A new study of Massachusetts women suggests a link between the use of household cleaning products and breast cancer, based on a survey of over 1,500 women.

The study indicated the highest risk of breast cancer in women who reported frequent use of mold and mildew cleaners as well as synthetic air fresheners.  Specific chemicals of concern were phthalates (aka phthalate esters), 1,4-dichlorobenzene (aka para-dichlorobenzene, p-DCB, PDB), styrene (aka vinyl benzene), benzene, terpenes and synthetic musks.

This new study, published in the journal, Environmental Health, lends support to previous animal research which demonstrated these same chemicals cause mammary-gland cancer as well as disruption to the endocrine system.  Others argue that such evidence is purely circumstanial and that no definitive causal link can be conluded based on such surveys.

My question is this: why take the risk?  Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda make excellent alternatives to chemical cleaners, as do the numerous natural cleaning products on the market which are not significantly more expensive than chemical-based products and, in some cases, may even be the same price or less.  All-natural air fresheners and scents also smell just as good if not better than the synthetic varieties.

See my two previous blog articles on cleaning with natural products: Cleaning with natural products part 1, and cleaning with natural products part 2