Miguel Motas
Full professor of Toxicology in the Department of Social and Health Sciences at the University of Murcia
The article is of proven quality and I consider it relevant due to the volume of data it presents and its realistic assessment of the general population’s exposure to chemicals, as it takes into account not only the active ingredient but also the other substances present in the formulation, and thus considers the combination effect.
It reinforces the idea that environmental pollutants and endocrine disruptors contribute to the risk of breast cancer, although in a sense it revolutionises the evidence by warning that the potential of chemicals used for various purposes is being underestimated, as there are substances that have not been properly assessed and are being overlooked. The message to the public is that unnecessary exposure to hazardous chemicals should be limited as far as possible where safer alternatives exist. Furthermore, it is important to emphasise the need to demand that public authorities maintain up-to-date surveillance, biomonitoring and toxicological assessment programmes.
The limitations are those inherent in a study on cancer, as it must be based on toxicological data from animals, which do not establish a direct causal link in humans. Furthermore, it relies on predictive models and databases; consequently, for certain substances, there are no actual human biomonitoring data.