A new study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine says that in utero exposure to chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and diethylstilbestrol (DES) increases the risk of developing breast cancer in adulthood.
According to the Endocrine Society’s journal Hormones and Cancer, these products are endocrine disrupters that interfere with the proper functioning of hormones. They disrupt development and reproduction and they have neurological and immune effects on humans.
BPA is a weak estrogen and DES is a strong estrogen, but both have a profound effect on gene expression in the breast.
After analyzing mice exposed to products that contain these chemicals, scientists found that the mammary glands of their offspring had a higher level of EZH2. It is a protein that maintains gene expression and is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Unfortunately, this is not really verifiable before children reach an age when breast cancer appears.