Researchers have found what is believed to be a cluster of breast cancer cases among women who work or have worked on the Ambassador Bridge, Canada. The bridge which spans between the USA and Windsor in Canada, is a toll bridge employing customs officers.

Jane McArthur, a University of Windsor PhD candidate in sociology and social justice, was studying women’s knowledge of breast cancer risks, interviewing 25 customs and duty-free shop workers when she heard there may be 10 to 20 or more cases of breast cancer in the last 20 years.

The Customs and Immigration Union reacted by joining Jane McArthur in a call for an investigation, funded by the employer, the Canadian Border Services Agency. The issue has been a concern for years with the Customs and Immigration Union which is part of PSAC (Public Service Alliance of Canada).

Jane McArthur, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at University of Windsor said the women interviewed wondered about the effect of the vehicle exhaust, stress and shift work had on their risk of breast cancer. Research suggests air pollution and vehicle exhaust are associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer, she said.

McArthur is hoping a further study could document how many and what type of breast cancers were found, and encourage policies that would mitigate the work exposure at the new bridge. The study would also be important for compensation for women with breast cancer if it is linked to their work.

Newspaper article from the Windsor Star on the findings.

Poster presentation by Jane McArthur on her Investigations into Womens Narratives of Breast Cancer presented to the 4th International Cancer Research Conference hosted by the Windsor Cancer Research Group on November 19, in Windsor, Ontario.

 

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Published by wildcardenvironmentalist

Helen Lynn has worked on issues linking women, gender, health and the environment since 1995, initially at the Women’s Environmental Network where she was health co-ordinator for 12 years, then as a freelance consultant. She has worked internationally and at EU level with Women in Europe for a Common Future and is on their International Advisory Board. Her campaign work began with Putting Breast Cancer on the Map, which encouraged women to map local sources of pollution alongside incidence of breast cancer and she was one of the founders of the No More Breast Cancer Campaign. She is on the Soil Associations Health Products Standards Committee which develops and keeps under review standards for organic health and beauty care products. While at WEN she and the health team initiated the Getting Lippy campaign on harmful ingredients in cosmetics, the campaign covered all aspects of the issue including information on toxic ingredients, making your own cosmetics, misleading labelling and advertising of the products and which alternatives are available. Other campaigns Helen worked on included the Ban Lindane (a toxic pesticide used on crops) Campaign, Healthy Flooring, Enviromenstrual, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. She currently facilitates the Alliance for Cancer Prevention which works with occupational and environmental health specialists and activists to challenge the existing emphasis on control and treatment of cancer as the only way forward and to get equal recognition for primary prevention, particularly in relation to environmental and occupational risk factors. In 2014 along with fellow breast cancer activists she began the From Pink to Prevention campaign which aims to move the agenda towards Stopping Breast Cancer before it Starts.

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