Varnish 'increases HRT cancer risk'

Last updated at 14:37 20 April 2004


A solvent found in varnishes, paints, dyes and fuel additives may raise the risk of breast or ovarian cancer among women who are on HRT or taking the contraceptive pill, it was claimed today.

New research showed that the chemical boosted the activity of hormones used in the treatments by up to 10 times.

This increases the danger for women threatened by hormone-sensitive breast and ovarian cancers, which are triggered by the action of oestrogen or progesterone.

The hormone-disrupting effect of the solvent, ethylene glycol methyl ether (EGME), may also be responsible for miscarriages and infertility, scientists at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, New Carolina found.

Cancer fears

They urged caution for patients who are exposed to these chemicals while taking any oestrogen or progesterone-containing medications, such as HRT, oral contraceptives or tamoxifen for breast cancer.

This latest study follows more than a year and a half of confusion over the safety of HRT. More than 1.7million British women stopped taking it after scientists linked the treatment to breast cancer.

But research published earlier this month contradicted those findings and said HRT is still the best treatment for menopausal women.

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