Sandra
Steingraber was diagnosed with bladder cancer as a young adult. People might
shake their heads and think it is genetic if she had said it runs in her
family, but what if she told you that she was adopted? Steingraber explores
this fact and goes on to describe “a study of cancer among adoptees that found
correlations within their adoptive families but not within their biological
ones.” Most people who said it was genetic would draw a blank stare, and then—silence.
These silences illuminate some hard facts, how some people are unaware that
families not only share similar genetic traits but, more often than not, share
the same environments as well.
What struck Steingraber was the volume of
science research that focused on genetic mutations as a cause for cancer. For
Steingraber, there had to be more than just genetics. Naturally intrigued, she
began to research articles that document the genetic changes associated with
bladder cancer. Even with all the information we have gathered about genetic
mutations, we still fall short in finding an effective solution to prevent the
disease. The rate of bladder cancer has risen 10% between the years 1973 and
1979, with significant prominence from the African American population. And
while it is believed that cigarette smoking may account for a third of all cases,
the most apt question is what is causing cancer in the rest of the population
who do not smoke? Steingraber’s research evaluated the known and suspected
carcinogens, “their sources, their possible interactions with each other, and
our various routes of exposure to them.” What she lacked was conclusive
evidence in how these substances interact with each other.
Most
cancer research, at the moment, tends to deal with the heretical nature of the
disease. The approach focuses on genetic testing which tries to identify genes
that are most susceptible to cancer, and the individual’s risk of cancer.
Steingraber, however, exclaims that hereditary cancers are not the norm, as “fewer
than 10 percent of all malignancies are thought to involve inherited mutations.”
When heredity is not deemed as the main cause, cancers are classified as “sporadic”
to describe the rest. The evidence suggests that the location of a cancer gene
will “not prevent the vast majority of cancers that develop.” What often occurs
is that people who carry a cancer gene are more at risk as environmental factors
exacerbate the potential risk for malignancy.
The
crux of the issue when it comes to cancer genes is that we cannot change who
our ancestors are, and focusing the issue on inheritance which we can do
nothing about rather than external factors which could be in our control. We are
carrying, from the past, carcinogens that are no longer in use but are still
present in our bodies. It important that we find and explore the root cause
that may stem from our previous use of chemicals in neighborhoods and the products
we use. This, in essence, is a search for our ecological roots. The current
system of regulation of carcinogenic substances is intolerable; rather, we must
prevent the generation instead. Steingraber advises that we choose the least
harmful way when solving problems which inexplicably correlates with the “least
toxic alternative.”
Should
there be more effort to study the links between cancer and environmental
factors?
Yes,
with Steingraber’s research and personal anecdotes, there does seem to be
correlation with cancer and external factors that are not related to genetics
or heredity. Everywhere around us, the use of chemicals in our food and water
are prevalent. We still carry trace elements of pesticides in us since Rachel
Carson exposed the world to the dangers of their use. What else can be
affecting our health that may lead to malignancies causing death? By only
focusing on genetic mutations of cancer cells, we are limiting the scope of
possibilities that may be a root cause to our dilemmas.
Steingraber, Sandra. “Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment.” Sources: Selection in Environmental Studies. Ed. Thomas Easton. United States, 2014. 153-157.
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