Expert tips on how to avoid chemicals in food packaging

• Breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in women, affects around 13% of women at some time in their lives.
• In the United States, although deaths from breast cancer are falling, the incidence of the disease is increasing, particularly among younger women, and experts are unsure why.
• A new study could suggest one possible explanation — chemicals that transfer from packaging into our food.
• The study identified 189 chemicals in food packaging that are possible mammary carcinogens — substances that could increase the likelihood of breast cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk of developing some form of cancer is 41.6% for men and 39.6% for women. For women, the most common form is breast cancer, which is likely to affect one in 8 women at some stage in their life.

A new study from the American Cancer Society has shown that deaths from breast cancer have declined by 44% since 1989, largely due to greater screening and improved treatments, but it warns of an increase in the incidence of breast cancer every year, particularly among younger women. The reasons for these rises are unclear.

• Being female — women are much more likely to develop breast cancer than men.
• Getting older — most breast cancers are diagnosed in women over 50.
• Genetics — certain genetic mutations can increase breast cancer risk.
• Having dense breasts.
• Exposure to substances called carcinogens may increase cancer risk.

However, they advise that the following can decrease breast cancer risk:

• Being physically active
• Maintaining a healthy weight, particularly after menopause.
• Having children, especially before the age of 30, and breastfeeding them.
• Drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol.

Now, a study may offer an explanation for some of the increase in breast cancers. The study, by the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and published inFrontiers in Toxicology, researchers identified 189 potential breast carcinogens in common food packaging…