Fw: breast cancer and pyrethroids

[Guest guest]

breast cancer and pyrethroids

> here is some good information to give those who are making decisions to

> spray these pyrethroids

> from Cornell University

>

> " Our first concern is public health protection, but based on what we know,

> we're not seeing any human health issues in

> any of this class of synthetic pyrethroids. "

> - L. , Environmental Protection Agency.

> (NY Times, July 26,2000)

>

> " City Commissioner Neal Cohen said there were no

> public health risks posed by the pesticides. "

> (NY Post, July 27, 2000)

>

>

>

> Breast Cancer and Pesticides: The Facts

>

> The EPA has stated that no pesticide can be considered " safe " and Federal

> Law

> specifically prohibits manufacturers of pesticides from labeling their

> products as " safe, non-poisonous, non-injurious, harmless, or non-toxic "

> even

> when accompanied by a qualifying phrase such as " when used as directed "

> (see

> 40 C.F.R. 162.10 (a) (5) (ix).

>

> Both of the pesticides being used in the Tri-State area are scheduled for

> reassessment by the EPA for their endocrine disruption and cancer causing

> potential.in 2002.

>

>

> 1. Anvil© and Scourge©, the pesticides being used to combat West Nile

Virus,

> are from a class of pesticides known as synthetic pyrethroids. Synthetic

> pyrethroids contain man-made, or " xeno " estrogens. These chemicals disrupt

> the body's normal endocrine system function and can increase the amounts

of

> estrogen in the body.

>

> " Many pesticides possess hormonal activity and thus have been classified

as

> endocrine disruptors. Pyrethroids are commonly used insecticides

worldwide,

> but little has been done to characterize their hormone agonist/antagonist

> potential. We tested four frequently encountered pyrethroids, fenvalerate,

> sumithrin, d-trans allethrin, and permithrin, for estrogen and

progesterone

> agonist/antagonist activities......Fenvalerate and sumithrin demonstrated

> significant estrogenicity..... "

>

> - " Estrogenic and antiprohestagenic activities of pyrethroid insecticides "

> Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1998 Oct 29; 251 (3): 855-9

>

> 2. Estrogen has been shown to increase cell reproduction. Sumithrin, the

> active ingredient in Anvil, has been shown to increase levels of estrogen

in

> breast cancer cells.

>

> " Estrogens, whether natural or synthetic, clearly influence reproductive

> development, senescence, and carcinogenesis. Pyrethroid insecticides are

now

> the most widely used agents for indoor pest control, providing potential

for

> human exposure. Using the MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cell line, we

studied

> the estrogenic potential of several synthetic pyrethroid compounds in

vitro

> using pS2 mRNA levels as the end point. We tested sumithrin, fenvalerate,

> d-trans allethrin, and permithrin. Nanomolar concentrations of either

> sumithrin or fenvalerate were sufficient to increase pS2 expression to

> slightly above basal levels. At micromolar concentrations, these two

> pyrethroid compounds induced pS2 expression to levels comparable to those

> elicited by 10nM 17ß-estradiol (fivefold). The estrogenic activity of

> sumithrin was abolished with a co-treatment with an antiestrogen (ICI

> 164,384)......These findings suggest that pyrethroids should be considered

> to

> be hormone disruptors, and their potential to affect endocrine function in

> humans and wildlife should be investigated. "

>

> - " Estrogenic Potential of Certain Pyrethroid Compounds in the MCF-7 Human

> Breast Carcinoma Cell Line, " Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume

107,

> Number 3, March 1999.

>

> 3. Increased estrogen in breast tissue can increase tumor growth.

>

> " Many breast tumors are estrogen dependent, and some breast tumor cell

lines

> are known to produce TGF-alpha, suggesting that the mitogenic pathways

> controlling early normal mammary growth and the growth of some breast

tumors

> may be similar..... Since increased cell division enhances the chances for

> the formation of a malignant phenotype in the breast, exogenous

[artificial]

> hormones containing estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone may

increase

> breast cancer risk. While DES is no longer prescribed to prevent

abortions,

> it demonstrates that high doses of an estrogen during a period of mammary

> proliferation can affect breast cancer risk. "

>

> - " Hormonal and Environmental Factors Affecting Cell Proliferation and

> Neoplasia in the Mammary Gland. " Progress in Clinical & Biological

Research "

> 394:211-53, 1996.

>

> 4. Sumithrin is not the only problem. Many pesticides (including Anvil and

> Scourge) use a synergist (piperonyl butoxide) to increase effectiveness;

the

> combination can be much more toxic than the active ingredient alone, and

> piperonyl butoxide itself is being evaluated for its carcinogenic

potential

> by the EPA.

>

> " Since the technical (chemically pure) grade of a pyrethroid is usually

> formulated (mixed with carriers, solvents, etc.) for use in commercial

pest

> control, the toxicity of these other ingredients must be taken into

> consideration when assessing the toxicity of a formulated product. For

> example, fenvalerate is much less toxic to mice than the formulated

product,

> Pydrin. A ten-fold difference in toxicity between formulations with the

same

> active ingredient, but with different carriers, can be seen in some

cases. "

>

> - Toxicology and Environmental Fate of Synthetic Pyrethroids. Doria

> Mueller-Beilschmidt. Journal of Pesticide Reform, Volume 10, Number

> 3, Fall 1990. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides,

> Eugene, OR.

>

> 5. There is little evidence to support the claim that the pesticide spray

is

> effective against mosquitoes.

>

> " Mr. Guiliani and Dr. Cohen said they were confident the environmentalists

> fears were unjustified. The spraying, Dr. Cohen said, will kill about 90%

of

> the mosquitoes present. " (NY Times, July 25, 2000)

>

> According to one of the nation's foremost experts on pesticide spraying,

> only

> a miniscule amount of the pesticide spray actually gets to the target

> organism.

>

> " Even under ideal conditions, only about 25% of the pesticide actually

> reaches the target organism " said Dr. Pimentel of Cornell

University.

>

> " In the case of New York's spraying, I would estimate that it's less than

> one

> tenth of one percent. Ninety-nine ponit nine percent goes off into the

> environment where it can have detrimental efects on pulbic health and

> ecosystems. "

>

> In the 1980s, Dr. Pimentel was asked to prepare an assessment for several

US

> cities regarding the efficacy of spraying to control mosquitoes carrying

> Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and found no difference in the number of

cases

> of EEE before and after pesticide applications.

>

> " I doubt seriously if [NY health officials] could actually measure any

> difference in the mosquito population before and after the spraying " he

> said.

>

> ( Pimentel, Cornell University. Ithaca, NY 14850. Tel. (607)

255-2212)

>

> Addresses:

> Post message: spraynoegroups

> Subscribe: sprayno-subscribeegroups

> Unsubscribe: sprayno-unsubscribeegroups

> List owner: sprayno-owneregroups

> URL to this page: sprayno

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

breast cancer and pyrethroids

> here is some good information to give those who are making decisions to

> spray these pyrethroids

> from Cornell University

>

> " Our first concern is public health protection, but based on what we know,

> we're not seeing any human health issues in

> any of this class of synthetic pyrethroids. "

> - L. , Environmental Protection Agency.

> (NY Times, July 26,2000)

>

> " City Commissioner Neal Cohen said there were no

> public health risks posed by the pesticides. "

> (NY Post, July 27, 2000)

>

>

>

> Breast Cancer and Pesticides: The Facts

>

> The EPA has stated that no pesticide can be considered " safe " and Federal

> Law

> specifically prohibits manufacturers of pesticides from labeling their

> products as " safe, non-poisonous, non-injurious, harmless, or non-toxic "

> even

> when accompanied by a qualifying phrase such as " when used as directed "

> (see

> 40 C.F.R. 162.10 (a) (5) (ix).

>

> Both of the pesticides being used in the Tri-State area are scheduled for

> reassessment by the EPA for their endocrine disruption and cancer causing

> potential.in 2002.

>

>

> 1. Anvil© and Scourge©, the pesticides being used to combat West Nile

Virus,

> are from a class of pesticides known as synthetic pyrethroids. Synthetic

> pyrethroids contain man-made, or " xeno " estrogens. These chemicals disrupt

> the body's normal endocrine system function and can increase the amounts

of

> estrogen in the body.

>

> " Many pesticides possess hormonal activity and thus have been classified

as

> endocrine disruptors. Pyrethroids are commonly used insecticides

worldwide,

> but little has been done to characterize their hormone agonist/antagonist

> potential. We tested four frequently encountered pyrethroids, fenvalerate,

> sumithrin, d-trans allethrin, and permithrin, for estrogen and

progesterone

> agonist/antagonist activities......Fenvalerate and sumithrin demonstrated

> significant estrogenicity..... "

>

> - " Estrogenic and antiprohestagenic activities of pyrethroid insecticides "

> Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1998 Oct 29; 251 (3): 855-9

>

> 2. Estrogen has been shown to increase cell reproduction. Sumithrin, the

> active ingredient in Anvil, has been shown to increase levels of estrogen

in

> breast cancer cells.

>

> " Estrogens, whether natural or synthetic, clearly influence reproductive

> development, senescence, and carcinogenesis. Pyrethroid insecticides are

now

> the most widely used agents for indoor pest control, providing potential

for

> human exposure. Using the MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cell line, we

studied

> the estrogenic potential of several synthetic pyrethroid compounds in

vitro

> using pS2 mRNA levels as the end point. We tested sumithrin, fenvalerate,

> d-trans allethrin, and permithrin. Nanomolar concentrations of either

> sumithrin or fenvalerate were sufficient to increase pS2 expression to

> slightly above basal levels. At micromolar concentrations, these two

> pyrethroid compounds induced pS2 expression to levels comparable to those

> elicited by 10nM 17ß-estradiol (fivefold). The estrogenic activity of

> sumithrin was abolished with a co-treatment with an antiestrogen (ICI

> 164,384)......These findings suggest that pyrethroids should be considered

> to

> be hormone disruptors, and their potential to affect endocrine function in

> humans and wildlife should be investigated. "

>

> - " Estrogenic Potential of Certain Pyrethroid Compounds in the MCF-7 Human

> Breast Carcinoma Cell Line, " Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume

107,

> Number 3, March 1999.

>

> 3. Increased estrogen in breast tissue can increase tumor growth.

>

> " Many breast tumors are estrogen dependent, and some breast tumor cell

lines

> are known to produce TGF-alpha, suggesting that the mitogenic pathways

> controlling early normal mammary growth and the growth of some breast

tumors

> may be similar..... Since increased cell division enhances the chances for

> the formation of a malignant phenotype in the breast, exogenous

[artificial]

> hormones containing estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone may

increase

> breast cancer risk. While DES is no longer prescribed to prevent

abortions,

> it demonstrates that high doses of an estrogen during a period of mammary

> proliferation can affect breast cancer risk. "

>

> - " Hormonal and Environmental Factors Affecting Cell Proliferation and

> Neoplasia in the Mammary Gland. " Progress in Clinical & Biological

Research "

> 394:211-53, 1996.

>

> 4. Sumithrin is not the only problem. Many pesticides (including Anvil and

> Scourge) use a synergist (piperonyl butoxide) to increase effectiveness;

the

> combination can be much more toxic than the active ingredient alone, and

> piperonyl butoxide itself is being evaluated for its carcinogenic

potential

> by the EPA.

>

> " Since the technical (chemically pure) grade of a pyrethroid is usually

> formulated (mixed with carriers, solvents, etc.) for use in commercial

pest

> control, the toxicity of these other ingredients must be taken into

> consideration when assessing the toxicity of a formulated product. For

> example, fenvalerate is much less toxic to mice than the formulated

product,

> Pydrin. A ten-fold difference in toxicity between formulations with the

same

> active ingredient, but with different carriers, can be seen in some

cases. "

>

> - Toxicology and Environmental Fate of Synthetic Pyrethroids. Doria

> Mueller-Beilschmidt. Journal of Pesticide Reform, Volume 10, Number

> 3, Fall 1990. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides,

> Eugene, OR.

>

> 5. There is little evidence to support the claim that the pesticide spray

is

> effective against mosquitoes.

>

> " Mr. Guiliani and Dr. Cohen said they were confident the environmentalists

> fears were unjustified. The spraying, Dr. Cohen said, will kill about 90%

of

> the mosquitoes present. " (NY Times, July 25, 2000)

>

> According to one of the nation's foremost experts on pesticide spraying,

> only

> a miniscule amount of the pesticide spray actually gets to the target

> organism.

>

> " Even under ideal conditions, only about 25% of the pesticide actually

> reaches the target organism " said Dr. Pimentel of Cornell

University.

>

> " In the case of New York's spraying, I would estimate that it's less than

> one

> tenth of one percent. Ninety-nine ponit nine percent goes off into the

> environment where it can have detrimental efects on pulbic health and

> ecosystems. "

>

> In the 1980s, Dr. Pimentel was asked to prepare an assessment for several

US

> cities regarding the efficacy of spraying to control mosquitoes carrying

> Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and found no difference in the number of

cases

> of EEE before and after pesticide applications.

>

> " I doubt seriously if [NY health officials] could actually measure any

> difference in the mosquito population before and after the spraying " he

> said.

>

> ( Pimentel, Cornell University. Ithaca, NY 14850. Tel. (607)

255-2212)

>

> Addresses:

> Post message: spraynoegroups

> Subscribe: sprayno-subscribeegroups

> Unsubscribe: sprayno-unsubscribeegroups

> List owner: sprayno-owneregroups

> URL to this page: sprayno

>

>

>