Title: Breast Cancer Possibly Linked to Air Pollution
Author: Michael Graham Richard
Date: 10.12.2010
Publication: Tree Hugger: A Discovered Company
Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/breast-cancer-possibly-linked-to-air-pollution-study.php
Summary:
A study that was recently done by researchers in Montreal, Canada. The study that was done discovered that air pollution could possibly be one of the linking factors to causing breast cancer. Across the city, the researchers found Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) varied between 5 ppb to over 30 ppb. It was discovered that the risk of contracting breast cancer increased by about 25 per cent with every increase of NO2 of five parts per billion. This is not saying that nitrogen dioxide causes cancer, but it is twice as likely to contract it when you are more exposed to it. Further study is required because there is not that much research done about it.
Opinion:
This was pretty shocking. I'm not that worried about it, because it mentioned in the article that it is not certain and there is still more research to be done. However, if this is actually is a problem, we DEFINITELY need to do something about it. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women these days. If something as easily fixed as air pollution is going to cause it, we need to do something about it. The way that this connects to me personally is that my grandmother has breast cancer, and although I doubt that air pollution caused it, that could be a reason for it.
Graphic:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.treehugger.com/pink-ribbon-breast-cancer-air-pollution-photo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/breast-cancer-possibly-linked-to-air-pollution-study.php&usg=__jBwEBIvEA0mp4K3wSDSl2Ls1sFE=&h=352&w=468&sz=26&hl=en&start=0&sig2=6mXXxPIXaI_7VgRL2BavDw&zoom=1&tbnid=CzEEmsoZ_dc5ZM:&tbnh=161&tbnw=213&ei=L4LdTbH1PITZgQfC0sUN&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbreast%2Bcancer%2Bair%2Bpollution%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1045%26bih%3D484%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=312&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=68&ty=99
This is just the picture from the article, but it's just a picture that shows how they are connected.
Questions:
1. Do you think something needs to be done about this? (Do you think it is a big problem since there isn't that much research on it?)
2. How can we as a country prevent this?
3. Do you think this is a problem in our area?
Becca :)
Opinion: I was very shocked to see that air pollution could be linked to breast cancer. Global climate change is increasing and so is breast cancer. This could not just be a coincedence. This article has made me realize that global climate change does not just change the environment, it can change people's health. For lacrosse we have an annual pink game in honor of breast cancer. Before this event occurred, I did not realize how many girls and guys who play lacrosse have someone in there family who has or had breast cancer. This event made me realize that a lot of people really do get breast cancer. Something needs to be done about the increase in Nitrogen dioxide so that less women are less likely to get breast cancer.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Questions:
1) I think that something should be done about the increase in Nitrogen dioxide whether it does or doesn't increase the chances of breast cancer. Air pollution is a bad thing and should be delt with.
2) We can burn less fossil fuels which is the main factor to cause air pollution. We have come up with alternative ways to replace air pollution, now we just need to use them.
3) Yes I think this a problem in our area. After seeing the number women in this area that had breast cancer, could definately be caused by the amount of Nitrogen dioxide in the air in this area.
I think that this is very shocking and I never would have guessed that air pollution would go to this extent. The pollutants that we, the people of the United States, release into the air are possibly connected with breast cancer, one of the top most deadly diseases. It is unfortunate that our pollution has become this serious and we must do something to stop this increasing amount of pollutants in the air. This ties into my life because my mom had a friend that died of a breast cancer. I am not exactly sure where she lived, but if she lived near a factory it would be fascinating to speculate whether or not that caused the cancer to grow. All in all, this is a serious topic and it is a shame that we have polluted our atmosphere so much, that now we are linking pollution to breast cancer.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101006104003.htm Good link that shows other studies conducted that are similar to the one in this article.
Questions Answers:
(Answer to #3): No, I do not think that this is a major problem in our area. We have very few factories that release smoke and I am pretty sure there are no smokestacks in Horsham. However, this is a very concerning problem for other parts of the world where there are various factories.
3 Questions:
1. Are there any deformities to the baby of those mothers who are exposed to the air pollution?
2. How strong is the correlation between air pollution and breast cancer?
3. Is air pollution the main cause of breast cancer?
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI think that this was a shocking article, but in today's society everything pretty much causes cancer. I would not be concerned with the statement because it still has to be researched further, and because eventually they will say that living flat out causes cancer! I think that we should continue to look at this study just to make sure that they are not wrong, but in the end nobody should be worried. One of my grandmoms and grandpops died of cancer, and when I was little I wondered wondered what caused it, but now we are discovering so many cancer causing substances that it does not really matter anymore. I think that we should cut down on air pollution just to be safe though.
Answer to Questions:
1) I do not think that this is a big problem because there was not a lot of research done on this subject, and because everything causes cancer!
2) We simply cannot prevent cancer in our society, but we could look for cures to cancer.
3) I do not think that this is a problem in our area because we don't live in an area likely to have lots of nitrogen, but who knows.
My Questions:
1)Who conducted this study?
2)Should we be concerned?
3)Is nitrogen really that bad?
Extension:http://www.nutramed.com/environment/carsepa.htm
This is about pollution causing cancer.
Opinion: I think this is bad. The fact that our people are suffering from their own doing is a bit heartbreaking. By now, the connection should be clear that just about everything we do impacts things negatively in a way. If people still don’t understand that just about anything we do to benefit ourselves might…no…will, come right back up and backfire. We made easy transportation for ourselves, we now have to breathe and live in what those machines make. This connects into my life in a way because I always thought that. We are like a bunch of animals in a zoo. We have the life; always being fed, cared for, have attention and so on. But we are contained, the fish in the aquarium have to swim and eat in their own waste, and we are used for commercial purposes. If we just live more naturally, we would have less health issues practically created by ourselves.
ReplyDeleteExtension: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/no2.html
This website by the EPA is an explanation of nitrogen dioxide, where it comes from and how to prevent it. I found it quite interesting.
Answers:
1) Something should be done about it, and something is I bet, it just hasn’t been completed yet.
2) Everybody can keep combustion made gasses to a minimum, like using less artificial heat, drive less, ect.
3) It is, just maybe not as big of a problem.
Questions:
1) How many times have you heard “this causes cancer…” And how many times was you shocked by that “news”
2) Do you think you would give up heat, or driving as often up, to conserve air quality?
3) Do you think anybody else (United States) would give up heat, or driving as often up, to conserve air quality?