwave radios that shouldn’t be carried on your body.”
Extremely low frequency magnetic fields and breast cancer
Are there other sources of EMFs that can contribute to the development of breast cancer? Various epidemiological observational studies in humans under real life environmental conditions investigate this question further. By design, these are fundamentally different from experimental studies carried out under controlled laboratory conditions. This way they enable a direct assessment of the disease risk.
- By: Chen Q, Lang L, Wu W, Xu G, Zhang X, Li T, Huang H
- Published in: PLoS One 2013
The meta-analysis of 23 studies from 1991 to 2007 examined the relationship between exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELFs-EMFs) and the development of breast cancer in women. The following factors were considered:
- Population
- Target group: Women with breast carcinoma
- Observation period: 1960−2002
- Study locations: USA, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Taiwan
- Exposure
- 50/60 Hz
- Magnetic field
- High-voltage transmission line
- House wiring
- Electric blanket and household appliances
- Professional and domestic exposure
- Personal environment
Conclusion
Overall, an association has been observed between exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields and the development of breast cancer in women. The analysis of the subgroups showed increased risks in the subgroup of Estrogen–Receptor-positive women and women before menopause. However, the results of the other subgroups were not significant.
- What is electrosmog and why it is so harmful to health;
- How to mitigate EMF exposure;
- Easy and effective protective measures to promote wellbeing of every member of your family.
Practical tips to help protect against breast cancer
EMF Sources:
- Do not carry a mobile phone on your body, especially not in a bra.
- Use your mobile phone as far away as possible from your body.
- Opt in for headsets and hands-free kits.
- Turn off your smartphone and WiFi at night.
- Use wired technology for your home instead of Wifi and Bluetooth.
- Pay attention to a low SAR value for mobile phones.
- Above all, protect your children from unnecessary EMF exposure.
Lifestyle:
- Keep healthy weight.
- Drink as little alcohol as possible and avoid smoking.
- Get plenty of regular exercise.
Family Planning:
- If you have a baby, breast-feed them if possible.
- Once you have completed your family planning, discuss with your doctor which contraception method is the best for you.
Hormone therapies:
- Avoid hormone replacement therapy for the relief of menopausal symptoms.
- If you decide to take hormone replacements, only take them for as long as absolutely necessary.
- Food supplements with hormonally active substances should also be avoided.
What screening tests for breast cancer are available?
The statutory early detection program in Germany offers women from the age of 30 the possibility of an annual palpation examination by a doctor. Women between the ages of 50 and 69 are also invited to have a breast examination every two years. We recommend you check what is available in your country.
Breast self-exam
In addition, it is recommended that you self-examine your breasts every month. Learn more about why palpation is important, and how to get it right on your own in this informative video:
Source: National Breast Cancer Foundation
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Did you like this article? Follow the latest news on the subject of electrosmog in our Waveguard blog.
References
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection: Working method of radiation epidemiological research. Salzgitter 2020. https://www.bfs.de/EN/bfs/science-research/results/epidemiology/epidemiology_node.html
- German Cancer Society e.V .: Breast Cancer – Causes and Risk Factors. Berlin 2017. https://www.krebsgesellschaft.de/onko-internetportal/basis-informationen-krebs/krebsarten/brustkrebs/ursachen-und-risikofaktoren.html
- EMF portal: epidemiological study (observational study). A meta-analysis of the association between exposure to ELF-EMF and the risk of breast cancer in women. Asien 2013. https://www.emf-portal.org/en/article/23232
- National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. Dallas 2020. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-self-exam
- Focus Online: Dangerous Microwaves. How mobile phones cause breast cancer. München 2015. https://www.focus.de/gesundheit/ratgeber/krebs/vorbeugung/handys-im-bh-brustkrebs-durch-handys_id_3467106.html
- Robert-Koch-Institut; Center for Cancer Registry Data: Breast Cancer (Breast Cancer). Berlin 2019. https://www.krebsdaten.de/Krebs/DE/Content/Krebsarten/Brustkrebs/brustkrebs_node.html
- World Health Organisation (WHO): IARC CLASSIFIES RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AS POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS. Lyon 2011. https://www.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf
- What is electrosmog and why it is so harmful to health;
- How to mitigate EMF exposure;
- Easy and effective protective measures to promote wellbeing of every member of your family.
