Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 13:18:14 -0800

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Estrogen may join carcinogen list Talc also under consideration; benefits don't play into decision

By Rita Rubin

USA TODAY

Estrogen, used in hormone replacement therapy, and talc are among the substances being considered for listing in the next federal ''Report on Carcinogens,'' due in 2002. The only public meeting in the review process will be next week in Washington.

''It's been pretty well accepted for a number of years that the hormonal effects of estrogen have led to endometrial cancer in women,'' says Bill Jameson, head of the ''Report on Carcinogens'' group at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Studies reviewed last year by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, found a small increased risk of breast cancer from both estrogen-only and estrogen-progestin hormone replacement therapy.

Oral contraceptives also contain varying amounts of estrogen, but recent studies show they do not increase breast cancer risk. In fact, research has shown the pill to protect against ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Though no public comments have been submitted about steroidal estrogen, many U.S. and European trade groups have voiced opposition to listing talc as a carcinogen.

Research suggests that talcum powder used in feminine hygiene increases the risk of ovarian cancer. Other studies have linked talc with lung cancer in workers who mine and process it.

Just because a substance is listed in the report does not necessarily mean that people should stop using it, Jameson says.

The report only identifies substances that could be health hazards, he explains. It does not include a risk/benefit analysis, which is the responsibility of regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration.

''The benefits of these exposures could far outweigh the potential risk for causing cancer,'' Jameson says. ''It's a personal decision.''

Congress ordered the carcinogens report, RoC for short, in 1978.

Published every other year by the National Toxicology Program, it is used by Congress; federal, state and local agencies; businesses; unions and consumers.

Dioxin, asbestos, second-hand smoke and alcohol consumption already are listed as human carcinogens.