Breast Cancer, Tamoxifen and EMFs
How often have you been told that there are no biological effects of weak EMFs that can be replicated in more than one lab?
Like much of what you hear about EMFs, this is propaganda that seeks to cut off further research.
In past commentaries, we have described how WHO and industry officials refuse to acknowledge that EMFs can cause DNA breaks. Here is another example:
German researchers recently reported that a 12mG magnetic field could neutralize the ability of tamoxifen to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells. This is the seventh group to find this particular type of low-level EMF effect.
Take a look at our latest commentary and you will learn what happens to those who dare challenge the orthodoxy. It is not a pretty picture.
The EMF-tamoxifen work has potential implications for women being treated for breast cancer. Please pass this message on to your friends and associates. The only way that EMF research will be allowed to resume in the U.S. and in Japan is if the public demands it.
Check out "When Enough Is Never Enough" at:
http://www.microwavenews.com/fromthefield.html#12mGx7
Best, Louis Slesin
Louis Slesin,
PhD Editor,
Microwave News
A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation
Phone: +1 (212) 517-2800;
Fax: +1 (212) 734-0316
E-mail: mwn@pobox.com ;
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Following on from Louis Slesin’s message on Breast Cancer, Tamoxifen and EMFs, below is the link to an old paper that I wrote on this subject that was published in Hansard, 27 October 1997. Looks like now is the time to dust it off for a major re-write….
Don Maisch
The Breast Cancer/EMF connection: Melatonin, Tamoxifen,
50-60 Hertz Electromagnetic Fields and Breast Cancer
An Australian Senate discussion Paper, 27 October 1997 (published in Hansard)
Don Maisch, EMFacts Consultancy.
According to recent statistics, breast cancer in Australia effects one in 14 women, kills one in 27 and is increasing at a rate of 3% annually. These figures reflect a growing community concern and as a consequence, in 1995 the Federal Government allocated $3 million over a 3 year period, solely for breast cancer studies.
It is unfortunate however, that apparently no current Australian breast cancer research is examining the growing evidence that low level exposures to 50-60 hertz electromagnetic fields (EMF) may block melatonin’s ability to suppress breast cancer cells and reduce the pineal gland’s nocturnal production of melatonin, thereby increasing susceptibility to breast cancer. This evidence consists of both human and laboratory studies, some of which are summarised in this paper. Almost all of these studies have been conducted only within the last few years and are still awaiting the peer review process which can take years to complete. As a result, many of these studies do not yet constitute part of the body of substantiated scientific evidence, often referred to by national and international expert regulatory groups, such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
snip/
Full paper is available at:
http://www.emfacts.com/papers/melatonin.html
Source:
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=327
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Breast cancer and radiofrequency exposure
At the end of my October 1997 Senate paper (last message) I briefly mentioned evidence that suggests that malignant breast cancer tissue is far more sensitive to RF/MW than other types of cancerous tissue (reproduced below). This is one thing that Dr. John Holt from West Australia (do a Google search) has stressed as an important consideration for breast cancer patients. Now in Australia we have a situation in Brisbane where a whole array of antennas is mounted on the side of a 2 story building in a city public square. Directly opposite 70 meters away is a three story office building where, if you look out the third story windows, you look slightly down on the antennas. I sent one affected business on the third floor Alasdair Philip’s excellent Com and A Com meters and the tenents were able to determine the level of RF in their offices. They are now shielding the rooms and plan on moving out as soom as possible. Now the relevant point I’m trying to make is that when the person took the meters out on the public square in front of the building with the antennas, he found that he was getting RF readings from every metal object in that square, including his metal watch band. This would also be the case for any woman in that square (many work there) who might be wearing an underwire (metal) bra. That underwire would be acting as a slave antenna re-broadcasting RF directly into the breast. This would tend to act as a promoter of any cancerous cells in the breast. As cities are all becoming wireless wonders the situation in Brisbane must be repeated many times. At the very least, simple advice to breast cancer patients to not wear metal underwire bras would seem a sensible precaution.
Unfortunately Cancer Councils find it impossible to think this stuff through for themselves. Much easier to just blindly follow the written statements of the Repacholis of this world and not risk being attacked by the cell phone industry.
Omega see under: "WHO, EMF, Electromagnetic Radiation and Mobile Phones" http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1194586/
Don Maisch
“Although this paper only deals with powerline EMFs, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from radiofrequency and microwave emissions are also now being implicated in breast cancer.
Besides some epidemiological studies, such as one showing a significant increase in breast cancer for female radio operators, there is evidence that breast cancer tumors absorb significantly more EMR than other cancers, or healthy tissue. To quote from one study, conducted at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, in 1993.
“In general, at all frequencies tested [50 to 900 MHz], both conductivity and relative permittivity were greater in malignant tissue than in normal tissue of the same type. For tissues of the same type, the differences in electrical properties from normal to malignant were least for kidney (about 6% and 4% average differences over the frequency range in permittivity and conductivity, respectively), and these differences were the greatest for mammary gland (about 233% and 577% average differences in permittivity and conductivity, respectively) “(27)
The ability of breast cancer tumors to absorb significantly more EMR than normal tissue should be of concern when compared to an official joint statement, made in the Information sheet, Safety of Mobile Phones and Towers - The Answers (Nov.1995) by the Australian Radiation Laboratory, Spectrum Management Agency, Austel and the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, (under the heading, Is Cancer an issue?)
“There is yet insufficient scientific knowledge of many aspects of health effects of radio waves. One common question is: Do radio waves from mobile phones increase the risks of cancer? The answer is that there is no experimental evidence that radio waves directly cause cancer. Laboratory studies on animals suggest that where cancer exists, radio waves may accelerate its growth.”
For this reason, acting under the Precautionaly Principal as mentioned prevously, one should also consider radiofrequency and microwave exposures as a possible risk factor to be avoided.”
Reference 27: Joines W.T., Zhang Y., Chenxing L., Jirtle R.L. (1993)The measured electrical properties of normal and malignant human tissues from 50 to 900 MHz Medical physics, Vol. 21, April 1994, p.547-550.
Source:
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=329
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Additions to the Breast cancer file on this list
From Andy Davidson
Don Maisch
Just a couple of articles that when read together might make sense? Sorry; still batting on about EMR inducing nitric oxide, and it still keeps stitching things together. All I need is a full-time researcher to help me!
Andy
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16315602&query_hl=1
Effects of ELF magnetic fields on protein expression profile of human breast cancer cell MCF7.
Li H, Zeng Q, Weng Y, Lu D, Jiang H, Xu Z.
Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310031, China.
Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields (ELF MF) has been considered as a “possible human carcinogen” by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) while credible mechanisms of its carcinogenicity remain unknown. In this study, a proteomics approach was employed to investigate the changes of protein expression profile induced by ELF MF in human breast cancer cell line MCF7, in order to determine ELF MF-responsive proteins. MCF7 cells were exposed to 50 Hz, 0.4 mT ELF MF for 24 h and the changes of protein profile were examined using two dimensional electrophoresis. Up to 6 spots have been statistically significantly altered (their expression levels were changed at least 5 fold up or down) compared with sham-exposed group. 19 ones were only detected in exposure group while 19 ones were missing. Three proteins were identified by LC-IT Tandem MS as RNA binding protein regulatory subunit, Proteasome subunit beta type 7 precursor and Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein. Our finding showed that 50 Hz, 0.4 mT ELF MF alternates the protein profile of MCF7 cell and may affect many physiological functions of normal cell and 2-DE coupled with MS is a promising approach to elucidating cellular effects of electromagnetic fields.
So MCF7 and nitric oxide?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10631110&dopt=Abstract
Nitric oxide nitrates tyrosine residues of tumor-suppressor p53 protein in MCF-7 cells.
Chazotte-Aubert L, Hainaut P, Ohshima H.
International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, Lyon Cedex 08, 69372, France.
It has been reported that mammalian cells incubated with excess nitric oxide (NO) accumulate p53 protein but concomitantly this p53 loses its capacity for binding to its DNA consensus sequence. As nitration of tyrosine residues in various proteins has been shown to inhibit their functions, we examined whether NO nitrates tyrosine residues in p53 protein. MCF-7 cells expressing wild-type p53 were incubated with S-nitrosoglutathione for 4 h and cellular extracts were immunoprecipitated with an anti-p53 antibody. Western blot analyses of immunoprecipitates for p53 or for nitrotyrosine revealed low levels of nitrotyrosine in p53 from untreated cells. Incubation with 2 mM S-nitrosoglutathione induced a significant increase in the nitrotyrosine level in p53 protein compared to nontreated cells. These results suggest that excess NO produced in inflamed tissues could nitrate p53 protein, playing a role in carcinogenesis by impairing functions of this tumor-suppressor protein.
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=337
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From Robert Riedlinger:
BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN, HIGH-VOLTAGE POWER LINES AND MELATONIN
by Roger Santini
[National Institute of Applied Sciences - Laboratory of Biochemistry Pharmacology, 20, Av. A. Einstein-69621 VILLEURBANNE (France).]
http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org/newsletter/news144.html#santini
In a recent study, Feychting et al. (1) observe that among estrogen receptor-positive women (younger than 50 years) the relative risk for breast cancer is significantly increased if those women are living near high voltage power line (exposure cutoff point for ELF magnetic fields >0.1 yT) [I think it is supposed to be microTesla (uT)-Don]. In their article, Feychting et al. (1) discuss the role of melatonin as an oncostatic agent and propose that electromagnetic fields from high-voltage power lines decrease melatonin which may be a mechanism correlated with cancer development (2).
A publication of Danforth et al. (3) has shown that women with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer have a nocturnal increase in plasma melatonin significantly lower than control subjects.
From those results, we can propose that women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer have a nocturnal increase in plasma melatonin significantly lower than control subjects.
These results could indicate that in women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, the specific decrease of melatonin in those subjects (3) is a supplementary factor which can have a synergistic action with the melatonin decrease due to the electromagnetic fields. This synergistic decreasing action on melatonin may contribute to potential breast cancer development in estrogen receptor-positive women living near high-voltage power lines.
1. Feychting M, Forssen U, Rutquist LE and Ahlbom A(1998): Magnetic fields and breast cancer in Swedish adults residing near high-voltage power lines. Epidemiology 9:392-397.
2. Rieter RJ (1994): Melatonin suppression by static and extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields: relationship to the reported increased incidence of cancer. Rev Environ Health 10:171-186.
3. Danforth D, Lichter A, Demoss E, Cohen M, Chabner B, and Lippman M (1982): Decreased nocturnal plasma melatonin peak in patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Science 216:1003-1005.
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=339
