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On the occasion of World Environment Day, which will take place on June 5, 2023, the Foundation for Medical Research (FRM) presents three projects aimed at better understanding and preventing the impact of environmental exposures on women’s health . These would be more exposed to pollutants and would therefore have a greater risk of developing certain diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 23% of deaths and 25% of chronic pathologies in the world are linked to environmental factors (therefore not genetic). Thus, the quality of air, water, food, exposure to environmental agents or the consequences of climate change are factors that can have an impact on our health. The Foundation for Medical Research recalls that the health consequences of exposure to pollutants vary from one person to another. They depend on several parameters such as age, gender, occupation, location and way of life, economic and cultural level, etc. It turns out that they are higher in women.
Why are women more exposed to pollutants?
Social inequalities…
The causes of these inequalities in terms of exposure to pollutants are multiple. Women are more impacted”because of their living conditions, work environment, social behavior, but also their biology”explains the FRM in a press release. The job would be one of the major causes of the greater exposure of women to pollutants: it would be responsible for 67 to 87% of the differences in the risk of chemical exposure between men and women. Some occupations that are over-represented among women expose people to chemicals that are dangerous to health. This is particularly the case for cashiers who handle tickets containing bisphenols every day. Another major cause of exposure to substances harmful to health, insecurity, which affects women more. However, we know that people in precarious situations turn more to less qualitative products because they are cheaper, live in more polluted places, etc. Also note that cosmetics and perfumes are products used mainly by women and that they may contain harmful substances such as phthalates (suspected of being involved in the development of endometriosis).
…and organic
There are also biological explanations for these inequalities between men and women. The women have more body fat only men. And it is precisely in fatty tissue that many pollutants are stored. Women therefore contain more dangerous substances in their bodies than men. A final difference concerns the sex hormone system. The endocrine disruptors contained in some products interfere with this system and increase the risk of breast cancer, precocious puberty and abnormal fetal development during pregnancy.
Three diseases under study: breast cancer, endometriosis and obesity
Faced with scientific data that show these inequalities between men and women, the FRM has decided to launch three projects that will make it possible to better identify and assess the effects of pollutants on three common diseases in women: breast cancer, endometriosis and ‘obesity. According to the WHO, breast cancer affects 1 in 12 women during their lifetime, endometriosis 10% of women and girls of childbearing age, and obesity 15% of women worldwide (compared to 11% of men).
- The breast cancer project will focus on the impact of bisphenols and plastic particles on this disease. Several studies have shown that these substances would have important effects on the stem cells of the mammary gland allowing the breast tissue to function properly.
- The obesity project will focus on the impact of food contaminants, including pesticides, in increasing the number of cases of obesity in women.
- The project on endometriosis will focus on the possible links between the disease and various environmental factors such as in utero smoking, additives, air pollution or persistent organic pollutants (dioxins).