
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 22, 1993                   TAG: 9310220115
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

EPA TO STUDY PESTICIDE FOR BREAST CANCER LINKS

A pesticide approved by the government for widespread use on fruits and vegetables may be linked to breast cancer, scientific experts told a congressional panel Thursday.

The recently confirmed head of the Environmental Protection Agency's pesticide program promised to study the pesticide.

Emerging evidence shows the insecticide endosulfan and other estrogenic chemicals are associated with instances of breast cancer, although definite proof is lacking, several experts told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health and the environment.

EPA does not screen pesticides when approving their use on crops for chemical properties that imitate the human reproductive hormone estrogen. Some scientists suspect that estrogen causes cancer.

The testimony came as Congress is working to update the nation's food safety laws, including the regulations governing approval and use of pesticides. - Associated Press

by CNB