kaye301@aol.com

<< The heavy metal cadmium, widely used in
batteries and alloys, can affect rats in ways that mimic the female
hormone estrogen, a new study has found. Researchers say the study
suggests the metal may be a risk factor for breast cancer. >>

Interesting. I have been wearing battery-operated hearing aids for the past
16 years. I wonder if there is an increased risk of b.c. in women who wear
hearing aids?

kaye301@aol.com

<< I don't think any hearing aids use cadmium batteries, and you aren't likely
to come into contact with the insides of the battery anyway. >>


Thanks, that's good to know.
I think there was some cookware that had cadmium as well...seems familiar...

ilena@san.rr.com

Study: Link Between Low Dose Cadmium Exposure and Increased Risk of
Breast Cancer

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20030713_637.html


WASHINGTON July 13 â€" The heavy metal cadmium, widely used in
batteries and alloys, can affect rats in ways that mimic the female
hormone estrogen, a new study has found. Researchers say the study
suggests the metal may be a risk factor for breast cancer. Scheduled
for the August issue of the journal Nature Medicine, the study is
being published online Monday.

"We never expected to see this strong a relationship, given how
different the cadmium and estrogen compounds are," said Mary Beth
Martin of Georgetown University. "Cadmium's ability to functionally
mimic estrogen and its effect on cell growth is quite
remarkable.""What we saw suggests a direct link between low dose
cadmium exposure and increased risk of breast cancer," she
said.Cadmium has long raised environmental concerns because chronic
exposure can lead to kidney damage and bone disease.But the study
found that even relatively low doses of cadmium affected the mammary
glands and ***ual development of the animals.The effects included an
increase in weight of the uterus, changes in the lining of the uterus
and increased density of the mammary glands. In rats exposed to
cadmium while still in the womb, there were changes in their mammary
glands and puberty began earlier than normal, reported Martin.Previous
studies in male rats showed changes in the prostate after
administration of cadmium, Martin said.She said it's too early to
predict that the metal would affect human in the same way it does
rats, but the findings suggest that it may be a hazard.Early onset of
puberty can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, and increased
breast density can also be an indication of the disease."The more we
learn about how this works in rats, and eventually people, the better
lifestyle choices women can make," she said.The tests were designed to
see the effect of cadmium at levels that might be encountered in real
life.The World Health Organization recommends a maximum exposure of 7
micrograms of cadmium per kilogram of weight per week. The rats were
injected with the equivalent of 5 micrograms per kilogram of weight.In
the United States, dietary exposure to cadmium is estimated to range
from 0.12 microgram to 0.49 microgram per kilogram daily.The metal is
common in pigments, alloys and batteries and can be encountered in
soldering processes. It is also an air contaminant produced by burning
fossil fuels and is present in foods, particularly shellfish, liver
and kidney. Cigarette smoking can add 2 to 4 micrograms of cadmium per
pack.In their experiments, the researchers first removed the ovaries
of female rats, eliminating the animals' main source of estrogen,
Martin said.After the animals recovered from the surgery, some were
injected with cadmium while others were given estradiol, a common form
of estrogen.Four days later, there was a 3.8-fold increase in the
uterus weight in rats given estradiol to replace their normal
estrogen.But the rats given cadmium also had a growth in uterine
weight, which increased 1.9-fold, an indication that they were
reacting to the metal as though it were a hormone.In addition, some of
the rats given cadmium were also given a chemical known to block the
effects of estrogen. Those did not have an increase in uterus weight,
Martin reported.Rats treated with both estradiol and cadmium showed 50
percent increases in the density of the tissue in the mammary glands,
the study found.Martin said the relatively low dose of cadmium needed
to produce the results was a surprise. The researchers found no toxic
effects on the animals' livers or kidneys.Injection of cadmium into
pregnant rats did not change the pregnancy, but the female offspring
reached puberty earlier than rats not exposed to the metal and their
mammary glands developed more fully.

On the Net:Nature Medicine: