Cancer Prevention

Scientists Identify Toxic Chemicals Women Should Avoid to Prevent Breast Cancer

Researchers have identified 17 types of toxic chemicals that can lead to mammary tumors in animals, suggesting that cancer-prevention efforts should include warning women about avoiding exposure to these substances.

A new peer-reviewed study says that many chemicals demonstrated to cause mammary cancer in rats are linked to breast cancer in women.

The study, published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) journal Environmental Health Perspectives, was conducted by scientists at the Silent Spring Institute.

Natural Born Pest Killers

Remedies for Home Pest Control

Not everybody likes cucumbers. You may be interested to learn that ants hate cucumbers, especially cucumber peels. You’ll especially appreciate that fact if you want to get rid of them. Just spread some cucumber peels – the more bitter, the better – where ants enter your home and they should get the message. Consider cucumber the “anti-welcome” mat for ants.

Plant healthy, nontoxic gardening practices in your yard and keep family & pets safe

Spring is here (at least, according to the calendar) and many pet lovers welcome the time they spend tending their garden.

But your yard can cultivate a whole host of potential pet poisons and dangers, from the pesticides and tools you use to the plants you grow.

"Having a non-toxic lawn is crucial for dogs in particular," says Carl Grimm, natural gardening and toxics reduction planner for Metro. "Since they're more likely to chew or lick soil or plants in the garden, it makes them more vulnerable to pesticides."

10 Ways to Use Vinegar in the Home

The owners of the first apartment that I rented when I moved from the UK (via Tokyo) to the West Coast insisted that I use a vinegar and water solution for cleaning the hardwood floors. I have been a convert ever since, creating homemade concoctions and gradually expanding their uses over the years.

Firefighters Sound Alarm On Toxic Chemicals

More than 200 empty pairs of firefighter boots lined the steps of the Rotunda in San Francisco's City Hall on Wednesday.

Each pair represented a local firefighter who lost his or her life "with their boots off" due to cancer in the last 14 years, said Tony Stefani, president of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.

"In just the last three months, we've had two active and four retired firefighters die of cancer," said Stefani, a retired San Francisco Fire Dept. captain and cancer survivor, in a interview before the event.

The Toxins That Threaten Our Brains

Leading scientists recently identified a dozen chemicals as being responsible for widespread behavioral and cognitive problems. But the scope of the chemical dangers in our environment is likely even greater. Why children and the poor are most susceptible to neurotoxic exposure that may be costing the U.S. billions of dollars and immeasurable peace of mind.

Cancer-Proof Your Body

Recent research reveals 8 stealth strategies to keep the killer at bay. It's time to raise your carcinogen shields—and your overall health—using these smart anti-C moves

10 Ways for Men to Prevent Cancer Today

Sweat Daily

In a University of Vermont study, the fittest men were 68 percent less likely to develop lung cancer and 38 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancers than the least active men—and those who developed cancer had better outcomes if they exercised regularly. Cardio and resistance training help control inflammation and hormone levels—and they keep your immune system strong to fend off wayward cells. (Turn up your muscle gains outside the gym. These 18 Ways to Build Muscle All Day will help you shed fat, sculpt muscle, and accelerate recovery.)

The Chemicals That Stick Around in the Body

How the U.S. tracks the potentially harmful substances that build up in humans

Most Americans do carry traces of dozens—possibly hundreds—of potentially toxic chemicals in their bodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tests blood and urine samples in thousands of citizens as part of its continuing public-health surveys.

The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics

Update (3/3/14): After this story went to press, the US Food and Drug Administration published a paper finding that BPA was safe in low doses. However, the underlying testing was done on a strain of lab rat known as the Charles River Sprague Dawley, which doesn't readily respond to synthetic estrogens, such as BPA.

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