Breast Cancer and Plastics: A Toxic Pair

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argues that plastics contain cancer-causing chemicals, such as flame retardants and phthalates, contributing to a breast cancer epidemic. The document highlights disproportionate health impacts on Black, Indigenous, and racialized people in Canada and calls for the Canadian government to implement stronger regulations and support a rigorous Global Plastics Treaty to remove toxic chemicals from products.

• The document asserts that companies engage in 'pinkwashing' by supporting breast cancer awareness while simultaneously using chemicals in products and packaging that are hormone-disrupting, mutagenic, and cancer-causing.
• Recent research has identified hundreds of chemicals in plastic and food packaging that are absorbed by the body and linked to breast cancer, including flame retardants in cooking utensils and phthalates and heavy metals in children's products.
• In Canada, it is expected that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, with 1 in 34 dying from the disease. Black, Indigenous, and racialized populations face more aggressive forms of the cancer, earlier diagnoses, and higher treatment resistance.

APA

Barker, C., Gioia, M., & Dodd, S. (2024). Breast Cancer and Plastics: A Toxic Pair. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/breast-cancer-and-plastics-a-toxic-pair/

Chicago

Barker, Cassie, Milena Gioia, and Sharon Dodd. Breast Cancer and Plastics: A Toxic Pair. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2024. https://cape.ca/breast-cancer-and-plastics-a-toxic-pair/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Barker |first1=Cassie |last2=Gioia |first2=Milena |last3=Dodd |first3=Sharon |title=Breast Cancer and Plastics: A Toxic Pair |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=13 November 2024 |url=https://cape.ca/breast-cancer-and-plastics-a-toxic-pair/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{barker2024breast, author = {Barker, Cassie and Gioia, Milena and Dodd, Sharon}, title = {{Breast Cancer and Plastics: A Toxic Pair}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://cape.ca/breast-cancer-and-plastics-a-toxic-pair/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }