Breast Cancer, Breast Disease, and Pesticides

Study Summary

This study will collect information on the height and weight of women who participated in a 1998 study in Triana, Alabama, on the risk of breast cancer and benign breast disease in relation to environmental exposure to the pesticide DDT and similar chemicals. This additional information is needed to calculate the participants' body mass index (BMI), which is required for completing analysis of the data. The 1998 study-a collaborative effort of the National Cancer Institute, the Triana Area Medical Fund, and the College of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Huntsville-investigated possible effects of DDT and other compounds on the risk of breast cancer, predominantly among African-American women in the area of Triana, Alabama. The study was initiated as a result of medical findings showing high blood levels of DDT among the local population who had consumed fish from a tributary of the Tennessee River that had been polluted by the discharge over several decades of large quantities of pesticides from a DDT production plant. Women participating in the study had a mammogram, physical examination, breast examination, and blood draw, and completed a questionnaire on diet and lifestyle factors. In order to complete analysis of the data and determine whether there is an association between environmental exposure to DDT and related chemicals and breast cancer risk, additional information on BMI is required.