PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests a chemical found in household fittings affects development of the mammary gland in rats and might cause human breast cancer.
Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers in Philadelphia said their study is the first to suggest butyl benzyl phthalate, or BBP, can affect the beast's genomic profile. Further studies will be needed to determine if the chemical can lead to breast cancer, they said.
BBP is widely used to soften polymers and is found in household fittings such as pipes, vinyl floor tiles and carpet backing.
Jose Russo at Fox Chase, along with colleagues from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, fed lactating rats BBP, which their offspring then absorbed via breast milk. The researchers found BBP had a transitory effect on certain characteristics of the female offspring of the rats, such as the ratio of uterine weight to body weight and the genetic profile of the mammary gland.
"We are the first to report that neonatal/prepubertal exposure to BBP induced modifications in the gene expression of the mammary tissue," Russo said.
The study appears in the journal BMC Genomics.
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